How do you do your glitter/french rebalance

[sian1979]

hi everyone, i finally feel like i am getting somewhere with achieving a 1/2 decent set of nails now, still along way from where i want to be....whether i wll ever be happy i dont know, lol!
there is one area that seems to still take me a long time and that is a french rebalance....whether it be white or glitter. i have tried a number of ways:
thinning the whole enhancement out then re applying the white/ glitter over the top of whats there, just moving the smile line further down the nail....but this way i always seem to file away the new product, or if using glitter file through the clear over the top so damaging the glitter.

i have recently tried clipping the tip away after thinning out a bit then using a form the reapply but find that the natural nails smile line shows through quicker if i use a sheer colour on the nail bed.....not everyone likes the opaque colours.

I just wanted to know which way most people did it and what was quicker for them as it just seems to take ages for me....or if i have totally mssed the boat and there was another way of doing it, lol!
thanks all

 

[nailartist]

I generally file the whole enhancement down and reapply the product, but I file the old WAY down. You might not be filing enough old product away if you're filing through the new when you finish. If it helps, use a lower-grit file (well seasoned edges!) to debulk quicker (I use a 100 grit). Then use smaller beads to rebalance. Especially with glitter--just a really thin layer, and then cap with clear so you're less likely to file through it later. But definitely start by taking down more old product! HTH!

 

[champagne]

Sian im the same as you lol.....product placement and nails doing great.....but.....rebalance.......

Im thinking about it before I do it, and mine are not getting any quicker....

Am I using too much product? I dont think I am, they are lasting well, no lift (very little on a couple of clients)...Ocasional over product use lol

Im taking down the length, then setting about the white...this is where it all goes Pete Tong.....I end up filing nearly all of the white off and re-doing it all....

I think I should only be re-doing the smile line.....but i cant get it right...

Heres what I think I should be doing...taking down the length.......thin out the free edge.....then file zone 2...then replace the smile line....

But this isnt quite working out and its taking about 1.5 hours...thats too long I feel...

Any help gratefully recieved....

 

[sian1979]

I generally file the whole enhancement down and reapply the product, but I file the old WAY down. You might not be filing enough old product away if you're filing through the new when you finish. If it helps, use a lower-grit file (well seasoned edges!) to debulk quicker (I use a 100 grit). Then use smaller beads to rebalance. Especially with glitter--just a really thin layer, and then cap with clear so you're less likely to file through it later. But definitely start by taking down more old product! HTH!

thanks for the advice, i think your right i do need to remove more product, my big problem is am all to aware of the time i am taking and end up telling myself to stop or i will be there forever. :idea:so really i think i need to make sure that my original sets are may be kept a bit thinner so not so much product has to be removed when t comes round to the rebalance

Anne i am so pleased that i am not the only one,phewww!! I do not think that 90 min for a french rebalance not bad tho to be honest. I can do a one colour infill in about 45 min. but my french can take 90min to 2 hours.....i am not bothered about timing anymore to a certain extent but i feel that after a rebalance the nails should look as good as a new set....which i feel mine dont, and that bothers me :cry:

 

[angel fingers]

im in agreement with nailartist. you are definately not reducing the old acrylic enough if you are filing through the new application when refining.

pay thorough attention to thinning in zone 2 where you will place the new smile line as this is where you will have the most trouble.

one other way of doing it is to cut the new smile line with an electric file, but i'm guessing you arent using one of those.

i do use an efile but prefer to thin the nail and then replace the product on top of it correctly.

 

[xxclairexx]

I thin out with an e-file and then replace, Just got it down to about an hour for a tip colour change /reballance, and 45 for infills so am quite pleased with this. Cx

 

[sian1979]

thanks susan. i was thinking of may be getting an e file. mainly for doing this, i know not everyone does it with one but i know a few techs who do use one for this reason and do rate it, most though i think use it to file the free edge away then apply a sculpting form and re sculpt the free edge.
does anyone clip away the free edge and re sculpt do do most thin out and apply over the top??

 

[sian1979]

lol!! thank for the other replies too everyone replied while replying to susan.....no worres fi.... would like to know too xx

 

[angel fingers]

Susan, when you use an efile, how much do you find this has reduced your time? I don't use one, but am thinking it about one for glitters as sometimes with the chunky glitters, it seems to take ages with a file. Sorry for butting in on your thread Sian.

i was trained to use one right from the beginning , so ive always used it.
there is one person i hand file on and it takes me very little longer.
however she just has a short soft white tip.
many of my clients have long colourfull nails and like a colour change everytime the come in.
i have arthritis in my hands and the efile takes so much strain out of the whole process.
my application is pretty reliable and i use a hand file to pefect the nail when the product is on but i do find the efile invaluable for removing length and colour and bulk.

 

[champagne]

Funnily enough my glitter tips I can rebalance in very little time....Its only P&W i struggle with timewise....

