Just can't do it anymore

[crystaltash]

Hi guys,
Well, just back from a client who wanted a full set of gel nails - with natural tips. I have come away from her nearly in tears - AGAIN. Nails always seem to upset me.

I just can't do them. Overlays are ok and white tips are ok, but when it comes to applying natural colour tips and blending - it seems impossible.

When I stick the tips I always get air bubbles and when I try to blend them, I end up tearing them or making them too thin - and it takes me AGES!
I've read Nailclass from cover to cover, but still to no avail.

With my client today, I filed a hole in 2 tips, had to reapply them and then I just ended up not blending the tips and putting the gel on top.

I KNOW THIS IS WRONG, but I just couldn't blend them. And if you really do have to blend natural tips, why does the NSI training DVD tell you to cut out the well and just stick the tip on the nail without blending - like I did today?

I am expecting Creative's velocity tips and pink gel bond 2moro - please tell me this will make a difference - no matter how small.
I just can't cope with coming away from every client feeling downhearted and like I want to jack the whole thing in and go work in an office!!!!!!! It's soul destroying. Please, Please, Please somebody help me - I love this job, but i just don't think I'm good enough to be in the beauty industry.

Thanks lovies,
In desperation,
Natasha

 

[joolz]

hi although i am certainly not an expert only a novice have you tried thinning the tip before you put it on the nail as well as reducing the contact area?
hope u get on ok
xx

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Tasha, it took me ages to learn to pre blend a tip without doing what you've done. I thought I'd never get the hang of it, now I don't even give it a second thought. I have to throw the odd one away even now because it shreds sometimes, but again I think nothing of it. It'll come with patience - if you approach it with the thought that it'll go wrong then it probably will lol. (I'm the same with French Manicures!).

If you are really struggling then you don't have to pre belnd, you can cut out the well like you do and then blend on the nail. But I prefer to pre belnd as there is less risk of trauma to the natural nail.

I am sure you will find gel bond a lot more forgiving. Mind can someone tell me how to start a new tube, I cut the end off and then half of it comes spurting out and so it's not very cost effective. I find it's not as fast setting as the LCN adhesive I was using and so gives you a little more time to get it right. Don't forget to slide it in at an angle until it clicks against the natural free edge and then lay it flat with the natural nail (sorry pants at explaining things) - doit this way and you shouldn't get air bubbles.

I have to say that tip sizing and blending was probably the thing that took me the longest to master so keep at it.

 

[Rose143]

Hi Tasha,

Without sounding like I'm cross questioning you but how many hours or months of home practise have you put into your work? This can make an enormous difference!

xxxx

 

[scattyfox]

Hi SAss with the gelbond, stick a pin in it and leave for half hour then it doesnt spurt everywhere.


Tasha

Don't get downhearted babe, it happens to us all and i really struggled with tip blending in the begining. I got a nail trainer and practised on thsi and found it much easier to make mistakes on this than on clients and changing the files i used. I use a hotshot 180 side then change to a koala 240 but if you start near the free edge then you find you don't ahve much to blend with the koala as most of it has gone .

keep at it girl it will come eventually and the longer you practise then the easier it becomes, if you find youa r having a brain block and can't do it tehn go away from it for a while and concentrate on something else. When you keep trying to do somethign you find difficult we can block ourselves. Try when your filing to lay your finger along the length of the file this gives you more power over your file and more contact on the tip itself. have you any geeks near you who you can meet up with and help you.

wishing you all the best hun and remember anything we ahve to try ahrder at we appreciate more.
x

 

[izzidoll]

HI,
We can all have these small crises when we feel like giving up....but it does get better....I think you will find a difference with the gelbond as with its gel consistency you have less chance of air bubbles and with its 15 second set it gives you a bit more Wiggle time if you do see a bubble.....pre blending is always a good idea.....

Also when applying the tip I always make sure my elbow is tucked in at my side and this does stop me from applying ski jump tips!!!....if your elbow is flapping about you have more chance of an air bubble or ski jump!! honest.....try it next time and make sure you keep your elbow glued to your side when placing that tip.

Don't give up:hug:

 

[ZOE!]

