First sets, how long does it or did it take you?

[Charlie276]

How long did it take you ladies to do your first sets. I’ve done maybe 10-12 sets now and it still takes me hours and hours, like 4hrs maybe more depending, even infills take me just as long to do.

the filing takes me forever, perfecting my gel takes me forever.

I am sculpting with forms and this takes me forever to customise to each nail, the bleeding things constantly get stuck to my gloves or hands and slows me down even further!!

Then the finish filing (I try to get my gel on well to minimise this but still find myself taking ages to perfect)

then it’s the gel colour, design, glitter, chrome etc etc and double top coat for certain designs which then bulks up my refined nail so I end up not being happy with the final outcome.

by the time I’m done I am so exhausted from concentrating so hard and embarrassed at how long I’ve kept my client there (luckily it’s family so far) but how can I even sell my services when someone will literally have to spend the day with me for one set!!

also I am concentrating so hard I can barely hold down a conversation!!

I don’t know how I can get my time down whilst trying to get them done to the best of my ability. It gets to the point where I have to stop fiddling even when I’m not 100% happy because I know I’ll add 30 minutes on just trying to perfect something.

 

[Trinity]

Your time will come down with practise. Mine dropped suddenly about 10 months in, it was like a light bulb went on and I knew what i was doing, that boosted my confidence which stopped me faffing.

Ask someone to time each part, prep, form fitting, application, final finishing, etc. Then work on the longest part first.

Often now is the time to invest in some training, you've reached the peak of your knowledge and skill, a few hours 1-2-1 with a trainer will tweek your skills, knock out any bad habits you've unconsciously picked up, and tell you how to speed up

 

[Charlie276]

Thanks Trinity, I did have some additional 1 to 1 training last Sunday with an excellent nail technician who is also an educator and definitely got corrected to some of the mistakes I was making. She definitely gave me some more things to think about and some more things to perfect but it has slowed me down a bit more lol because I am trying to pay more attention to what she explained. She had magic eyes and could just see things I couldn’t even see. When I thought things looked ok she could point out a slight unevenness etc. I hope it clicks for me at some point but if things look ok then I don’t know how I’m ever going to progress on my own.

 

[Trinity]

Thanks Trinity, I did have some additional 1 to 1 training last Sunday with an excellent nail technician who is also an educator and definitely got corrected to some of the mistakes I was making. She definitely gave me some more things to think about and some more things to perfect but it has slowed me down a bit more lol because I am trying to pay more attention to what she explained. She had magic eyes and could just see things I couldn’t even see. When I thought things looked ok she could point out a slight unevenness etc. I hope it clicks for me at some point but if things look ok then I don’t know how I’m ever going to progress on my own.

Excellent, now it's just about practice and getting on with it the best advice I was given was 'there is no such thing as the perfect nail' - every tech is chasing perfection and it will never happen, even competition winning techs are never happy. I know the longer I have to faff the more problems I can find so there comes a point where I have to stop.

 

[MissJulesBeauty]

Don't be too hard on your timings. It will come and get lower. Being organised saved the most time. Having your nail station prepared and ready saves time. Also talk to the nails. Every time you lift your head to speak to your client you lose seconds. This soon adds up! You will get there xxx

 

[Charlie276]

Thanks, I try to stay organised but then it goes a little to pot once I’m flustered!! I can’t even talk, I start saying something and just stop mid sentence because I’m to busy concentrating! X

 

[jennielo2]

How long did it take you ladies to do your first sets. I’ve done maybe 10-12 sets now and it still takes me hours and hours, like 4hrs maybe more depending, even infills take me just as long to do.

the filing takes me forever, perfecting my gel takes me forever.

I am sculpting with forms and this takes me forever to customise to each nail, the bleeding things constantly get stuck to my gloves or hands and slows me down even further!!

Then the finish filing (I try to get my gel on well to minimise this but still find myself taking ages to perfect)

then it’s the gel colour, design, glitter, chrome etc etc and double top coat for certain designs which then bulks up my refined nail so I end up not being happy with the final outcome.

by the time I’m done I am so exhausted from concentrating so hard and embarrassed at how long I’ve kept my client there (luckily it’s family so far) but how can I even sell my services when someone will literally have to spend the day with me for one set!!

also I am concentrating so hard I can barely hold down a conversation!!

