A couple of French polish questions

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Sarfield

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Sorry i realise there's already a French topic, but i just have a few specific questions.
Firstly, what methods does everyone use to tidy up their line? I'm at college and we're taught to use cotton tipped orange sticks soaked in enamel remover, but i hate it cos all the little fibres from the cotton get stuck in the varnish, and it's just not precise enough as a tool! :(

Second question is how do people manage to get an opaque white line if sweeping? Cos whenever i do it, it looks patchy and in need of a second coat. So are you supposed to sweep over it a second time to remedy this? Sometimes i manage to do a good sweep, but then if i have to go over it again, i sometimes mess it up with the second sweep!
 
I'm sure this is one of those things where there is not one correct way to do it, everyone has a different technique.

Personally I dont use anything for tidying up the smile line, I just practiced a hell of a lot when training at getting the smile line right, and if I ever do a smile line I'm not happy with I remove it and start again.

Regards the issue of an opaque smile line, I quite often go over a second time to brighten up the tip and it looks fine, although sometimes just one application is enough (though I would very much advocate two thin coats rather than one thicker one to achieve the opaque look)
 
I use a brush and Nail Fresh. I apply two coats of white polish as close as possible to the shape I want the french to be.

I use the brush dipped in Nail Fresh to tidy the line. I prefer Nail Fresh to acetone for tidying my french application. It dries so quickly and doesn't "splash" out onto the nail.

I use a brush similar to these for tidying my smile line.

P6.jpg
 
Thanks. :) I've not heard of Nail Fresh, is it an enamel remover?

And also what are those brushes called? So i can try and find them to buy? Sounds like a good method and much better than cotton wool!
 
I'm in the U.S. and they're sold everywhere here. We call them "french brushes." I don't know if they're retailed on your side of the pond, but they're fabulous. The brushes pictures are retailed at fujisupply.com and other places on line. The brush hairs need to be short and firm. If the brush hairs are too long and bendy, it doesn't work well. A good Kolinsky brush is perfect. A lot of techs use other nail art brushes.

Nail Fresh is a nail tech's best friend. It's actually a nail dehydrater but it's perfect for cleaning up polish, tidying french and if a client smudges polish, OMG...nothing works better.

creative-nail-fresh.gif

Gigi Rouse provided this tip and it's been a godsend for me.


****If you manage to locate one of these brushes, make sure you put a drop of cuticle oil on them after every use and they'll last you a long time.
 
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My NH trainer advised to use a dry gel brush and it works perfectly. I love doing French nails and I like to think that my smile lines are good but using this method just perfects them even more.
 
As already said everyone has they're methods I feel quite comfortable doing a nice tidy French now - masses of practice mind! My first layer I always keep quite thin and then sweep over a second time so it doesn't look patchy. However occasionally after a day of filing down acrylics etc lol my hand has had enough and gets a bit jittery like siting on top of a washing machine trying to do a French line - not gonna happen! Lol. Leighton Denny's Precision Corrector and Brush is a life saver on days like that and you can buy it on the website - amazing! 😊
 
I've just had a look online for a brush, but there don't seem to be any UK sites dealing in them :( I'll have another look later.
 
Nail Fresh is available from sweet squared in the uk and is the best thing in the world for tidying french smiles, but if your not qualified you can't buy from there :(
 
Is it any other mixures that will replace acrylic
 
Guys i've had a look on all the sites mentioned, but can't find a French brush shaped like that, it is all thin brushes for nail art. :(

Does anyone have any other site suggestions (that deliver to the UK) for a French brush?
 

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