Blending advise please

[Snipps]

Hi,

I did my mum's nails on Wednesday night and she has really sensitive nail beds, especially on her fingers (her thumbs are not too bad).

I started by removing her previous set by soaking them off and then applied a new set for her. I wasn't able to blend in one of her tips fully as her nail bed was too sore (nothing I had done I promise). Is there a way I can do this better?

I am CND trained and was using the koala and outblack mainly, would another file have been better to use? :biggrin:

If you are a non-CND nail tech giving advise please could you tell me the grit size you would suggest.

Thankyou

 

[lissa]

you could try blend-a-tip it will help and there would be les filing and use a 240 grit,,

 

[geeg]

Tip blenders are not a good idea ... they can cause problems later and you still have to use a file in any case even when you use them.

Best thing for your mum is no blending at all when you use PERFORMANCE tips without wells from CND .. have you not heard of these?? Already blended and no wells means just apply and away you go. They come in French white or Natural colouration or Clear. Fabulous tips!

Your stockist would be Sweet Squared on 08452106060 or you can buy on line at Welcome - Sweet Squared if you already have an account number with them. I can't believe you have not tried them before .. so easy.

 

[Claire.1611]

Hi Hun,

I don't use a file to blend, just dip a cotton wool bud into some acetone then blend the tip down with that. I am using CND at college and they are fab to blend using acetone. That way you don't damage the nail plate. HTH x

 

[wendy malley]

just wondered what problems tip blenders cause,thanks in advance

 

[jodie_glo]

just wondered what problems tip blenders cause,thanks in advance

I was also wondering this as I was taught to use tip blender! - although most of the time i now use a preblended tip.


Jodie

 

[geeg]

Tip blenders are basically Acetone which is why they break down the tip. They can cause cracking of the tips and they can cause enhancements to yellow as the residue can break down the product. Apart form all that, it takes longer to use blenders than learning how to do the job properly WITHOUT causing any damage they tend to use blenders in college to save the educators time in teaching you the proper methods. The usual thing.

 

[jodie_glo]

Tip blenders are basically Acetone which is why they break down the tip. They can cause cracking of the tips and they can cause enhancements to yellow as the residue can break down the product. Apart form all that, it takes longer to use blenders than learning how to do the job properly WITHOUT causing any damage they tend to use blenders in college to save the educators time in teaching you the proper methods. The usual thing.

thank you for letting us know - this is the exact reason i have decided to take a progression course - so i can be taught properly and have things explained to me properly.

i am so grateful for this website!

Jodie x

 

[wendy malley]

thank you from me as well cant believe how badly i was taught at college and my tutor even had the cheek to tell us we would never be as good as her lol :suprised:

 

[jodie_glo]

thank you from me as well cant believe how badly i was taught at college and my tutor even had the cheek to tell us we would never be as good as her lol :suprised:

OMG she actually said that to you??!! Surely she was supposed to be helping you become a brilliant tech not putting you down before your even fully trained.

im half in shock and half laughing that she would have the cheek to say that!

Jodie x

 

[mum]

I must post in support of Geeg's posts on not using a tip blender.

Don't do it!! It causes all manner of service breakdowns, it is not in the least bit quicker (if anything it's longer). It is taught as a cheapskate method! It means that correct blending doesn't need to be taught (the teacher may not even know how to do it themselves let alone being able to teach it!) A technician MUST be able to blend efficiently even if 'no blend' tips are often used

There are many logical and factual reasons why it is not a good idea. Using the tips as Geeg has suggested is the solution for many instances and especially sore nail beds.

Wendy, maybe you should suggest that your tutor come and look on this site

 

[Claire.1611]

I can honestly say using acetone to blend tips has never caused me any problems, the tips have never cracked or gone yellow and there has never been a product breakdown, even though I have a long way to go before my nails are perfect, I can produce a lovely set of nails (that last - might I add!)
Far too much emphasis is put on how bad the college education is, my college tutor is lovely and shows us different ways of doing things (i.e scultping) thats not on the agenda, she produces gorgeous nails and I could only dream that one day my nails are half as good as hers. Everyone does things differently, at the end of the day it's whichever method you prefer.

 

[loubilicious]

Just my two penneth........

I am at college and I haven't been shown how to blend tips,(the tutor says there's no need to bother, it's too futery (sp)) so for the moment I am using the performance tips from CND and they are great.....once I have finished my college course then I will invest in some one to one training so I can learn from the best in the industry.

I have to say though that I would always follow the advice of Geeg and Mum above anyone, after all these 2 ladies have been in the industry since I was knee high to a grasshopper and are industry icons......if they both say that acetone and tip blenders are to be avoided....then I for one will be avoiding them!

As for nails lasting and not yellowing despite using acetone/tip blenders, just out of curiosity, can I ask what length of time these nails are on without any breakdown/yellowing? I only ask because there are some who soak off and put on a new set after weeks (as we have been told to at college) and those who have to merely rebalance and never soak off a set?

Lou x

 

[Claire.1611]

Just my two penneth........

I am at college and I haven't been shown how to blend tips,(the tutor says there's no need to bother, it's too futery (sp)) so for the moment I am using the performance tips from CND and they are great.....once I have finished my college course then I will invest in some one to one training so I can learn from the best in the industry.

