I'm new to extensions, can you give some critique and tips please?

[Isabellabonet]

I'm finding trouble getting my gel nail extensions super smooth like if like them to be.. Also one of my clients nails popped off after a few hours and she said she's too busy to come back and get it done. I told her is fix it for her anytime. I'm feeling a bit down about it as she would have been a good customer. I'm thinking of using acid primer I'm told this helps with lifting but can't find it anywhere around me. People say it's bad for nails. This is all confusing to start with... Any advice?

 

[Isabellabonet]

I'm finding trouble getting my gel nail extensions super smooth like if like them to be.. Also one of my clients nails popped off after a few hours and she said she's too busy to come back and get it done. I told her is fix it for her anytime. I'm feeling a bit down about it as she would have been a good customer. I'm thinking of using acid primer I'm told this helps with lifting but can't find it anywhere around me. People say it's bad for nails. This is all confusing to start with... Any advice?

I feel I do well with my prep I take my time, shape, buff, remove cuticles with a cuticle pusher and remover gel, add the tip with no air bubbles, buff the tip, scrub fresh, acetone, CND brida bond, add the brisa sculpter gel, then I buff with white block to smooth, paint with shellac colour then add brisa top coat over it.

 

[perfect10kb]

I think you polish application looks really good . CND do not need an acid primer . There are a few things you are doing which you should not and something you are not doing

You should not need to use a 'remover gel ' and to be honest I am not sure what you mean by this
You do not mention that you cleanse before applying the tip and after your prep
You should not be using scrubfreash and then Acetone :-( . Scrubfresh alone should be good enough

This client that says her nails 'popped ' off after a few hours . A )I do not believe that and B) did she send you photos ?

I think they maybe just a tad on the thin side and you do not have enough support in the stress area . You need slightly more of an 'arch ' going from cuticle to free edge for strength

x

 

[Isabellabonet]

I think you polish application looks really good . CND do not need an acid primer . There are a few things you are doing which you should not and something you are not doing

You should not need to use a 'remover gel ' and to be honest I am not sure what you mean by this
You do not mention that you cleanse before applying the tip and after your prep
You should not be using scrubfreash and then Acetone :-( . Scrubfresh alone should be good enough

This client that says her nails 'popped ' off after a few hours . A )I do not believe that and B) did she send you photos ?

I think they maybe just a tad on the thin side and you do not have enough support in the stress area . You need slightly more of an 'arch ' going from cuticle to free edge for strength

x

thank you very much for your great advice! sorry i meant to say cuticle remover gel! and yes I always cleanse everything before the tip and after prep. No she didnt show me a picture and she said it popped off while she was washing up. Is my apex ok? Or should it be bigger?

 

[fluffy26]

Do you cure your brisa bond ? It needs a 5/10 second cure (depending on which CND lamp you have) x

 

[Isabellabonet]

Do you cure your brisa bond ? It needs a 5/10 second cure (depending on which CND lamp you have) x

No I didn't know you had to do that... Is that really bad?! I put brisa bond on all nails then I put a small layer of brisa gel over it and cured before sculpting

 

[attitude]

Couple things:
Are you only doing one layer of Brisa sculpting gel? How thick is this layer?
What lamp are you using and for what length of cure time?
You cannot top Shellac with Brisa Gloss. Top with Shellac top coat.
If you are not properly applying the sculpting gel, it will pop off. You cannot paint it on or overwork it. Tell us how you apply the Brisa, about the lamp etc.

 

[attitude]

Just to add, there is some flooding of the cuticle and I can see a line of demarcation a ways out from the cuticle area that makes the area closest to the cuticle look flatter than the rest of the enhancement. Like the gel was not evenly applied. Also for nails that length, you need a stronger apex. Hope that helps.

 

[Isabellabonet]

Couple things:
Are you only doing one layer of Brisa sculpting gel? How thick is this layer?
What lamp are you using and for what length of cure time?
You cannot top Shellac with Brisa Gloss. Top with Shellac top coat.
If you are not properly applying the sculpting gel, it will pop off. You cannot paint it on or overwork it. Tell us how you apply the Brisa, about the lamp etc.

