Help Please...smile lines

[showson]

Hi Geeks

I know that there are loads of threads on here regarding smiles lines and tuturials, but i have read them all, looked at all the tutorials, and they are still driving me crazy.

I have been sat practising for 3 days now just doing nothing but smiles lines. When i draw a line a few dots on a tip i can do it but when it comes to doing free hand i just carn't no matter how much i try and follow the tutorials. I am left handed and have been told that you go the opposite side to what hand your are first and that still didn't help. I feel like packing it all in as it is now starting to get me really down and is knocking my confidence big style. I have been doing nails since january and i know that it takes time but i just seem to be getting worse. Does anybody have any advice or tips that will help, as this is really draining me and i would really like to crack it.

:sad:

 

[Beautification]

Hiya chick,

Have you tried drawing some different c curves with a marker on a plastic wallet..or on a piece of paper inside a plastic wallet..

different sizes and some more curved etc try doing this and then try doing the same on some tips or if u have a nail trainer.

 

[lucyboo]

i always get my client to hold their hand up, nails facing me then with a clean brush create the smile line,

 

[katiebbaby]

Aim for a V and you will almost always get a U,,also I found if look past the rest of smile line and imagine just the outline of your smile, (hard to explain) but sometimes If i only look at where my smile line is going and not worry about rest of zone 1 it gets easier, its hard sometimes to train your eye to see things even though you think you are looking iygwim, you really have to look and imagine. Also dont try and get your smile too smiley if that makes sense, I found I was trying to get competition smiles and couldnt so was giving myself a hard time, a friend nail tech looked at my work and told me my smiles were fine and didnt need to be any more deeper, I was trying to get them really deep, iygwim.

I hope I make sense hun xx

 

[geeg]

Why not use a well less tip and just follow the smile line of the tip with your white powder?? Once you get a routine method (called technique) you will be able to do great smiles in your sleep. :hug:

 

[florence2004]

you're not alone hun, I qualified in 2006 and I still can't do smile lines! I have tried both L&P and Gel. Gel is getting better and a couple of days ago i managed to do a nail that was half decent - mind you it took me an hour to do 1 nail with all the constant cleaning up of the smile line!

Granted I only dabble in nails now as a hobbie and don't practice nearly enough! I found that putting the preasure on myself made things a lot worse! Why don't ou try taking a break for a day or so and try to practice only when you are feeling positive about it. If you become frustrated whilst applying he walk away for a bit. Honestly I have had much better result from playing about than when I need to do y nail for a special occasion ot whatever!

 

[Doorie]

I love Gigi's tip (again!)

it's also a great way to have a constant smile line, and if you work with tips and then have to sculp one nail in a set it'll look just as good!

and we all go throu these bad days

when I trained we had an update day included 6 months after the exam, because that's usually when you go wrong again (I can't tell why) so maybe it's the right time to book a 121?

 

[showson]

Thank you all for your help i will take it all on board.

The only things is about the tips is what do you do if some one just wants an overlay on there own nails. I have a few sets to do today and tomorrow. When i do extensions i do use CDN clear welless tips and use that as a guide but really want to do the job and be able to create them myself with out help.

I have done several days extra training and it has helped, they said that i am scared of the acrylic and that i need to be firmer with it. Maybe your right i need to relax and maybe not try so hard but i really want to do well at nails as i love doing them.

 

[Doorie]

get used to the tip "canva" and then you won't need it to guide you anymore, even on the tip itself

 

[Cutesteph]

In the beginning I used to always try to go for the deep smile lines and that turned out terrible!!

I started going for flatter ones and from there it all started coming together and later I worked on deeper smilies.

 

[mely-bely]

I prefer to use the reverse application - with either gel or l&p. I put the body of the nail on first - allowing me to "cut" my smile line with my brush. Then I apply the white. With l&p I do all 10 bodies first - then run my file along the smile line to make sure it smooth - then I add the white. I am able to easily and quickly make a really smooth, deep smile line.

Maybe this will work for you? Wouldn't hurt to try!

Hope this helps

 

[ellabella]

hi hun.... i found the quality of my brush has a big effect on how nice the smile line goes... it always pays to get a good expensive good quality one.. i use a kolinsky 8 round brush from NSI.... yes its more expensive than some.. when i 1st started out 8 years ago i would buy the cheaper range.. and have to replace every few months as it splayed...
i have had my brush for over a yr now and its like new!! i always found wen practicing it much better to do on people rather than tips... silly but body temp has alot to do with how acrylic sets. so u will get much better at it if u can get a mate to lend a hand ....litterally!! :lol:
make sure bead not to wet too.. or u will get into a right pickle...
keep at it hun.. it wil get easier dont worry...
xxx

 

[mary1981]

I have to say Geeg's advice about following the smile line of a well-less tip really works! I had a client on friday night and thought i'd make a point of doing this. I've done quite a lot of reverse applications lately which is a great technique but don't want to lose confidence at doing white first either as i'm still relatively new and learning. So i did it this way and i was really pleased with the result, and i've saved all my tip cut offs to practise more smile lines on lol!
good luck hun xxx

 

[showson]

I know what you mean about following the edge of the tip for now and it does work but what would you do if some one had long nails and just wanted an overlay on there own nails!!

I think i struggle as well cause sometimes i dont pick up a big enough bead or my bead is to big and it goes every where. I have been practising like made over the last few days (somes nights been up till two o'clock in the mornng) and still not cracking it. I think a need to get a really good brush that is good for smile lines, but there is that many to choose from how do you know which one to buy without wasting money by going through them all to you find one that you like :irked:

 

[geeg]

I know what you mean about following the edge of the tip for now and it does work but what would you do if some one had long nails and just wanted an overlay on there own nails!!

I think i struggle as well cause sometimes i dont pick up a big enough bead or my bead is to big and it goes every where. I have been practising like made over the last few days (somes nights been up till two o'clock in the mornng) and still not cracking it. I think a need to get a really good brush that is good for smile lines, but there is that many to choose from how do you know which one to buy without wasting money by going through them all to you find one that you like :irked:

This advice was given for practicing the technique of making a smile line precisely so one can make them in the future without the aid of a tip!! That is the whole point of my post and my suggestion. :lol: Practice enough times and you won't need the tip as a guide any longer.

 

[mary1981]

i even found that as a i progressed during just that one set the smile lines got easier hun, it does give the technique as geeg explained, i wasn't even using the tip as a guide for the last few nails, i was just placing it correctly and pressing it correctly. So then when you do an overlay on long nails you will just know what to do. There is no magic answer with this chick, just keep going.
For the time being if you had a client with natural long nails wanting the french look maybe you could do a one colour acrylic overlay first, then do a beautiful french polish. With a quality base and top coat and a quality polish the finish will last so well. Might help while you build confidence with your smile lines.