HeatherDavis
Well-Known Member
SO I have this very funny story to share.
For some of you that know me, you know that I have been trying to re-obtain my license to practice as a nail tech in my home state of Nevada- After being in Alaska for so long, I had let my license lapse (NEVER DO THAT BTW), and had to jump through a bunch of hoops to get it back. I need it back in Nevada, so that I can obtain reciprocity here in Colorado, and then I can go back to work legally.
So that state of Nevada determined that I needed to take my written and practical board exams again to be re-licensed. This means a multiple choice test of 150 questions, and upon passing that, I take whats called a practical, which is a "procedure" exam, where you perform a basic manicure, a silk wrap, and a sculptured nail using odorless liquid and powder. When I took these exams in 1996, I scored 100% across the board.
I took my written in 20 minutes, and with no studying (despite my own horror at that), I scored a 96 out of 100. YAY ME! I called to schedule my practical immediately. I am beginning to feel kind of cocky.
I built my own kit to use at my exam according to the state regulations, and enlisted my mom to be my model. I used a live model in 1996, and had no idea that it had changed. I even looked FOREVER at the state regulations and laws and could find nothing that said otherwise. I arrived at my scheduled exam, only to be turned away at the last minute for having a live model, and not a plastic hand.
Needless to say, I was pretty annoyed. And on top of my annoyance, I had to pay another $110USD to re-take my exam.
I must also mention here, that to travel down to Vegas to take these exams and deal with all my licensing woo-ha takes alot of planning. My husband has to take the days I am gone off of work, as we have no family here to help out with my 2 sons, and I have to drive 8 hours to Vegas for testing. That's about $100 in gas at a MINIMUM one way.
So at this point, with my licensing fees and the kit I had to build to test WITH, I am up to about $1000. Not to mention the day rate my husband is losing from being home.
So yeah, I was pretty stinking annoyed.
I got myself together, and re-scheduled my test for one month later.
I got my STUPID plastic hand with no fingernails on it, and shoved it in my kit.
Plastic hand is my new F word.
One month later, I arrive to take my test. I haven't been in beauty school in 12 years, and while i am heavily trained, Beauty School procedure and REAL LIFE procedure are quite different.
As i watched the newly graduated manicurists spray down their tables and pull out their products, I turned beet red and started to flush down my neck. I was totally lost. It my fluster, I spilled an entire bottle of polish remover, dropped a nail scrubbing brush on the floor, and in general acted like a mess.
The glue on my silk wrap wouldn't dry, glue was dripping down my tip onto my hand, and I was waiting for ANYONE to put me out of my misery.
The test monitor tells us to get out our supplies for a sculptured nail, and I freeze. I forgot my L&P brush.
I raise my hand, more red now than I was before, and tell the monitor that i have to stop my test, I forgot my *argh* ACRYLIC brush. (I hate when i have to dumb my terminology down).
She looks at me and says that I need to just keep going and do everything I can, hopefully I will score high enough in the other areas that it wont matter that I didn't build a nail.
Is she kidding?
So, fighting the urge to vomit, I start churning the gears in my head for a solution. I even contemplated cutting a bit of my own hair off and taping it together to make a brush, but figured that was probably unsanitary.
Then a blinding light- "WOOD IS POROUS. HAVE ORANGEWOOD STICK. CAN BUILD NAIL WITH ORANGE WOOD STICK."
The instructor comes and says to me, "OK, since you can't do your sculpted nail..." I interrupt her, "NO, I CAN DO IT, I HAVE AN IDEA."
I fit the horrid horseshoe form on the horrid plastic finger on the horrid plastic hand.
I poured my monomer into a glass dappen dish. I dipped my orange wood stick into it, and dropped it into the powder dish. It made a bead. I nearly died. I patted it as best I could on the horrid finger, and built myself a nail.
After a couple dips in the powder, i got into kind of a rythym, but had to turn it over when the beads started to coat my stick and it wouldnt pick up liquid anymore. But I finished that darn nail, and funny enough, it was one of the prettiest sculpted nails I have ever done when It was finished.
The monitor at my exam was watching me with the FUNNIEST expression when I was building that nail. I thought I should be passed just because of my creativity. I spoke to her for a minute after the test was over, and she asked me how long I had been out of Beauty School- I told her my story, she grinned at me and said, "Oh I think you'll be fine."
I was quite sure at this point that I had failed my exam, and was going to have to do this ALL OVER AGAIN. I decided that if by some miracle I DID pass, that I didn't even care HOW I passed, even if it was by the skin of my teeth.
So yesterday I was on the phone with DeeDee Hardy at the CND hotline here in the states, and my husband hands me my exam results along with MY NEW LICENSE.
Passing score was a 75% or better. I got a 79%.
I immediately sent off my application for reciprocity in Colorado, I should be back to work in the next month.
I wish I had a picture of that stupid orangewood stick built nail. I gave my kit to a student IN beauty school to play with. SHe thought it was awesome, I was just glad to be rid of the reminder of how foolish I felt all day lol.
So that's my funny story. I am a nail fairy and can make nails with ANYTHING.
