Everything to do with nails is getting me down in the dumps!!!!

[danni0509]

hi, i did an acrylic nail home learning course with essential nails, (im not one of these ( i can learn nails in 5 minutes kind of girls either!) i knew it was going to be hard work but i didnt in a lifetime think it would be this blooming hard
so were do i start...........
my nails are not lasting past 3 days never mind lasting to infill time!!! i dont think im getting the mix ratio right, but having done a home learning course i have no one to show me properly if that makes sense??? the essential nails dvd ive watched 100 times over and im still not getting it
i CANNOT do nail art for the god given life of me!!! im not artistic in any way shape or form!! (lets face it not everyone wants plain jane nails so i seriously need a bit of arty flare from somewere.)
when i have done acrylic nails they DO NOT look natural...for whatever reason i dont know they just look fake and bloody tacky
i have trained real hard at home every spare minute of the day and to be honest i feel like chucking it all away...the only thing stopping me is the bags of cash i would of wasted....all for NOTHING someone plz tell me things will get easier????????
last week i had 2 girls booked in for nails and i cancelled because they were girls i knew from school and i would be so embarrased for there nails to just fall off!! ive also cancelled my 4 appointments for this week, im at my wits end, i honestly dont know what to do for the best
any advice right now would be great!! thanks x

 

[NicoleV]

Hi!
You know every beginning is hard! You need to spend so much time just to make a nice nail which will stay on for days, weeks...
Learning home from a DVD is not the best to study everything from the beginning. I think you should talk with a nail technician just to watch how she works, to ask your questions personally.
Mostly the DVDs don't include important information - how to prepare a nail, what kind of liquids to use to avoid fungus, how to file the nail, what kind of file you should use, what is the good mixing ratio for acrylic etc.
This is why I suggest to meet someone who works in this for few years to see what kind of practics she has.
None of us bornt as a nail technician, we all had to study. I went to courses, extra courses, I went to meet with technicians, I spent weeks just to watch how they work, and practising all night... This is how it works.
Maybe it looks so easy to apply acrylic or gel, but the truth is it looks easy when a professional does it, but it is really hard to do!
Don't give up! Never give up! This is how you can be better and better...

 

[NoLimitNails]

what kind of liquids to use to avoid fungus, h

Even though I agree with a lot of above said, I don't agree about this part, fungus is almost never seen on finger nails, but a bacterial infection can occur without proper preparation of the nail, this is what I have learned.

I wouldn't just watch any nailtech that has been in the industry for years either(sorry if I got that one wrong) I would do a classroom based class, as it seems the original poster learn better that way.¨

to original poster: I think you should consider what to do carefully, without investing more money, chances are you won't make it. And to be honest there is a small chance that nails is just not for you to do, a very few find it easy, a whole bunch struggles and a few never learn to produce a decent nail. With that said I don't think you have chosen the easiest option to begin with, so if you really really want this and wants to work hard, then go for it, invest money in training how you learn the best (sound like classroom for you :hug

Regarding the artistic flare, well don't sweat, there are only a few techs that market themselves with a lot of art, I'm one of them, but I have (well believe I have LOL) artistic flare and thats why I can earn money on it. I have seen a lot of nails where I honestly believe they should have left off the art, as it didn't make the nails any prettier at all. So stick to a few flicks, stones and glitter fades, none of that is hard to do (when you master the basic).

So first think abut whether nails are for you to do, then if yes: invest to do more training that suits your needs, then practice like mad to learn how to produce long lasting beautiful nails, then practice a few simple design things (if your clients wants it, there are alternatives now MINX, design tips etc. I know a lot of salons just do pink and whites or natural nails)

 

[Hylidae]

Whatever you do Danni, don't give up without a fight! It sounds like this is something you really want to do and learning at home is the most difficult way to do it. If you are that committed then don't give up after putting this much effort into it. My advice would be to talk to a few local techs about where they took their classes, look into taking brand specific courses if they are available near you. You could also ask your local distributor for advice on your products and where to learn more.
Above all, patience and perserverance. All things come to those who don't give up! If this is something you really want to do, don't let anything stop you!
Art is in the eye of the beholder, a few simple designs or tricks is all you'll need and your clients will be thrilled. You don't need to learn to do hand-painted murals or other fancy stuff, you can use decals and rhinestones or other premade nail art.
Good luck, chin up!