Hi there, i know how you feel. I was like this a while back and i felt like you did. Sometimes i dreaded when my mum said someone she knew asked her if i would do there nails. It wasnt that i didnt want to, it was just that i was so disheartened by it all. It took me ages to blend the tip and sometimes i cracked it too and white dots would appear where their had been an air bubble. But i just kept practicing, and the more people you do the better you and quicker you will get. I use the velocity tips and the gelbond, the tips are easy to blend compared to others i have used and the gelbond is great too. As izzy said too keep your elbow by your side, for some reason i have always made sure i have done that, sometimes i would waver it about but would end with ski jumps and squint nails. Dont give up, you will get there, honestly!

 

[ValencianNails]

Tasha hunny, don't give up hope.
The gelbond and velocity tips should help you a lot, they did me and I've not looked back since. Velocity tips are very easy to blend, I used to struggle with the tips I was using previously.
Have a practise when you get your Velocity's and gelbond and you'll soon be smiling again
xxx

 

[Marilyn]

I have a client with very flat nail beds and on some of them she has ski jump nails too. I have to use CND Eclipse tips as they are the only ones that fit her nails and I find them a real pain to try to blend in, on the clients I use velocity I have no problems at all. Has anyone any tips (excuse the pun) for blending in Eclipse tips to make the job faster.

 

[ZOE!]

I get this too, but with the formation tips. I hate blending them in takes me a lot longer than the velocity.

 

[Karen1961]

Hi Tasha, sounds like your feeling like I have done for a while and now I feel so much better as things are really improving with the air bubbles, making holes in tips and blending!! This will happen to you I promise just as long as you stick to it!! If I were you I would practise on friends and family and then you will feel more relaxed even if things dont go completely rightl At least if you tell them you are using them for practising, you will not feel under pressure to do the perfect set of tips!! I am positive that you will do really well, but just give it time. I haven't long qualified and I remember breaking down in tears at college because I was getting air bubbles all the time and then I got stuck to a client with the nail glue!! So try not to worry because we all have to make mistakes in order to improve. I bet you will be a great nail technician!! All the best and remember Rome wasn't built in a day.

Karen

Hi guys,
Well, just back from a client who wanted a full set of gel nails - with natural tips. I have come away from her nearly in tears - AGAIN. Nails always seem to upset me.

I just can't do them. Overlays are ok and white tips are ok, but when it comes to applying natural colour tips and blending - it seems impossible.

When I stick the tips I always get air bubbles and when I try to blend them, I end up tearing them or making them too thin - and it takes me AGES!
I've read Nailclass from cover to cover, but still to no avail.

With my client today, I filed a hole in 2 tips, had to reapply them and then I just ended up not blending the tips and putting the gel on top.

I KNOW THIS IS WRONG, but I just couldn't blend them. And if you really do have to blend natural tips, why does the NSI training DVD tell you to cut out the well and just stick the tip on the nail without blending - like I did today?

I am expecting Creative's velocity tips and pink gel bond 2moro - please tell me this will make a difference - no matter how small.
I just can't cope with coming away from every client feeling downhearted and like I want to jack the whole thing in and go work in an office!!!!!!! It's soul destroying. Please, Please, Please somebody help me - I love this job, but i just don't think I'm good enough to be in the beauty industry.

Thanks lovies,
In desperation,
Natasha

 

[blondenproud]

Aww im sorry you feel this way. My advice to you is Practice Practice Practice. The more you do the better you'll get. Stick at it

 

[Sara Satchell]

When I started doing nails in 2002 I was CRAP. I didn't really think so at the time or i'd have jacked it all in. I was never happy with my nails and only offered clear acrylic over white tips. I didn't like blending cos it was too hard. I still loved my job though - hence why i didn't give up. My main bug bare was lifting problems. Now, I do great P&W's, I can sculpt, blend you name it. Im not perfect, and I have alot of training ahead of me. But when I compare myself to then - im a million times better, and in 3 more years, i'll be that much better again.

I used to use NSI elation tips and I found them very difficult to blend. I think elation is a very thick tip, compared to Velocity. I used to use acetone to start blending the tip down, but that is a no-no really as it can cause the products to breakdown. I think you will notice a difference with the Velocity tips. When you're applying the tips, do you do it at about a 45 degree angle to the natural nail, then press down gradually, ensureing the air doesn't get trapped?

Don't get disheartened - you'll get there in the end. Don't try to run before you can walk.

XX

 

[crystaltash]

Awww,

Thanks for all your lovely replies, geekies!!! I swear if wasn't for you and my mum, I would have chucked all my gel kit in the bin last week!!

But, after reading your replies and really feeling the support and knowing that I wasn't alone, i sat down and thought things through.

