Hi Tina, was very interested with the way u do your Diva nail. Can u talk me through it step by step. I keep trying to do the glitter on the free edge, but it comes out so thick and lumpy.
Sure! It's simple once you get it down. Here are step-by-step for a full set and as a backfill.
FULL SET~
1.) Prep the nail.
2.) Size and apply the tips (sculpting nails like this is very difficult and not worth the time, if the client wants sculpted nails, sculpt the nails first the way you normally do and follow the procedure for a backfill). Cut the tips down to the desired length.
3.) Apply a thin coat of clear acrylic where you'd like the glitter to go, quickly refining the smile line.
4.) Dip the tip of the nail into the tub of glitter, being careful not to let the client hit the nail on the edges of the tub.
5.) Tap the last knuckle (near the cuticle) a few times to shake free any excess glitter and use a wet brush to remove stubborn pieces.
6.) Apply a ball of clear acrylic over the glitter layer. Don't manipulate it too much, just let it flow, you can use your drill or file out any bumps later. If you mess with it, the glitter will sometimes pull up or float into the acrylic. Just try to keep your smile line nice and clean. I usually apply two small balls of clear acrylic (one on the left side and one on the right). You may be able to do it with one, but I find that I have less problems when I do it with two.
7.) Apply pink acrylic to the rest of the nail and finish the way you normally would.
BACKFILL~
1.) Drill the smile line of the acrylics down until a thin layer of acrylic remains.
2.) Apply a thin coat of clear acrylic.
3.) Dip the client's nail into the tub of glitter and tap off the excess.
4.) Apply clear acrylic over the glitter layer.
5.) Complete the fill and finish the nails the way you normally would.
I usually do these as a backfill. It's rare that I do full sets of tips because my clients come to me because I'm the only nail technician in a forty mile radius that does sculpted nails. I have yet to find a fast, easy way to do these as a first set for clients that prefer sculpted nails. If anyone has a way, please let me know! The hardest part about doing these is learning how to make the layer of clear "just right". If you use too much, it can be cloudy. If you use too little, you run the risk of filing into the glitter and causing the glitter to look beaten up. Once you get the clear layer down, the rest is a piece of cake. I have pictures on my website, in my portfolio. (I have to update that slideshow, most of those pictures are from several years ago. I'm one of those techs that's really bad about taking pictures. I'm trying to get better about remembering. I have a memory card full of pictures of inlays, 3D acrylic work, and hand-painted stuff I've done that I just haven't gotten around to uploading.)
Anyways, hope that works for you! If you have any more questions just let me know and I'll try to help.
Oh! I forgot to add: You can also use EZ Flow's glitter acrylics, but I use loose glitter because I can mix and blend and all that fun stuff. It's also cheaper to stock loose glitter. I just have more fun with it. I've been building my glitter acrylic collection (very slowly, LoL).