I have to say though that I would always follow the advice of Geeg and Mum above anyone, after all these 2 ladies have been in the industry since I was knee high to a grasshopper and are industry icons......if they both say that acetone and tip blenders are to be avoided....then I for one will be avoiding them!

As for nails lasting and not yellowing despite using acetone/tip blenders, just out of curiosity, can I ask what length of time these nails are on without any breakdown/yellowing? I only ask because there are some who soak off and put on a new set after weeks (as we have been told to at college) and those who have to merely rebalance and never soak off a set?

Lou x

I had a set of natural nails on for 3 weeks not long back, they never yellowed or had a product breakdown, the only reason I took them off is because we are not supposed to wear them for college, I do my mum's and hers last around 3 weeks before they need infills.

I appreciate that there may be a lot of people on here with years of experience, and that there also may be a lot of bad tutors within the college education system, but I have to say my tutor has nearly 20 years of experience working with nails so it's not as if she doesn't know what she's talking about (that sounds really arrogant - I don't meant it to! ha ha I can't think how to word it!) There are a lot of college tutors out there who are brilliant at what they do.

 

[Velveteen]

Everyone does things differently, at the end of the day it's whichever method you prefer.

Well vive la difference in terms of adding a bit of individuality - I'm all for that - but no, it's not about which method you prefer, it's about which method is the right method.

There is a right way to do things and a wrong way. Using tip blenders is a mark of laziness. It's a corner cutter.

I learnt that at college, btw (which was a good experience).

If I'm not able to sculpt, I use a Performance Tip.

 

[LOU LOU]

How strange ~ Our college tutor was only talking about tip blender last night and she told us NO, NO, NO, NO, NO ~ NEVER EVER USE TIP BLENDER! Lol.

I quite enjoy blending with a file (except on my own nails ~ ouch! ~ I won't make that mistake again, lol.

I am really interested in these Performance tips by CND though. My tutor hasn't told us about those! But I think I will be investing in some, as i'm struggling so much with cutting the Wells out. I've got some Star Nails Revelation tips, but tbh, I'm not that impressed with them because I still think that they need a little blending.

Does anyone know if there is a WELL CUTTER that has been invented. I'd pay £100's for one of those atm, lol.

 

[smartypantz]

Hi there, this is a fab tutorial by Geeg http://www.salongeek.com/nail-finis...le-control-part-2-thinning-blending-tips.html. I think you will find it really helps. I would also recommend Nail Class by Gigi Rouse, which you can get from S2.:biggrin:

 

[mum]

Quote:
Everyone does things differently, at the end of the day it's whichever method you prefer.

Well vive la difference in terms of adding a bit of individuality - I'm all for that - but no, it's not about which method you prefer, it's about which method is the right method.

As Velveteen says, preferences in many techniques is one thing but this doesn't fall into this category. Blending or not blending an appropriate tip is preference. Reverse application, number of beads used, size of brush are all examples of preferred techniques. Chemical blending is different.

To add the the reasons already mentioned (and there are many more): this technique smears melted plastic over the nail plate that needs to be left exposed so there is maximum bond between the overlay and nail plate (the strongest bond in the whole structure). It is also left in the side walls where the should be a tiny margin and good contact with the overlay.

This is all about the "right method" and has nothing to do with personal preference.

 

[geeg]

I can honestly say using acetone to blend tips has never caused me any problems, the tips have never cracked or gone yellow and there has never been a product breakdown, even though I have a long way to go before my nails are perfect, I can produce a lovely set of nails (that last - might I add!)
Far too much emphasis is put on how bad the college education is, my college tutor is lovely and shows us different ways of doing things (i.e scultping) thats not on the agenda, she produces gorgeous nails and I could only dream that one day my nails are half as good as hers. Everyone does things differently, at the end of the day it's whichever method you prefer.

Not all service breakdown problems are immediately visible. You may have cracking and breaking problems later that unless you understand your product chemistry you will never know what is causing them and even take problems that you should not be having for granted and all because you used tip blender.

Because your college tutor is lovely has really no bearing on the vast problems within college education (of course there are good tutors in a few colleges) which are rife.

If your tutor is teaching you to use tip blender instead of the skills you need to learn to blend tips then she is short cutting your education and going against the advice of Doug Schoon the industry's leading chemist. And if you are accepting the use of tip blender as normal within the industry then you are sadly mistaken.

 

[Snipps]

Tip blenders are not a good idea ... they can cause problems later and you still have to use a file in any case even when you use them.

Best thing for your mum is no blending at all when you use PERFORMANCE tips without wells from CND .. have you not heard of these?? Already blended and no wells means just apply and away you go. They come in French white or Natural colouration or Clear. Fabulous tips!

Your stockist would be Sweet Squared on 08452106060 or you can buy on line at Welcome - Sweet Squared if you already have an account number with them. I can't believe you have not tried them before .. so easy.

Thankyou all very much for your advice (especially Geeg). I have heard of the performance tips but we were taught with velocity and I was a little nervous to say the least about buying performance, I wasn't aware that you didn't need to blend them I just thought they looked scary to use :o

I will definitely be buying some from sweet squared.

Thankyou again