Help needed from experienced nail technicians

[Carol Ann Griffiths]

Hi all.
I have recently qualified as a nail technician through the Beauty Academy but really not happy with the lack of teaching I received and am sooooo confused about Acrylic and gel extensions, what brush to use, which is the best acrylic and gel to use and which tips .... there are so many on the market I don't even know where to start.
I bought The Edge Nails acrylic and gel starter packs as suggested by the Academy but they're awful, the tips take forever to blend, I can't get to grips with the acrylic application especially around the cuticles and the gel is breaking off. Can anyone help?? (the academy have been useless with their aftercare).
Thank you xx

 

[Makenna]

Hello, I also trained with the Beauty Academy. I wasn't impressed with the training either, I'm not even doing hard gel or acrylic until I've retrained with a brand. But, contact the Beauty Academy and tell them you want to do the free refresher session? Then you can go prepared with the questions you have, and hopefully get the answers!

 

[Carol Ann Griffiths]

Thank you for your reply.
The beauty academy haven't suggested a refresher they said they only teach so we can do acrylics at home !!! Shocking. They also said the fact I have had to gain knowledge through YouTube tutorials was expected.
I've just ordered a book from SweetSquared called NailClass which has been recommended a few times and see how I get on.
Otherwise I'll be waiting and doing a course with a professional company too. Been driving myself insane trying to build on the very little they taught.
We'll get there one day but what a waste of money the academy were :-( xx

 

[Fingers and toes]

Thank you for your reply.
The beauty academy haven't suggested a refresher they said they only teach so we can do acrylics at home !!! Shocking. They also said the fact I have had to gain knowledge through YouTube tutorials was expected.
I've just ordered a book from SweetSquared called NailClass which has been recommended a few times and see how I get on.
Otherwise I'll be waiting and doing a course with a professional company too. Been driving myself insane trying to build on the very little they taught.
We'll get there one day but what a waste of money the academy were :-( xx

So sorry to hear this!
I too did a rubbish course and was like you, had no clue where to go. The course was so bad. A total waste of money. I then did a lot of research in to another training programme CND and it was brilliant! Yes they teach you the tools but you still need to practise, practise, practise. I am no where near where I need to be but I have good guidelines and I know with practise I'll get there. I hope you get to where you need to be. Xx

 

[Fisou]

From your message it sounds like you took a nail tech course through a private beauty school. I did the same, however I didn't just take their own certification, I also prepared with them for an official certification, which made a world of a difference. If I had only taken their course it would have been 4 or 5 days of training that would allow me to do gels, acrylics, the whole thing... at home. I think the thing here is to really dig into what the school offers and what the expectations are when you qualify with them, before you actually invest your money. I'm also newly licensed and to be honest I'd recommend you research a bit and take a course that prepares you to do nails at a professional level, if that is what you want to do. I wouldn't feel the least bit confident even to work on friends if I hadn't.

I hope you find a brand you like and do some training or try to develop your training in a school that really prepares you! Good luck!