How many of us went into Nails thinking 'how hard can it be?'?

[Vetty]

A few recent threads have got me thinking (always dangerous :wink2:!).... There seem to be lots of people who have recently completed courses and are soon afterwards struggling because they're not working at the standard they think they should be......

Are there lots of people who had their own nails does and thought 'that looks easy enough'? Are many of you suprised at how difficult it is to do nails?

My own personal experience is that I had never had my own nails done before I did my CND Foundation course - I was a blank canvas!!! But, I was very frustrated when I did exactly as I was told but ended up with a rubbish result..... If I did what Andrea did why didn't my nails look like hers?! Of course I kept doing as I was told, and did further education and now I am one of those that looks like I work effortlessly (it's a good job clients don't see those wobbles isn't it?! ).

Anyway, to those who are stuggling it will come right but only if you put the effort in. Nails is not easy and there are times that only my own stubborn streak stopped me from thorwing the towel in...... Also, the sense of personal satisfaction when I made a breakthrough was huge!

Hope this helps those of you that are finding it difficult, and if it were easy wouldn't life be dull?!

 

[angel fingers]

ermmm, moi !:o

i could have cried when i completed my first set. they were more like donkey hooves and i was so adamant i did everything how i was told.
i actually went home and said to my husband that i didnt think i was cut out for nails. but he said 'tough, you have to do it now we have spent all that money on it'

thankfully i have improved quite a bit since then :biggrin:

when i'm training students i tell them this story and i also show them a picture of my nails that was used for around 18months as the advertising for the lechat brand in the nail magazines from the usa that are distributed world wide. i explain that it hasnt been an easy journey for me but that it is possible to acheive something from nothing and it really encourages them.

 

[Urban Geek]

Oh I remember the frustrations well! I think we are our own worst critiques though. I always knew what a good enhancement looked like, although it took me some time to achieve that. Sometimes I used to think ignorance would be bliss and I used to wish I could look at my awful nails and be pleased or at least satisfied with them.

When I discovered this site it was a life saver and an inspiration. There were other techs out there who were experiencing the same struggles as me and there were also industry icons that gave there knowledge and support to so many of us. I think my world of nails would have been all the duller without this site. All the fab geeky friends I have made have kept me motivated and inspired.

So yes, for all of you new to the world of nails, Yvette is right - your skills will come together. Just keep the passion and you will get there.:Love:

 

[salpep]

I think when I first started doing nails, I worked with a nervousness and just wanted to get the damn acrylic blobs on the nail...didn't really think of anything like apex, side walls, etc just wanted to do them and leave lol

Then it was a case of taking my time..I was taking nearly 2 hours, clients was falling alseep lol

But Now I know what Im doing, it's not a case of rushing the nails, but it's working with a purpose...get the file control right, placing the acrylic corrrect=less filing, ratio correct, etc

It's also helpfull to take photo's of your nails, because you can look back and see that you are progressing

God when I first started it was a nightmare, to be honest I think I went out too quick, and created some right beauties lol..use to forget to put primer on the nails, I had to write the letter "P" on my powders because I kept forgetting lol

but it settles down and does get better

 

[Noodle]

Are there lots of people who had their own nails does and thought 'that looks easy enough'? Are many of you suprised at how difficult it is to do nails?

Answer to Q1 ... yes
Answer to Q2 ... most definitely yes

 

[tigi]

Oh lord, I cant even begin to tell you how fustrating it has all been........... i knew it would be really hard, I had been warned but to be honest I had no idea it would be like this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sometimes i just want to dump my entire kit into the nearest bin..... then other times I like to dance around the salon full of joy (when the client has left).

Its not easy, but hey, I am not a quitter and its slowly coming together now so i am glad my road is a bit less bumpy....

