Just done new set of nails

[DONZIE]

Hi everyone,
I have asked a few questions on this site sinced becoming a nail technician and finding this wonderful site. I find the tutorials invaluable and love learning from them, they have helped me SO MUCH! I still feel like an outsider though really as so many of you seem to know each other so I hope you don't mind me asking questions.
Well in an earlier post I said that I was worried about doing 3 complete sets of Creative liquid and powder nails this week because its been some time since I actually put a set of tips on. Well I didn't have much time to practice on my hand trainer as you all kindly suggested as one of the girls changed her appointment from Wednesday morning to this evening at 3.30pm just as I arrived home from work after starting at 06.30!! Anyway the end result turned out great (or at least she thought so!). I was so pleased when the velocity tips suited her cos I really find those the very easiest to use.
My concerns are that it still took me 3 1/4hrs to complete (used to take4). I wish I could get quicker!! But no matter how hard I try I just can't seem to get any faster. Secondly, Although I managed to get a better result i.e.more curved on the smile line, I didn't seem to have enough product to cover the whole tip from smile line to free edge. I tried to do what I had learned in the tutorial and push the white towards the smile line but not letting the brush go over the line. I found that better although it will take some time to perfect but once I'd placed the white and started pushing it toward the smile line and out to the sides of the nail, I found that I sometimes had too much product at the edge of the nail and didn't know what to do. Once I'd got the smile line looking half decent then I added more white to finish off and cover the tip to the free edge. Can anyone give me any tips as to how I can improve on these problems or what I may be doing wrong please?
Thanks
Donna

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Donna I've sent you a pm about being an outsider - there is no such thing on this site, just jump in and join the gang!!

I can only help with your timings, as I don't do l&p and so can't help with your application. We all start with times of 3 hour sets, the only way you will get your time down is through practice. When you start you check and recheck and check again everything you do, ie you size a tip and you'll recheck it a dozen times before you pluck up the courage to apply the adhesive and attach it the nail!! You''l gradually gain in confidence and start knocking your timing down in chunks, before you know it you'll do 2 1/2 hour sets, then 2 hours and then 90 mins. Just get as many people as you can to practice on.

Besides would you rather have a lovely set that took 3 hours, or unsightly "growths" that took 2? As long as you warn your clients it takes 3 hours then it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[cozzx]

hiya donna it takes me about 2hrs to do a full set of nails and i passed in sept just keep practicin thts wot im doin

 

[geeg]

Hi everyone,
I have asked a few questions on this site sinced becoming a nail technician and finding this wonderful site. I find the tutorials invaluable and love learning from them, they have helped me SO MUCH! I still feel like an outsider though really as so many of you seem to know each other so I hope you don't mind me asking questions.
Well in an earlier post I said that I was worried about doing 3 complete sets of Creative liquid and powder nails this week because its been some time since I actually put a set of tips on. Well I didn't have much time to practice on my hand trainer as you all kindly suggested as one of the girls changed her appointment from Wednesday morning to this evening at 3.30pm just as I arrived home from work after starting at 06.30!! Anyway the end result turned out great (or at least she thought so!). I was so pleased when the velocity tips suited her cos I really find those the very easiest to use.
My concerns are that it still took me 3 1/4hrs to complete (used to take4). I wish I could get quicker!! But no matter how hard I try I just can't seem to get any faster. Secondly, Although I managed to get a better result i.e.more curved on the smile line, I didn't seem to have enough product to cover the whole tip from smile line to free edge. I tried to do what I had learned in the tutorial and push the white towards the smile line but not letting the brush go over the line. I found that better although it will take some time to perfect but once I'd placed the white and started pushing it toward the smile line and out to the sides of the nail, I found that I sometimes had too much product at the edge of the nail and didn't know what to do. Once I'd got the smile line looking half decent then I added more white to finish off and cover the tip to the free edge. Can anyone give me any tips as to how I can improve on these problems or what I may be doing wrong please?
Thanks
Donna

Like so many students/amateurs before you, you want to speed up!! Well you don't speed up until your work improves and you know exactly where you are going and (as Sarah said) learn to trust your judgment without constantly checking. This comes with TIME and practice and you have not had allot of either.

As to your last paragraph and the questions therein .... What you do if you have too much product when you get to the side of the smile is just chop it off with your brush and get rid of it or place it on the tip to finish off the free edge. You will learn to judge the size of bead you need AGAIN with practice and TIME.

NO SKILL is learned quickly unless you are a born artist and what I call 'a natural'. In my many years of teaching, I have come across only 5 such people (and I have taught hundreds and hundreds of beginners). FIVE ... all the rest had to slog it out and put in their time just as you will have to do.
Timing is the last thing we work on, not the first. skill level first and timing last.

 

[DONZIE]

Thank you for your response Gigi. What you say makes sense and I suppose the speed will come naturally in time!! I have tried removing the surplus white when I get to the side edge of the nail but I just end up in a mess with it sticking to the skin!

 

[Chemz Nailz]

hey donzie
i am a new geek too and don't really know anyone either I met a couple of ladies at the nail academy in london who i will be keeping in touch with and i got a private message from someone who found something in common with me when they read my personal thing. I've been doing nails as and when for a year now and have only started practising pink and whites I used to take 3 hours plus and now take 2 and half to three hours but i think its because i've been learning other things aswell, airbrushing, encapsulation a little bit o this and a little bit o that. I'm going to focus on one area and practise hard everyday for a month and see if timing improves.
lets swap notes on pink and whites it could be very useful.
I've just purchased a brisa kit aswell but I will focus on l and p just now

love
Chemine

 

[geeg]

I use the side of my flattened brush (like a knife) and just chop it off.