How thin is your L&P?

[Wonda]

I've been told 2-3 widths of a credit card for the optimum width, but am finding people coming into the salon to have their hair done & they're acrylic nails are so thin they're like stick on nails.

Thing is, somehow these acrylics are lasting & I don't know how to make mine last, let alone start making them paper thin !!

Has anybody got photos of acrylic thickness with proper nail acrylic ??

 

[Beccysnails]

Do you mean 2/3 the width of a credit card?

 

[Wonda]

No, 2 to 3 widths.

I've just been told by the salon manager that a set I did 3 weeks ago were taken off by her mum cause they were too thick !!
I really don't want to make them too thin & break but want the business !!

 

[Jellybaby1970]

I always do them about the thickness of a credit card. I can see that 2-3 would be quite thick and bulky. :green:

 

[Wonda]

Back to the drawing board then, if I can get away with doing thinner nails then I'm up for that.
Am currently thinking of an e-file to help with my timing as well.
I need to be able to produce a set that can rival the discount salon across the road.

 

[cherry-berry]

My nails are just like a credit card

 

[Maz101]

Mine are around the thickness of a credit card too

And hun why use a efile, why not do something that brings them back for you, using a efile won't make you stand out, do lovely nails that last and add a short hand and wrist massage with nice smelling cream, something they don't do, make them want to come back for the nice chat, the personal service and not the cattle market no chatting service that they can get elsewhere.

I take around an hour and a half fromstart to finish but my clients like that. It's a relaxing time for them.

Just my opinion

 

[Emily Case]

My nails are approximately 1.5 credit cards thick when looking down the barrel at the free edge... That includes the thickness of the tip if there is one. Depending on the client I can make them half a credit card thicker or thinner.

Xxx

 

[Wonda]

Flipping heck ... I must produce some whoppers compared to others then !!
I put tips on then cover the 3 zones with acrylics & end up with whoppers !!

I sculpted a thin set during my training & they snapped at the end of the nail bed & that's where my tutor said they were too thin at 1 c.card width !!

I've thought about an e-file to make sure I get as close to the natural nail as I can at the cuticle without a noticeable step. I'm finding it hard to get a clear eye line with my Harmony files, so thought a file would help out in that dept & help me give a thinness I'm obviously not getting at the moment.

It takes me about an hour & half to do a set but people are just not liking the thickness I've been instructed to do

 

[Maz101]

Hun maybe take a pic of a set you do from side, front and above. Then we can maybe help more

I'm just guessing as Dont now but maybe your trainer meant do your apex a bit thicker but taper down the edge, if your apex is to thin then it will break easier at the stress point.


And don't worry when I first started I produced some whoppers too rival Burger King lol, thinking thicker is better, now I know you don't need them thick and if they break, they break for a reason and normally its better that they do, rather than damage the nail bed because they are too thick.

 

[Wonda]

I have a picture down the barrel of my first set I did & they look thin but only lasted 7 days before popping off, but think I know why they didn't last.
Am starting to think I'm thinking if they look strong by thickness then they'll not pop off !!

Need to have a practice on myself !!

 

[Devonnaydf]

I have a picture down the barrel of my first set I did & they look thin but only lasted 7 days before popping off, but think I know why they didn't last.
Am starting to think I'm thinking if they look strong by thickness then they'll not pop off !!

Need to have a practice on myself !!

Remember that the strength of the nail comes from building the apex of the nail, not the thickness of the free edge. The acrylic should be thin at the cuticle and the taper to the free edge with the thickest part at the apex. I use an e-file because it cuts down my time. It used to take me almost 2 hours to do a set of l&p using a hand file. Now I can do it in 1 hour 15 minutes. That's another Shellac appt for the day. E-file are definitely worth it. Just because NSS use them doesn't mean you can't. Your work and nails will make you different from the rest!

 

[Tip Toe Nails]

I have been at this 12 weeks as of Dec 21. I was certified on Sept 21 2012. These are my nails on a client.... I am sure many of you can critique these and I would be happy as I am about constructive criticism... hope that helps some. Maybe just maybe I can learn a thing or two as well

Traci

 

[Tip Toe Nails]

Here is another one I did today. These are acrylic done with pink and sparkles ...

 

[ChelseaNails]

The shorter they are the thinner I do them, I have one lady who has verrrry long nails and does a manual job so for her the thickness is more like 3 cards otherwise she snaps the tips.

Every set of nails I do is different because everybody's tastes are different, if they are experienced then I ask beforehand how they like them - thin, thick, high apex, c curve etc
if they are not and just after a nice set of nails I ask whether they want them looking natural or fake and go from there.


There could be lots of reasons they are not lasting, but i would suggest you spend enough time on prep, more time applying the acrylic and then you won't need to file afterwards.
Never rush your prep its far more important than mix ratios and thickness because if you do a perfect enhancement on a nail with no prep, it will pop off after a few hours/days.

With more experience you'll learn where you personally can cut your time down and where you can't x

 

[Wonda]

Thanks for the replies & pictures, I think the lasting issue has been some prep, which I spend way longer than I was taught as that seems the longest part of my acrylics now & the thickness.
Have got a client in at 3 for a set, so going to practice this morning on myself.
Got to keep reminding myself its the thickness of the tip X 2 if that, so less product !!

Thanks again Geeks, some very helpful advice yet again !!

 

[Wonda]

Right, just done 1 hand with white tips, white powder on tips & pink.
Know some of them look like the beds too short, esp on the thumb but I have really odd shaped nail beds naturally & couldn't fit forms to the nails.
Am hoping the attach pic works as I'm on my iPhone !!

Haven't put the top gel layer on so excuse the unfinished look !!

 

[Tjo]

I have trouble with thickness, either to thin or to thick, i qualified in may but hardly do any as most of my clients want shellac, think i need to get practicing.

Sent from my GT-I8160 using SalonGeek

 

[Conny]

Right, just done 1 hand with white tips, white powder on tips & pink.
Know some of them look like the beds too short, esp on the thumb but I have really odd shaped nail beds naturally & couldn't fit forms to the nails.
Am hoping the attach pic works as I'm on my iPhone !!

Haven't put the top gel layer on so excuse the unfinished look !!

Why do you use white tips if the nailbed is so short? You end up wit more then 50% of the nail being "white tip"....
Try to create a longer nailbed, using opaque pink acrylic powder that goes well with your skin tone., The white (on a natural of glas tip, or sculpting, adjusting the forms with a scissor if your nailbeds are to square) only 20% of your nailbed, will give a more elegant look.

How did it go with the client?

Greetings from Belgium,
Conny

 

[Wonda]

Why do you use white tips if the nailbed is so short? You end up wit more then 50% of the nail being "white tip"....
Try to create a longer nailbed, using opaque pink acrylic powder that goes well with your skin tone., The white (on a natural of glas tip, or sculpting, adjusting the forms with a scissor if your nailbeds are to square) only 20% of your nailbed, will give a more elegant look.

How did it go with the client?

Greetings from Belgium,
Conny

The photo is on myself & since I need 2 hands to fit forms properly ..... Tips had to be used.
Also the tips I used have very small wells (less than 1mm), they just look funny cause the free edge is so long in comparison.

If a clients were as short as mine currently are, I would sculpt & create a longer nail bed.
so yeah I do know they look a little strange at the mo until the natural nail starts to grow & I'll do the backfills.
This will also give me some idea if the changes I've done will help with them lasting.


Oh & the client didn't turn up, ended up doing Gelish on a walk in who'd had a horror story with acrylics that ended up with her going to A&E !!