I don’t know how I can get my time down whilst trying to get them done to the best of my ability. It gets to the point where I have to stop fiddling even when I’m not 100% happy because I know I’ll add 30 minutes on just trying to perfect something.

You have described me perfectly. I am so slow, think I might beat you in timing stakes - 5 hours. Not been able to do 10 sets, I am working on myself and hubby. He won't have hard gel extensions so I can practice and also he doesn't have 3 + hours to sit still to allow me to practice :'. Can I ask what your process is to create hard gel extensions/enhancements - do you build all five finger before curing or one/two at a time and flash cure?

 

[KreativeK8]

Your time will come down with practise. Mine dropped suddenly about 10 months in, it was like a light bulb went on and I knew what i was doing, that boosted my confidence which stopped me faffing.

Ask someone to time each part, prep, form fitting, application, final finishing, etc. Then work on the longest part first.

Often now is the time to invest in some training, you've reached the peak of your knowledge and skill, a few hours 1-2-1 with a trainer will tweek your skills, knock out any bad habits you've unconsciously picked up, and tell you how to speed up

Hi there 😊 I’m need to nails also. So you are not alone! Sets used to take me 5 hours also and I worried about having someone sit with me for such a long time too. I recently decided to continuously remove and apply nails on myself to practice rather than trying have someone sit with me for hours to be a model. By doing sets on myself I was then able gain more confidence with using the E-File and also filing techniques and was able to attempt perhaps different tech unique a to see if it altered my application times or improved the longevity of a set etc. I found it helpful watching lots of YouTube Educators too and realised that I was at times overdoing certain things or I was going back over nails “just to be sure” I hadn’t missed an area but was then ultimately doubling my times. Try not to set yourself high expectations as quality over quantity is better and you will slowly minimise your times. Like I said I was taking 5 hours and am now down to 3- 3 and a half so I still have a long way to go and time to shave. When ever you can, try and practice on yourself or even pick up a training hand or even Flexi fingers to practice on something other than you. It’s easy to see and watch all these beautiful nails with art work and want to do it (I can’t help but think wow I want to try that and I still no even now) but keep services to the basics and mastering that skill alone to start with has started to benefit me.
keep on smiling and good luck. Kate

 

[Charlie276]

You have described me perfectly. I am so slow, think I might beat you in timing stakes - 5 hours. Not been able to do 10 sets, I am working on myself and hubby. He won't have hard gel extensions so I can practice and also he doesn't have 3 + hours to sit still to allow me to practice :'. Can I ask what your process is to create hard gel extensions/enhancements - do you build all five finger before curing or one/two at a time and flash cure?

It’s hard isn’t it to find people to practice on, my trainer had this awesome stuff which she painted on my other half, did the gel enhancement over the top and then he just soaked his hand for 5 mins in water and all the nails popped off, been trying to find it but I don’t know what it is called.

If I’m not extending i do base layer on all 10 fingers, cure. Then I do 1 finger slip layer and build, flash cure on low heat (do the other finger on the other hand, flash cure on low heat, then so on through the rest. At first I worked on 1 hand at a time I think because I was so flustered and focused and used to doing my own nails but trying to speed up I needed to always be working on something. Ive definitely taken 5hrs before depending on what I’m doing. I find custom fitting forms really hard and slow. My other half said he will let me sit there and go through a pack of forms on him so I can get a routine/process. My practise (mil and sil) only come every 3-4 weeks for infills/repairs etc so it’s not a consistent practice on real hands. I’m slow at doing my own but forms fit me easily and I’m defo quicker on myself...... perhaps because I’m more rough idk!!!