 

[blush09]

i totally respect and admire the skill needed to create a beautiful set of nail enhancements ... and no, im under no illusions that they're easy to master
i wish i was brave enough to take the plunge and embark on some training, but after having watched various online tutorials and in particular sculptured nails - ive been scared off for good .. boy i admire you skill!
thus said, i have enrolled on the cnd fingernails naturally course and plan to take the pedicure course also - plus im super excited about shellac
but again, i know it will take a lot of practice for me to feel confident enough to offer manis / pedis to paying customers!

 

[cabinkel]

God this was def me!
Id never had my nails done, but really fancied the creativity of nails. I trained at college, then with Calgel, then with Creative...........and Im still pants lol
Im just rubbish at them, and have to say I would get half way through a full set and get bored, lol I really, really wanted to be good though, and In my head I was great!
Think I will stick to lashes:biggrin:

 

[catsaremad]

I did my BT NVQ 5/6 years ago and my good friend sam di the BT and enhancements and I always swore that I would not do them as I saw it as a lot of faff ........................

so last year I decided to learn something new and decided on gel with a reputable company who was not CND because I wanted to be different......................

what a plonka I was, did my l&P and thought' sod this for a game of soldiers !!!!'

several months later after a informal geek session with a fellow geek I thought ' right Im going to do this'

so the L&P brush came out again.............................God its hard....................I'm struggling my origional 'reputable' company is to be frank.................................(remembering geek rules)..........................rubbish

im off to the event so that I can see and deal with a group of 'professionals' ................

 

[kirsty]

I can't say I went into nails thinking it would be easy. I'm just starting out and having a few teething problems (to be expected) But I believe all you need it a passion for nails and dedication.

 

[heatherp]

Vetty,
You must have been reading my mind!!
I finished a set of nails last night and after the client left, said to my daughter "thats it, I really don't think I can do this"
I really wasn't happy with the nails, felt embarrassed although the client seems happy enough, I was waiting for a call all day today from her asking for a refund!!. I haven't had a call but am in 2 minds about ringing her and offering her one.
I feel like nails are a little like golf, when you hit the ball and hear that lovely pinging sound and you know you've hit the ball right it great and you think you've finally cracked it only for the next one to be total rubbish. I do my sister, sister in law, niece and daughter's nails and feel they are really good now, but every client I have in, I seem to go to pieces.
I finished my course in Feb and have been practising constantly and really don't know what to do, should I stop offering them for now until I'm more confident? Its just that if I do I worried I will just stop all together.

 

[kirsty]

heatherp, don't stop offering them! I felt like that a few weeks ago but kept going and it gets better as your nerves ease. It just takes time and practice.

 

[Nataliya]

Oh its one road for all of us) Looks easy, some of us have a talent, some of us (like me) have to bite it hard to get it right. Persistence is the key)

My first set of nails, did not look like nails:Scared: It was something out another dimension lol

I remember how my hands were shaking doing my first clients in the salon, taking ages. I could not get to grios with French. Until i sat down and did not stand up until i made something like 50 tips with French, that started looking like French on 45th. Then i always remembered Amanda Fontanarossas tip - "think of the two roads!" And i got it right.

I am more a Gel girl than L&P. I remember I was having a training session with Izzidoll, she kept slapping my hands for fiddling with my white bead lol I kept getting frustrated about not getting it right. Aim for perfection paid off not long ago.

What i love about being a nail artist - is the constant rush for new knowledge, excitement, opportunities, its like a drug)))

I guess we could be compared to surgeons - they spend years learning and practicing until they are perfect, and still its a constant learning process for them too.

I get annoyed when i see advert - become a nail pro in one day! lol I have been in the industry for nearly 9 years and still learning))) love it though.