I think im taking too much product off and then replacing the whole lot again....Im sure its only practice.....but I would have thought after a year and rebalancing almost every day I would have cracked it by now.....

I seem to be under an hour with some, but almost 1.5 with others......

I am sure that im putting too much white on when rebalancing....

 

[Susie H]

Hi hun, after reading a reply to another thread from Gigi, I tried the nip the tip off method, I love it, just take your normal nail clippers and nip of little bits until you have removed zone 1 then remove bulk from zone 2 and file flush in zone 3 then I shape my new smile on the free edge (what was the end of zone 2) apply a form and on goes zone 1. I like this because it allows me to extend the nail bed and I actually prefer to put a little glitter in zone 2 rather then use an opaque pink, Angel fingers showed me this, it adds a little bit of interest to the nail and hides the natural nails free edge.:hug: Oh and I also use a e-file to de-bulk, saves my hands and wrists a lot of pain:lol: but I always use a hand file to finish and shape.

 

[angel fingers]

i think replacing the tip like that is a good technique, the only thing is that the free edge never has a chance to grow and a lot of clients like to keep the natural nail underneath.

 

[tracey louise]

i think replacing the tip like that is a good technique, the only thing is that the free edge never has a chance to grow and a lot of clients like to keep the natural nail underneath.

this is what i was thinking as alot of my clients like the fact that they dont have false nails and i dont think my clients would like me doing it this way even if it did save abit of time even though i like the idea of clipping the free edge away and making a new one.x

 

[champagne]

I only really use tips to get clients nails growing, then move them on the NNO so I couldnt clip each time......

Im def using too much product when it comes to whites ! I cant seem to control the white as well as I can the other colours & glitters .... Hmmmm just me then lol

 

[glitz]

I too like Susan have problems with my wrists & fingers (waiting hosp apt) and so I do use an e file I did the training course the same year as my initial L&P training and it is great for de bulking on re balances. I like to finish by hand though I was taught to carve in the new smile line but have never put this into practice I am a little afraid of how deep to take it, think I will have a go on my current set when they need it so I do just take the white down really thin and reposition and apply this way.

 

[sian1979]

on the flip side to that though i do have some clients who hate the fact their natural nail shows underneath, lol

 

[angel fingers]

on the flip side to that though i do have some clients who hate the fact their natural nail shows underneath, lol

yes me too. only a couple though.

 

[nailartist]

Re: doing glitter and color (but especially glitter) free edges/rebalances--have any of you tried the reverse method for this? I do the nail bed color first, let the bead sit a few seconds, and then sort of guide it into place and the swipe the smile line. Then I apply the glitter, and it works great, doesn't overlap onto the pink, etc. The hard part is getting a consistent smile line when you're first learning to to the reverse. Some techs use an efile to shape the pink, but I'm a handfiler.

 

[pamper yourself]

Hi

I'm still a student so sorry if I'm out of my league. Yesterday I read some fantastic tutorials by geeg about filing and rebalancing. You might want to check them out. They are brill and have some points like susan. I suggest you have a look.

An

 

[hannajadem]

I was having all the problems described until I did my 121 with Kate from CND in Cheltenham.
I was relieved to find that it also takes her 1.5-shrs to do a french rebalance. I find it takes me near enough the same amount of time to do a full set.
In aswer to some of your qs, if I'm using opaque I clip then sculpt back on, but if I've used clear/sheer on zones 2 and 3, then it's the old fashioned way. Kate showed me a really fool proof method of rebalancing P+W, which I'll try my best to descrive here:

1. File the sidewalls as normal, the same as when finishing (they always seem to grow out a bit wonky.)

2. Take the length down to the original length.

3. File the 'forward' side of the nail.= with a 180 grit (as when finishing). Do the same on the 'reverse' side. Look down the barrel. You should be nearly back down to the unblended tip thickness in zone 1. The apex should be practically untouched at this point.

4.File zone 1 at the 'centre' iykwim. Should only take a few swipes of the file downwards (I do this with 100 grit as my nails are built up thicker here anyway) Look down the barrel. The whole of zone 1 should now be the thickness of an unblended tip.

5. At this point the sidewalls and zone 1 should be nice and thin. Now file the apex and reduce it by about half.

6.Use a kanga board to file away lifting in zone 3, otherwise leave it alone if it's flush to the natural nail.

This method leaves the 'spine' running down the centre of the nail (with the exception of zone 1 which is what step 4 is about). This means you are not spending loads of time filing huge amounts of product away, the 'skeleton' of the nail is left. Ideally, you will leave some white behind but probably not all of it, but that's ok as you're adding more white anyway.

I was shocked by how tiny the beads were to replace product during a rebalance. Even when some of the white had been filed away, Kate was picking up white beads the size of little dots and they were camouflaging the old smile perfectly.
I think this is also true when creating new sets though, it's much quicker to keep them thin. if someone needs them thicker for any reason then i'll usually rebalance using reverse with forms.

Hth, and feel free to msg me if this does't make sense!