 

[Charlie276]

Hi there 😊 I’m need to nails also. So you are not alone! Sets used to take me 5 hours also and I worried about having someone sit with me for such a long time too. I recently decided to continuously remove and apply nails on myself to practice rather than trying have someone sit with me for hours to be a model. By doing sets on myself I was then able gain more confidence with using the E-File and also filing techniques and was able to attempt perhaps different tech unique a to see if it altered my application times or improved the longevity of a set etc. I found it helpful watching lots of YouTube Educators too and realised that I was at times overdoing certain things or I was going back over nails “just to be sure” I hadn’t missed an area but was then ultimately doubling my times. Try not to set yourself high expectations as quality over quantity is better and you will slowly minimise your times. Like I said I was taking 5 hours and am now down to 3- 3 and a half so I still have a long way to go and time to shave. When ever you can, try and practice on yourself or even pick up a training hand or even Flexi fingers to practice on something other than you. It’s easy to see and watch all these beautiful nails with art work and want to do it (I can’t help but think wow I want to try that and I still no even now) but keep services to the basics and mastering that skill alone to start with has started to benefit me.
keep on smiling and good luck. Kate

thanks Kate, I consume so much nail education on YouTube and think about it so much l literally dream about nails every night, not even joking lol!! I wake up with jaw ache from stressing in my dreams!! The nailhub is my fave channel! Yes I’m definitely a go back over to quadruple check kind of person, I certainly end up undoing certain things because I’ve thought one little spot doesn’t look right and have ended up making the whole lot go wrong!! I do have practise hands but I find them easier to apply to. I do practise on myself and the fake hands often but it’s so different with real people with the wide or flat or extreme c curve etc. So pleased to hear you managed to knock a good amount of time off your timings. it gives me hope!!

my mil came this Saturday and I had to file off what was already there, I used the efile for the centre but was too nervous to get right round the edges so I hand filed the rest, then she had some lifting where her nails have such an extreme c curve they had pulled away at the free edge so had to hand file away the lifting. Then prep work, form a few fingers. Infill, refine (hand file) then colour 2 layers, then she wanted mixed glitter on every nail so had to individually place the chunky glitter and the mid size glitter and then applied fine glitter as normal with a bigger brush. Then top coat, buff To smooth , second top coat! So what I was hoping I could achieve (infill) in maybe 3hrs took more like 4-5.

X

 

[jennielo2]

It’s hard isn’t it to find people to practice on, my trainer had this awesome stuff which she painted on my other half, did the gel enhancement over the top and then he just soaked his hand for 5 mins in water and all the nails popped off, been trying to find it but I don’t know what it is called.

If I’m not extending i do base layer on all 10 fingers, cure. Then I do 1 finger slip layer and build, flash cure on low heat (do the other finger on the other hand, flash cure on low heat, then so on through the rest. At first I worked on 1 hand at a time I think because I was so flustered and focused and used to doing my own nails but trying to speed up I needed to always be working on something. Ive definitely taken 5hrs before depending on what I’m doing. I find custom fitting forms really hard and slow. My other half said he will let me sit there and go through a pack of forms on him so I can get a routine/process. My practise (mil and sil) only come every 3-4 weeks for infills/repairs etc so it’s not a consistent practice on real hands. I’m slow at doing my own but forms fit me easily and I’m defo quicker on myself...... perhaps because I’m more rough idk!!!

Good to know I am not the only one that is taking forever to perfect my techniques. That stuff that is painted on nail first with enhancement on top sounds amazing, do let me know if you find out what it is. What gel are you using? Also how long do you flash cure for? I trained using "The Edge UV gel" but I have switched since, I found it too thin and fast moving, I couldn't create an apex that I was happy with, nails always look pretty flat

 

[Sashao]

Hi all....

Like the others said it will come with time so don’t be hard on yourself. You will find a technique and order that works for you and the more practise the faster you will become.
You could try and advertise that you are looking for people to train on at a discounted price.
I’ve been doing nails for 5 years and I can do a full set in an 1hr 30 mins to 2 hours. Everyone’s nails are different and some peoples nails are easier to work on than others. Not all the nail tips fit on everyone’s nails so you may need to file them so it fits width ways so that can add on time etc.
Keep practising
Xx

 

[Charlie276]

Hi all....