 

[sarahpoppy24]

Hey hun have you thaught of doing some training with a nail company that does class room based training, have a look around and see whats available in your area. What about a cource with a company like CND, ezflow or NSI have you thaught about doing anything like that before?xx

 

[lashbeauty]

I really feel for you and remember feeling the same way about nails. It really is not something you grasp overnight and practice, practice and more practice. I think you will really benefit from doing a course, I know they can be a bit pricey but meeting others who are enthusiastic about nails would be so beneficial for you and help to boost your confidence.
If you feel in your heart that nails are the way to go then persevere.
By the way I love nails now and after a break and persuing more along the lines of beauty I have returned to my first love.
Hope that things one way or another work out for you.

 

[loubilicious]

A couple of weeks ago, I was ready to throw it all in.....I did my training at college, and let's just say it wasn't up to scratch.....I was at a total loss, and was probably worse than you. I had never been shown how to rebalance, my filing technique was none existent (I was terrified of filing)....I had just taken on a nail biter as a model and had produced the most horrendous "bricks" you had ever seen, but just couldn't sort them.....I just wanted to cry. Luckily I had some one to one training booked in with Fee at the Fingertips centre in Edinburgh (the CND subdistributor) and within days I had done my first rebalance, and was actually pretty happy with it, and also got my biter back in to sort those bricks out!!! That few hours really has sorted me out (for now!)
I'm not sure where you are or what brand you are using. You can't necessarily blame it on the brand, but IMO using a high quality brand will undoubtedly give better results is you are using it correctly. I would recommend you choose a reputable nail company such as CND/NSI/Young Nails, get in touch to find your nearest educator and see if you can book some one to one time. This way they will teach you how to get the best from the brand, help you identify where you are going wrong and give you the knowledge and techniques to put it right.....and a big confidence boost!

Good luck and let us know how you get on. xxx

 

[danni0509]

THANK-YOU to all of you for taking the time to read my post and for replying, although i feel like "giving up" i know i wont because i never let anything get the better of me lol i suppose thats a good thing really! the main thing i have been struggling with is the mix ratio and getting it right! anyway this afternoon after i posted this i sat down and felt sorry for myself for half an hour (lol) then put my dvd on and sat and watched rewound watched rewound watched rewound...get the idea lol anyway i did that for an hour and when i log off this in a few minutes im going to do it again and then sit and read my acrylic nails book and practice on my nail training hand until i go to bed, im doing my mums nails on saturday then my sisters on monday, (im not charging them! im just practising on them!)
and....if i am being totally HONEST, since i have been decorating my house (started decorating 5 weeks ago!) i havent been putting 100% into my training... i work 40 hours per week come home cook clean etc.....and now the decorating i just havent made the time for my nails! at first i religiously sat for 4-6 hours a day up until 5 weeks ago and i have let it slip recently!
anyway back to training HARD! 4-6 hours per day every day!
also for the lady who asked what products i use...i use at the minute dream l&p from essential nails website...although i have been told to switch to nsi....are these any good??
thanks again girls x

 

[geeg]

There is no mystery here - it's really simple - you need a classroom based course with a real live model and an educator who knows what they (and more importantly YOU) are doing.

You need to build your skills. You've made a start but it isn't REAL ... you need real people around you to work on and to view what you are doing. DO THAT and you will jump 10 steps ahead. If you do not prosper from that experience then maybe you just do not have the ability to do the job as it should be done .. some people have to face this.

Nails require a high artistic ability .. you say you have none! iF YOU have none, then nails are not for you no matter how much money you have spent or how determined you are. Reality has to be faced sometime.

I am not going to write a bunch of platitudes and say, "keep at it" "keep practising" "you'll get there don't give up" ... that is just talk. Doing nails is an artistic skill, then there is the relating to the public, then there is the business side of things, then there is the vocation. Allot to consider.

 

[loubilicious]

This is just my opinion and thoughts.....I have nowhere near the experience of other Geeks, as I am at the beginning of my nail "journey", so I may be corrected
I don't think you should need to practise for 4-6 hours every day! Plus practising on the trainer is not going to give you the proper prep experience.....if the nails aren't lasting then it's likely that your prep has at least something to do with it...........the product consistency can change due to heat, so working on the trainer will be different to working on a real hand etc.
If I were you I would definately bite the bullet, book some classroom based training, be it foundation or conversion (if they'll accept your EN qual) or one to one, which would enable you to address your individual issues. I promise you that it will be worth it.
In terms of artistic ability, I suppose it depends what you mean by that.....if you mean in terms of imaginativity for nail art etc. I wouldn't worry. The majority of people want standard nails.....you can work on the nail art side of things later (if you want to), once you've mastered making a good nail.
In terms of brands, I chose CND, only you can choose who you go with.....do a few searches on the various brands, including the one you're using.....that way you'll get a better idea of what will work for you.

HTH, Lou x