Help needed with a few probs

[nikkinails]

Hi guys,

Im after some of your advice to perfect my nails, Im pretty pleased with the nails im doing now but just have one or two probs that its probably only me thats really noticing..........

Firstly I dont seem to be able to get a really clrisp smile line a nice shape yes but there always seems to be a bit of a shadow behind them- why????

Also when my customers come back for their infill (not all of them) but some seem to have lifting around the edge of the growth- what I would like to see is the new nail growth but not really notice much differance about the acrylic- im thorough with my prep- remove the shine- sanitise to remove excess dust- Nail pure to remove any grease or debris then superbond primer before application (always waiting until dry before application) all my products ar NSI so what am I doing wrong???

Also I recently bought a smaller brush- a number 5 kolinsky I previously used a number 8 and have just gone back to using the 8 as I find it better to use Can anyone suggest a good brush for me to invest in thats not to overpriced?? (im in the UK)

Many Thanks and look forward to your replies.

Love Nikki.xx

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Nikki hun, I can't help with your smiles hun as I don't do l&p (liquid and powder, aka acrylic).

But your lifting could be down to many things, if you do a search on here - particularly in the tutorials section you will get loads of good advice. But the main reasons for lifting are ...

IMPROPER PREP - even though you think you've got out all the debris and non living tissues, you'll be amazed at what you might have missed. My lifting really diminished when I started to scrubfresh the nail like mad, a good 5 seconds per nail to really dehydrate and degrease it, but don't overload your pad with it or it can have the opposite effect.

APPLICATION IN ZONE 3. When you apply in this area you need to make sure you pat it down firmly so that it really keys into the nail plate. If you don't then it just sits on top of it and then lifts

APPLYING TOO THICK - When you apply in zone 3 it should be a very thin layer so that it stays flexible on the nail, it should also be buffed so that it is flush with the natural nail so visible regrowth is negligible

CONTACT WITH SKIN - make sure you keep your product clear of the skin by leaving a small gap the whole way round the edge.

Those are the main ones so I hope that helps.

 

[nikkinails]

Hi sas,

Thanks for the reply what is scrub fresh and where can I get it I have seen so many techs on here talk about it but have never come across it??

I have been having a look around on here and think perhaps I may be applying a little to thick in zone 3- although im always carefull not to touch the cuticle I was terrible for this when I first started out.



Im always a bit scared that if I apply to thin I will just buff the acrylic away when I shape??

I am thinking about doing a conversion with gel- is it very easy to create your smiles with gel due to having unlimited time to work with it??

Thanks - Nikki.xx

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Scrubfresh is from Creative, Looking at your prep procedure I would guess that NSI's version is Nail Pure.

I would say that creating a smile line with gel is harder than l&p because it's more fluid. You may have more time to work with it but it's hard to get it really crisp and the best way to do it is to "lock" cure (ie cure each one for 10 seconds) each one, one at a time.

The best way to improve any of your techniques is more training and more practice.

If you apply nice and thinly in zone 3 then you eliminate a lot of unnecessary filing. This minimalises dust, trauma to your clients nail, the risk of catching the eponychium with your file, and it cuts down your time. The aim is to "sculpt with your brush" so that you get the perfect shape when you apply your product thereby only needing a buff over at the end rather than a rigourous filing session.