Like the others said it will come with time so don’t be hard on yourself. You will find a technique and order that works for you and the more practise the faster you will become.
You could try and advertise that you are looking for people to train on at a discounted price.
I’ve been doing nails for 5 years and I can do a full set in an 1hr 30 mins to 2 hours. Everyone’s nails are different and some peoples nails are easier to work on than others. Not all the nail tips fit on everyone’s nails so you may need to file them so it fits width ways so that can add on time etc.
Keep practising
Xx

Wow 1.5-2hrs that is where I want to be!! Yes Trinity on this forum said a perfectly worded piece to someone else to advertise for models which I will use to post locally once January has come and we can see where we are with tiers and lockdowns xxx

 

[Charlie276]

Good to know I am not the only one that is taking forever to perfect my techniques. That stuff that is painted on nail first with enhancement on top sounds amazing, do let me know if you find out what it is. What gel are you using? Also how long do you flash cure for? I trained using "The Edge UV gel" but I have switched since, I found it too thin and fast moving, I couldn't create an apex that I was happy with, nails always look pretty flat

I will find out and let you know! I use ink London either SOBIAB (builder in a bottle) CJP BOB (also a builder in a bottle) or ink London IJel which is self levelling but not as runny as the builders in a bottle. Ink also have jelly pro which stays exactly where you put it but for me that’s a whole other level of learning I need to do as I can’t work with it very well at all. I flash cure for approx 15- 20 seconds, just enough really to freeze the product because when I do the next finger on that hand it gets another part cure. I always do a full cure at the end on both hands.

do you turn the hand upside down to help get the product to move to the centre? This helps and also can help stop the gel running into the cuticle or sidewalls.

 

[MsITtech]

Thanks, I try to stay organised but then it goes a little to pot once I’m flustered!! I can’t even talk, I start saying something and just stop mid sentence because I’m to busy concentrating! X

If you are filing a lot, you might be applying too much product. That's what happened to me at first. I ended up cutting it in half. Less product, less filing. It's easier to add a little more if needed than file forever.

 

[Charlie276]

If you are filing a lot, you might be applying too much product. That's what happened to me at first. I ended up cutting it in half. Less product, less filing. It's easier to add a little more if needed than file forever.

Yes that’s a great tip thank you. Definitely am trying to work thinner since additional training x

 

[Bel's Gels]

Just keep practising and eventually speed will come.

When I was starting out I used a training hand and practised as much as I could.

The training hand I recommend is TheFlexihand. Its very reasonably priced.
https://theflexifinger.com.au/shop/Although this is the link to the manufacturers website who is Australian, she also has a list of stockists in other countries.
https://theflexifinger.com.au/stockists-2/
They are also great for practising refills.

Good luck.

 

[Charlie276]

Just keep practising and eventually speed will come.

When I was starting out I used a training hand and practised as much as I could.

The training hand I recommend is TheFlexihand. Its very reasonably priced.
https://theflexifinger.com.au/shop/Although this is the link to the manufacturers website who is Australian, she also has a list of stockists in other countries.
https://theflexifinger.com.au/stockists-2/
They are also great for practising refills.

Good luck.

thank you x

 

[fab fingers]

Practicing on your training hand is definately a big help while training. It gets ur time down just by getting u working to a routine, so ur prep and procedure become second nature.
Depending on which system you use, try different tips to get u used to different nail shapes, curves, etc. Prep ur tips before starting, by pre filing, etc.
I'd leave the finishing glitters, etc, until you get to grips with your basics.
Speak to your trainer and ask them to list how long each part should take you......how long to spend on prep, filing, etc. Each system is different, so it's hard for us to do this, as each trainer will have shown you a specific approach. U don't want to be confused further, by us telling you different approaches, if your still trying to get times down.
The main thing is just to practice on the training hand every night.

 

[Katebbaby]

As above have all said practice practice practice. It takes time and skill all of which isn’t learnt in a few months. My bit of advice would be to get your technique spot on with the basics first then move onto designs and glitters etc. Have you trained in tip and overlay? Some people find this easier than sculpting on a form.

Most of all keep asking questions, keep learning and perfect the basics. Good luck sweetie x