I only trained on a stoopid one day course, and coming away from that, I guess I thought, "right, that's it. Qualified now. I can do nails.!" But that really wasn't the case. It really was a question of trying to run before I could even crawl!!!

Anyway, I have now tried to set aside a bit of time each day to practise and my mum is letting me at her nails, until I'm happy with them.

I also enrolled in the local college for a year long extension course using gel. So all is ok now. I'm gonna lower my prices and tell my clients that I need more experience.

It was just a case of not panicing and thinking things through logically. Not easy at the time, though!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, Just wanna say thank you again.
You are all soooooper stars!!
Love y'all

 

[Mrs Geek]

Tash - you have had some wonderful responses here and it was very brave of you to admit to just the one day course... Nope you were never going to become a true professional after 1 day now were you!! :wink2:

You need some serious education from a company who can properly teach you not only how to do nails, but how to do all the basics from tip application to chemistry info so you understand WHY something isn't working for you.

It is no good people telling you to practice practice if what you are trying to practice is wrong.

Invest in yourself and your future but more importantly invest in your clients - get educated - Knowledge is Power!!!

 

[Kim Lawless]

It is no good people telling you to practice practice if what you are trying to practice is wrong.

Invest in yourself and your future but more importantly invest in your clients - get educated - Knowledge is Power!!!

So true................you keep doing what you've always done and you're gonna get what you've always got.

Don't give up, you'll make it...............I know you will. xxx

 

[Nailsinlondon1]

Tasha

Don't get downhearted babe, it happens to us all and i really struggled with tip blending in the begining. I got a nail trainer and practised on thsi and found it much easier to make mistakes on this than on clients and changing the files i used. I use a hotshot 180 side then change to a koala 240 but if you start near the free edge then you find you don't ahve much to blend with the koala as most of it has gone .

keep at it girl it will come eventually and the longer you practise then the easier it becomes, if you find youa r having a brain block and can't do it tehn go away from it for a while and concentrate on something else. When you keep trying to do somethign you find difficult we can block ourselves. Try when your filing to lay your finger along the length of the file this gives you more power over your file and more contact on the tip itself. have you any geeks near you who you can meet up with and help you.

wishing you all the best hun and remember anything we ahve to try ahrder at we appreciate more.

I am with Lucia on this x
Oh babe, don't beat yourself up over this.........
Tip application and blending is a skill that will be mastered over time.....to many Technicians think blending is a doddle and race along and don't actually look at what and how they are doing it......they are so exited and cant wait to get to use their chosen overlay product, as they think this is the most important thing to get right....well it is just one of them ....
When I trained my daughter she had to apply tips blend and then remove them, it was a good while before she got to the overlay part..we had lots of girls lined up for her to practice just this skill...a box of tips later and she had cracked it......I know a tip is only the scaffolding and base for the product, but if the scaffolding and the base are wonky then you are left with a bad sub structure.......
Take your time, also something I used to get my daughter to do was.... apply a tip on a painted red nail, then blend the tip, this also shows you how much contact your file is making with the natural nail.....If you file at the correct angle the red enamel will be scratch free and your file enamel free......
De-bulk and if the natural nail shape allows it pre tailor the tip, reducing the well area to a tiny margin, that means pre blend the tip before application and reducing the well area as this will reduce your filing time as most of the work has been already done by you prior to tip application...
Keep at it Hun you are a lot closer to success then you think xxxx

 

[Kim Lawless]

Take your time, also something I used to get my daughter to do was.... apply a tip on a painted red nail, then blend the tip, this also shows you how much contact your file is making with the natural nail.....If you file at the correct angle the red enamel will be scratch free and your file enamel free......

I'm loving that tip Ruthie. Thanks. xxxx

 

[wondernail]

One day courses look good...they look cheap and easy and then you think you can earn loads from them straight afterwards.

Unfortuntely you cannot become a professional nail tech in one day...I wish you could but you can't.
You need bag loads of training and practice and even then you still learn new things every day. In this job new methods, products and ideas will come your way every day so it is a constant learning curve.
Don't get disheartened, with more training and more practice you will get there.

Everyone has their little bug bares...lots of people have lifting probs...others have blending probs....we are all searching for the best techniques.
Keep with it...find a good and reputable training company and don't expect to a professional nail tech overnight, even with the best training in the world you still need practice!!!!


Good Luck