Bubbles that will just not pop off!

[monkigems]

I passed with CND a couple of years ago, but due to different reasons i have not done a lot of sets of nails. I have been practicing for many weeks on the nail trainer and everytime i get bubbles in the acrylic. I have been using a jewellers loop to get a good look at the product! But even without this i can still see bubbles.

I have looked on here for people's thoughts and have made a point of really pressing my brush into the liquid and making sure the bubbles come out. I thought it may be the way i manipulated the acrylic when working with it. But today i have decided to go back to basics and have just done a bead practice sheet......and guess what they all have bubbles in them!

I'm going so down about it now, it seems that no matter how i try there is always something wrong with what i produce.

What could possibly be causing this. I wonder if it could be my brush, i am using the one i trained with and as you can imagine it there have been times when product has been left in the brush, but i have always cleaned it in monomer. I wonder whether to invest in a new brush?

If anyone has any pointers or advice, i would really like to hear from them

Thank you!
x

 

[xAnnaBannAx]

what products are you using now? you maybe working too wet or over working the product.

 

[3 WISHES]

If you are happy with the way you apply and your mix ratio then i would change your brush especially if you havnt used it for a while and it wasnt kept properly x

 

[raznik]

What can cause bubbles is the way the brush "picks up a bead."
If you flatten the flags of your brush on the dappen dish, then gently dust the top of your powder until the correct size bead is achieved. The bead should sit on one side of the brush, not encase your brush ( if that makes sense), if you "encase" the bush with your bead, when you place it down and pull the brush away, the bead will close in on itself and capture a bubble inside the middle of the bead.

Tough to explain without a visual

 

[Rebecca J]

I asked my tutor the reason why I was getting constant air bubble in my acrylic when applying to the nail trainer, but was advised that it is really noticeable on the trainer as apposed to the real hand?

Have you tried applying to a real hand and if so was there any difference?

 

[monkigems]

Thanks ever so much ladies for taking the time to advise me. I decided to do my own left hand and i do have bubbles but not noticeable as you say. Maybe i should stop looking at them through a magnifying loop! But when i just picked up beads and placed them on a sheet i could see the bubbles. I tried picking up the bead by encasing it and by dragging it through the powder. The one thing i did notice was that the last two beads i picked up and placed seemed to have fewer bubbles than the 20 odd had picked up previousley.

Maybe i should get a new brush and see what this does.

Can any experienced nail technician tell me whether they still get bubbles?!

 

[FingerNailFixer]

Sure, after 11 years I still get bubbles once in a while, only human

When you first get your brush out to practice with, do you submerge the hairs completely in your monomer to release any trapped air?
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[monkigems]

Yes, i make sure that i do that. Even before i go to pick up another bead i really submerge my brush and wiggle it back and forth to get rid of the air.

Maybe my beads are just not good enough and that's what is causing it?

I have also given my brush a good clean with Shampoo as someone advised on here. I will use it again tomorrow once it has dried out to see if the beads are any better. I just get so frustrated, i assume that bubbles in the acrylic is going to make the enhancement weaker?

x

 

[stoney]

First of all I wouldn't advise cleaning your brush with shampoo...or letting it dry out! Monomer is the only thing you should use to clean your brush and you never want it to dry out

You also said you 'drag' the brush through the powder..this could be the cause, you just need to place your brush in the powder. Getting the mix ratio right takes loads of practise....keep going with your practise beads, using various amounts of monomer and polymer till you can do small, medium and large beads, all with the same consistancy. The beads should look dimpled when you pick up and then go almost creamy when settled, then you gently press and push into place...dont pat, you'll only put more air in.

When you pick up, wait for a couple of seconds, place the bead on the nail, then let it settle for a few seconds more.

CND have lots of really useful videos on their website which you might find helpful.

 

[nailzoo]

I'd say it was your brush at fault, you mentioned you trained years ago and are using the same brush.

You never realise the benefits of a new brush until you actually get one.

Brushes die of boredom...... and it sounds like yours had been bored for some time.