I use a 12w led Sibel lamp, I use the bonder, then apply a thin layer of brisa gel, cure for 90secs and then add medium sized bead and create the apex. I find it's hard to apply brisa gel evenly! Its so thick. I keep the majority of the gel in the middle, then I spread the gel from side wall to side wall, then towards cuticle, then to the free edge, I add more to the apex if needed. Then I try to even it out. Cure for 90secs. Then I'll wipe away gel residue and paint shellac on. Ok I won't use shellac and brisa gloss together. What problems would that cause?

 

[attitude]

Your first major problem is the lamp. You must use a CND lamp. It is not curing properly in the lamp you're using. Also I suspect you haven't mastered the Brisa technique. The gel must be manipulated barely touching it. Have you trained in Brisa and where are you buying your products?
You cannot use a hard gel topcoat over a hybrid gel product. It will cause cracking among other problems. Basically, you're putting a very rigid gel over a soft product. When you are using different products, they must be done in a certain order.

For example
Brisa Bonder, Brisa Gel, Brisa Gloss
Or
Brisa Bonder, Brisa gel, Shellac colour, Shellac Top Coat

You end with the top coat that goes with the last product you used. Hope that makes sense,

 

[Isabellabonet]

Your first major problem is the lamp. You must use a CND lamp. It is not curing properly in the lamp you're using. Also I suspect you haven't mastered the Brisa technique. The gel must be manipulated barely touching it. Have you trained in Brisa and where are you buying your products?
You cannot use a hard gel topcoat over a hybrid gel product. It will cause cracking among other problems. Basically, you're putting a very rigid gel over a soft product. When you are using different products, they must be done in a certain order.

For example
Brisa Bonder, Brisa Gel, Brisa Gloss
Or
Brisa Bonder, Brisa gel, Shellac colour, Shellac Top Coat

You end with the top coat that goes with the last product you used. Hope that makes sense,

Ok thanks I understand now, I don't really understand why I need a CND lamp though? What is the difference between that lamp and another? It seems to cure my product fine

 

[fluffycloudland]

The CND lamps designed for Brisa. You get the same problem with people trying to do shellac without a CND lamp and the shellac lifts off or chips on the free edge.

There's a Brisa conversion course.

 

[linzi]

Ok thanks I understand now, I don't really understand why I need a CND lamp though? What is the difference between that lamp and another? It seems to cure my product fine

You need it because it's part of the CND protocol and you could invalidate your insurance if you use a differently branded lamp. And also because the products and lamps have been tested to the nth degree to ensure a proper cure so as to eliminate issues caused by undercuring the products.

The difference is that the CND lamps and CND products have been designed to work together; the spectrum of UV light is quite wide and the frequency of the light output by the lamp has been exactly matched to that which photoinitiators used in the products needs. Wattage has nothing to do with how the lamp cures the product, it is merely an indication of how much power the lamp draws.

UV-cured products tend to harden at around 50% cure so nails that you've had in your other lamp may LOOK cured but you can't tell.

I'd recommend you check out, and follow, Doug Schoon on Facebook.

 

[Isabellabonet]

I think you polish application looks really good . CND do not need an acid primer . There are a few things you are doing which you should not and something you are not doing

You should not need to use a 'remover gel ' and to be honest I am not sure what you mean by this
You do not mention that you cleanse before applying the tip and after your prep
You should not be using scrubfreash and then Acetone :-( . Scrubfresh alone should be good enough

This client that says her nails 'popped ' off after a few hours . A )I do not believe that and B) did she send you photos ?

I think they maybe just a tad on the thin side and you do not have enough support in the stress area . You need slightly more of an 'arch ' going from cuticle to free edge for strength

x

I fixed that clients nail today, and it didn't pop off like she said, it actually snapped off but it looked like it was banged off of something?! She said it just fell off while she was washing dishes! I didn't think that made much sense. I fixed it anyway, haven't had any more complaints after your great advice anyway thanks to everyone here, very helpful xx