You need to be in it - to win it)) :Love:Once you are in - you are in for :Love:life)))

Newbie Geeks - DONT give up)))

 

[Susie H]

No Vetty, I did not think it would be easy, I am the most un artistic person on the planet, my stick men look childish. I was persuaded by a nail geek to do the course, she was my nail tech and was going back to Canada.
Because of her I did my research and took myself of to train with CND. My first set of nails, Kelly Swain looked at the mountains I'd made, smiled at me and said, 'you're file control is going to be spot on'
She was right, I learned how to file but I also learned not to stick the product on in the first place. All that time is wasted time. Better to place your product where you want it in the right amount with your brush.
Smile lines, I still hate using white powder, any other colour and it's no problem. So I'm still learning, still pushing myself and still wondering why I ever thought I could do this.
Then someone smiles and thinks their nails rock and they thank me and I bite my lip and don't tell them all the things I think are wrong, I take the money say thank you and get back to practicing, because there is always something new to learn and I love it:Love:

 

[smartypantz]

errmm me! I thought ANYBODY can ´do´ nails! Do a quick at home course, and my bank manager will be shaking my hand and taking me out to lunch PMSL! Almost a year down the road, I am about 3000 euros lighter (80% of which was spent on WASTED training, and 20% on for me the best training.) My bank manager doesnt speak to me, let alone take me out for lunch:biggrin:. I never thought that I would be sitting on a plane reading a book on product chemistry and enjoying it! However would i change things, I can honestly say NO! I have discovered a passion for nails that I have never had in any other job. I am a LONG way from achieving my ultimate goal (creating nails that are just like the Solar Nail ad) but will I give up? Hell NO! I love this industry and I am here to stay!:biggrin:

p.s. keep checking my album for my own Solar Nails, ermm I am thinking in about 2020, I may be half way there:lol:

 

[ckk]

Hi :biggrin:

I'm 9 weeks into my certificate 3 course here in Australia. It takes me 3 hours to do a set of sculptures and I get so fustrated I cant get my speed up. I have only done 3 sets to be fair to myself but it fustrates me that after spending 3 hours on them they are not flipping perfect lol. Not bad but not perfect! Reading all your posts really does help me and gives me the motivation to carry on doing the very best I can.

I did come into this course thinking it would be easy. I was actually going to do a photography course then changed last minute..I though how hard can it be so slap some nails on someone lol. Wow I was sooooo wrong! There is so much involved. I have so much respect for all you guys...and as hard as Im finding it I am loving every minute of it!!!! xx

 

[nailzy]

Hi,
i defenatly new it wouldnt be easy even tho my boss at the time made it look so! i was a hairdresser before nails and i new it took 2 years to train 3rd year improver 4th year junior stylist finaly 5th year stylist so i new that it would take time to learn and time to improve etc!!
I was realy lucky that my boss at the time did it the same way as hair so when first trained did friends and family and just charged £10 for products etc and as i got better up the price to trainee price and kept doing that till got good and charged full price best way to get ur speed and confidence up etc and i would say took at least a year to get to that stage so all you new techs just relax take your time enjoy your nails give yourself time to improve!:biggrin:

 

[angel fingers]

its not so much that i thought it would be easy , more that i thought i would be better at it !

i think it was because i was so used to being good at my job then suddenly i'm a beginner at something and that was quite frightening really.:Scared:

 

[xEmmax]

errmm me!

I never thought that I would be sitting on a plane reading a book on product chemistry and enjoying it! However would i change things, I can honestly say NO! I have discovered a passion for nails that I have never had in any other job. I am a LONG way from achieving my ultimate goal (creating nails that are just like the Solar Nail ad) but will I give up? Hell NO! I love this industry and I am here to stay!:biggrin:

Ha ha, ditto! xx

 

[nailzoo]

Great post Vetty......

The drop our ratio of new techs is enormous, many never go on to do nails..

Some people in Australia do a course because they have been unemployed for a while and the government will pay for their course (these are usually the disinterested students who had no "intent" in the first place.

Some are a natural at doing nails, others have difficulty.

My first experience was following the instructions on the back of a box, totally ignorant and had never seen fake nails before.:biggrin:

I just knew what natural nails looked like and strived to create that look using an artificial product, crappy MMA, a nylon brush and 2" flexible files.

It was an interesting 6 hour introduction to sculptured nails