For some of you that know me, you know that I have been trying to re-obtain my license to practice as a nail tech in my home state of Nevada- After being in Alaska for so long, I had let my license lapse (NEVER DO THAT BTW), and had to jump through a bunch of hoops to get it back. I need it back in Nevada, so that I can obtain reciprocity here in Colorado, and then I can go back to work legally.
So that state of Nevada determined that I needed to take my written and practical board exams again to be re-licensed. This means a multiple choice test of 150 questions, and upon passing that, I take whats called a practical, which is a "procedure" exam, where you perform a basic manicure, a silk wrap, and a sculptured nail using odorless liquid and powder. When I took these exams in 1996, I scored 100% across the board.
I took my written in 20 minutes, and with no studying (despite my own horror at that), I scored a 96 out of 100. YAY ME! I called to schedule my practical immediately. I am beginning to feel kind of cocky.
I built my own kit to use at my exam according to the state regulations, and enlisted my mom to be my model. I used a live model in 1996, and had no idea that it had changed. I even looked FOREVER at the state regulations and laws and could find nothing that said otherwise. I arrived at my scheduled exam, only to be turned away at the last minute for having a live model, and not a plastic hand.
Needless to say, I was pretty annoyed. And on top of my annoyance, I had to pay another $110USD to re-take my exam.
I must also mention here, that to travel down to Vegas to take these exams and deal with all my licensing woo-ha takes alot of planning. My husband has to take the days I am gone off of work, as we have no family here to help out with my 2 sons, and I have to drive 8 hours to Vegas for testing. That's about $100 in gas at a MINIMUM one way.
So at this point, with my licensing fees and the kit I had to build to test WITH, I am up to about $1000. Not to mention the day rate my husband is losing from being home.
So yeah, I was pretty stinking annoyed.
I got myself together, and re-scheduled my test for one month later.
I got my STUPID plastic hand with no fingernails on it, and shoved it in my kit.
Plastic hand is my new F word.
One month later, I arrive to take my test. I haven't been in beauty school in 12 years, and while i am heavily trained, Beauty School procedure and REAL LIFE procedure are quite different.
As i watched the newly graduated manicurists spray down their tables and pull out their products, I turned beet red and started to flush down my neck. I was totally lost. It my fluster, I spilled an entire bottle of polish remover, dropped a nail scrubbing brush on the floor, and in general acted like a mess.
The glue on my silk wrap wouldn't dry, glue was dripping down my tip onto my hand, and I was waiting for ANYONE to put me out of my misery.
The test monitor tells us to get out our supplies for a sculptured nail, and I freeze. I forgot my L&P brush.
I raise my hand, more red now than I was before, and tell the monitor that i have to stop my test, I forgot my *argh* ACRYLIC brush. (I hate when i have to dumb my terminology down).
She looks at me and says that I need to just keep going and do everything I can, hopefully I will score high enough in the other areas that it wont matter that I didn't build a nail.
Is she kidding?
So, fighting the urge to vomit, I start churning the gears in my head for a solution. I even contemplated cutting a bit of my own hair off and taping it together to make a brush, but figured that was probably unsanitary.
Then a blinding light- "WOOD IS POROUS. HAVE ORANGEWOOD STICK. CAN BUILD NAIL WITH ORANGE WOOD STICK."
The instructor comes and says to me, "OK, since you can't do your sculpted nail..." I interrupt her, "NO, I CAN DO IT, I HAVE AN IDEA."
I fit the horrid horseshoe form on the horrid plastic finger on the horrid plastic hand.
I poured my monomer into a glass dappen dish. I dipped my orange wood stick into it, and dropped it into the powder dish. It made a bead. I nearly died. I patted it as best I could on the horrid finger, and built myself a nail.
After a couple dips in the powder, i got into kind of a rythym, but had to turn it over when the beads started to coat my stick and it wouldnt pick up liquid anymore. But I finished that darn nail, and funny enough, it was one of the prettiest sculpted nails I have ever done when It was finished.
The monitor at my exam was watching me with the FUNNIEST expression when I was building that nail. I thought I should be passed just because of my creativity. I spoke to her for a minute after the test was over, and she asked me how long I had been out of Beauty School- I told her my story, she grinned at me and said, "Oh I think you'll be fine."
I was quite sure at this point that I had failed my exam, and was going to have to do this ALL OVER AGAIN. I decided that if by some miracle I DID pass, that I didn't even care HOW I passed, even if it was by the skin of my teeth.
So yesterday I was on the phone with DeeDee Hardy at the CND hotline here in the states, and my husband hands me my exam results along with MY NEW LICENSE.
Passing score was a 75% or better. I got a 79%.
I immediately sent off my application for reciprocity in Colorado, I should be back to work in the next month.
I wish I had a picture of that stupid orangewood stick built nail. I gave my kit to a student IN beauty school to play with. SHe thought it was awesome, I was just glad to be rid of the reminder of how foolish I felt all day lol.
So that's my funny story. I am a nail fairy and can make nails with ANYTHING.
