How long did it take you to perfect your smile line?

[a1nails]

I have been practicing all during the summer in preparation for starting my level 3 in September.

I have looked at all the tutorials and even today have looked again and had a practice on some tips.

I have done better today after looking at the tutorial once again.

But when watching a video tutorial it just looks so easy doing little pushes getting the smile line without having to swipe the smile line.

I hope to be like this one day. Getting the smile just through product placement and brush control.

I must say seeing the extreme deep smile lines makes me feel like I will never be able to do this although it is possible for other tecs to do.

How long did it take you?

 

[missvain]

Hmm. For me, a perfect set of pink and white is the hardest to achieve! Being able to create random nails (not consistently, that is!) with perfect smile lines took me over 3 months of constant practice. I'd practice on glass tips in between practice sessions where I get to sculpt on a real hand model.

I got so obsessed (still am!) with being able to sculpt a perfect smile everytime that at one point, it was all I'd practice and my 3D design sculpture went downhill haha. But now I'm back on track - 3D design sculpture is a piece of cake, compared to french!

I can now do a decent set of french sculpture with the deep smile lines, but a 100% PERFECT set - not yet Perfection is hard, when you're talking about a complete set of 10 nails with exactly the same smile, thickness etc!

But I'm still practicing, and hope to get there some day

Don't give up - I realise that it's 100 xs easier to sculpt when your product consistency is *just right* because the right consistency gives you better control and a longer sculpting time. You'll get it soon enough with constant practice.

Also, I love EzFlow for its creamy texture and if you want a product that remains workable for a long period of time, try EzFlow HD monomer and HD powders (sometimes, I even wish HD would set faster haha..)

 

[blossom]

Ages, ages, ages. Some days were better than others.

No substitute for practice/experience. I wish there was. :hug:

 

[a1nails]

I practice all the time, college, home, when I wake up at 3am, first thing in the mornin, last thing at night.

I even wake up thinking about nails!

Is this normal?

Do I need to go to a NA Group (nails anonymous)

 

[blossom]

I practice all the time, college, home, when I wake up at 3am, first thing in the mornin, last thing at night.

I even wake up thinking about nails!

Is this normal?

Do I need to go to a NA Group (nails anonymous)

Absolutely normal, yes . . . .and the answer to the next question is probably!! :lol: You have the passion, obviously . . . . you'll get there :hug:

 

[user 17140]

I spent loads of time practicing (about three months), then i decided to do some one to one training, after that day the penny dropped! I now know how to do my smiles, before i didnt have a system i just freestyled! Now i have a way to do them it makes sense. Dont get me wrong i was shown on my original training but i must have got lost some where and been practising my self into bad habits!

 

[sian1979]

i so know how you feel, this is the one thing i worry about as its the one of the things that the client can actually see for themselves whether its good or bad. i really panic when i get asked to do a set of pink and whites cause i know i wont be able to get them all looking the same, but at the end of the day if i dont practise then will never get any better. this is why my clients only get charged a reduced rate as im a 'trainee', if they want perfect looking nails they will have to pay the price for them.

I take comfort from others who say they were in the same position one time- and its those who are winning the comps - so one day i may well be this good (big sigh!!!)

you are not the only one:hug:

sian xx
CND liquid and powder.

 

[JulietP]

How come you guys don't make things easier and just use forms? I'm a newbie to all this so excuse if I'm missing something here.

But when I got my french acrylic done with the smile line free handed I can NEVER find somebody who does it good enough... it's never even close to being perfect. I'm never satisfied with the results.

But when I got the french acrylic and the tech used some "moon shaped form"... which she took and pressed it onto the nail for 1 second and then in a swiping motion wiped off the acrylic from the tip of the nail so that now she could paint the white tip on perfectly along side the raised edge of the acrylic.

Why don't all techs use these forms? Seems like it'd be much easier and the results are better! I had perfect smile lines with that form used. If I were a tech I wouldn't bother learning fee handed smile lines... I'd just use a form.

 

[nailzoo]

I still haven't perfected mine (22 years) , it can be quite hit and miss, .... mood, temperature, temperament, not many are perfect, but we can only try.

Annoys me when I see the constistency of some..... but then again it gives me something to live for and aspire to.

All you can do is keep on trying, also try a one on one with someone repected.

Try Ant from ezflow, he will blow you brains.

 

[Cathie!]

I'm always trying to get mine perfect and consistent! The deeper you go the harder it is.......it's quite easy to do a demo nail to the edge of being perfect but getting the whole 10 totally consistent is still something I truly aspire to.

Having your ratio right is a major factor in making it easier for yourself as you will be able to control your product rather than it controlling you.

 

[sj1973]

i keep on practising and more practising when clients come for a full set i do my best and always do.....although i find p+w the hardest i find glitters the easiest i dont know why??we all have our own little ways of doing things....xxxx

 

[a1nails]

Yes. I find the glitters easier than the P&W.

I am thinking about some further training even while I am still at college.

I know the tutors show us, but they are not doing nails day in day out. They just do a dem once a week for us and then we practice on our trainer hands. I don't think they are able to iron out specific problem areas like further training or a one to one on a certain area I want to improve on would do.

Am I right?

I live near manchester. Who do you recommend and how much is it?

 

[missvain]

Yes. I find the glitters easier than the P&W.

I am thinking about some further training even while I am still at college.

I know the tutors show us, but they are not doing nails day in day out. They just do a dem once a week for us and then we practice on our trainer hands. I don't think they are able to iron out specific problem areas like further training or a one to one on a certain area I want to improve on would do.

Am I right?

I live near manchester. Who do you recommend and how much is it?

I don't know if Antony Buckley lives anywhere near Manchester, but if I was living in UK, i'd definitely make sure I attend training with him at least once. His p+W is amazing, and he's a very patient and detailed educator. You'll be amazed at your improvement, with proper guidance.

 

[a1nails]

Just done a google search to find out more about him.

I will be honest and say I had not heard of him until you have all been mentioning the G-Mex and to my amazement he is from Heywood, just a couple of miles down the road from me!

 

[a.denning]

i keep on practising and more practising when clients come for a full set i do my best and always do.....although i find p+w the hardest i find glitters the easiest i dont know why??we all have our own little ways of doing things....xxxx

I agree with you here, I find glitter easier i think its because it dosent have to be as perfect as P&W because the glitter masks mistakes to a point!!