Large Shellac booking - advice please

[Becky_simon]

Hi everyone

I would really appreciate some advice please.

Iv got a booking for a wedding on Fri 3rd April. Originally it was for 5-6 pple, now it's a definite 6 with a potential of 8. They each want Shellac Manicure & Pedicure. No nail art or French just colour.

Now as I am mobile and only one technician this is a lot of work. But excited about doing it, just trying to plan my timings right.

How would everyone else do it? Individually completing each service before moving on to the next client? Or lining a group up say in 4's and doing a PEP on all, then Base Coat, set, (whilst setting) base coat and move on. When I get to the colour set the first one whilst colouring the next hand etc etc.

I want the most time efficient way to do this. I can start at 9:30am & work through till 2:30pm as have to collect my children from school and then I can come back out at 6pm till 9pm to finish off. I have 3 days to play with in these time scales. Shellac Manicure times for me vary depending on what their nails are like I.e cuticle work, if their nails are in good condition etc. I also find darker colours take me longer to apply. So varies between 45mins-1hr15, but I need to remember that the 1hr15 is normally me from start to finish so setting up/service/packing away - so there won't be that with this.

Some advice ladies please before I have a stress! Lol x

 

[PinkSwoon]

I'd do each client one by one, some clients might choose colours which will need 3 coats etc so you could easily lose track of who you've cured and who you haven't & you'll provide a more personal service doing it one by one good luck

 

[filthygorgeous]

I'd always do each client fully before moving on to another there is to much of a risk of them touching things and ruining the service xxxx

Sent from my D5803 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[contouraclinic]

What I tend to do with large bookings when they're having it as a party is do all fingers first then all toes as long as they're all there the whole time anyway. Just saves you rearranging the lamp every half hour/45 minutes.

If they will all be arriving at different times then I would arrange that they are each arriving 5-15 minutes before you'll finish so that they can choose a colour if they haven't already, have a chat (seems to take a lot of time when there's a large group!) and you can see if they need soaking off plus it allows time for lateness. If they do need soaking off I would get them soaking off while you're finishing off your last client and then you can just begin your prep straight away.

Try to keep calm and concentrate on your treatment times. Most people will be so chatty with one another in a large group that you won't get too distracted by them talking to you which sometimes helps!

Good luck!

 

[fluffy26]

I'm a mobile tech & also work in my own, on Friday I did a large booking for a hen party who all wanted shellac manicures. Like you my timings vary obviously depending on the state of the nails, on average it takes me an hr per manicure. I ended up doing 7 people altogether (including 1 removal & reapplication & a few bits of nail art) which is the most I have done in 1 sitting my biggest group previously was 4. In my experience having tried a lot of different ways of working, the best most time effective way is to just do each client from start to finish or you do waste a lot of time shuffling people around!! Also if you use colour pops, get your colours circulating & make sure people know, or at least have a rough idea of what they want when they sit down. All in all with a 5/10 min break to stretch my legs it took me about 6.5 hrs, it was actually good fun & they really looked after me with drinks (& also a plate of food!) HTH good luck!! Xx

 

[Becky_simon]

Thank you so much for all your responses. I was thinking best to complete each service before moving on or I could get extremely confused, especially if a lady gets up for the loo! I was just checking I wasn't missing a trick!

I have asked if they knew what colours they were having, some bridesmaids like to match in say pink or purple for instance.

Do you use cuticle away every time or a dry pep? I find once my clients are regular I can get away with dry pep but if they are new they normally need cuticle away due to having so much to remove, that obviously adds time on.

Do you think I will get through 8 Shellac Mani's & Pedi's with x3 9:30-2:30 and x3 6-9pm, should be plenty time right?? Allowing for wee/drink/good break lol x

 

[lelu]

If you do 8 pedis in a row you may find you can't get up afterwards! So definitely best to do whole client before moving on. How long will each client take if you do mani and pedi?

 

[Pretty&polished]

I'm doing a wedding party in May also for 8. I've done these before and my experience is make sure they all arrive with bare nails, have an ideal of the colour they want and be prepared not to chat much! They are fun. Just take your time, don't rush and enjoy. Try to finish one client before going on to the next. Food luck! X

 

[Becky_simon]

If you do 8 pedis in a row you may find you can't get up afterwards! So definitely best to do whole client before moving on. How long will each client take if you do mani and pedi?

I think a Shellac Pedi would take 45mins-1hr if the client doesn't need much trimming/shaping and good cuticles. However if toe nails are dead long, lots of filing (I find toes very fiddly anyway) horrendous cuticles then prob looking at 1hr15.

Best case for both would be under 2hrs.

 

[Becky_simon]

I'm doing a wedding party in May also for 8. I've done these before and my experience is make sure they all arrive with bare nails, have an ideal of the colour they want and be prepared not to chat much! They are fun. Just take your time, don't rush and enjoy. Try to finish one client before going on to the next. Food luck! X

So do you think I should do hands and feet completely on one client before moving on? I guess once there done they are done then, no coming back for a 2nd visit etc

 

[Angelaznailz]

Yes. I would do one client at a time
Are they a gonna be there the whole day? It would prob suit them if you could give each client a rough time that you'd be ready for her - I'm sure they'll have loads to do in the run up to a wedding

 

[squidgernetball]

When I did a large party, I rang a local tech friend on the off chance that she would lend me a lamp which she did. That really helped. May be worth a try if you know anyone!

Vic x

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[Becky_simon]

Yes. I would do one client at a time
Are they a gonna be there the whole day? It would prob suit them if you could give each client a rough time that you'd be ready for her - I'm sure they'll have loads to do in the run up to a wedding

I'm not sure, another question I need to ask really otherwise there will be a lot of waiting around

 

[Becky_simon]

When I did a large party, I rang a local tech friend on the off chance that she would lend me a lamp which she did. That really helped. May be worth a try if you know anyone!

Vic x

Sent from my SM-N910F using SalonGeek mobile app

I know of one person but not sure if they would be happy about it (using her hrs on her lamp with no gain for her) or whether or not it's even a CND lamp!

 

[beautyxperts]

I know of one person but not sure if they would be happy about it (using her hrs on her lamp with no gain for her) or whether or not it's even a CND lamp!

Could you not ask your tech friend to help you and you pay her a set rate for do so? Surely that will take the stress out of it for you? X

 

[Becky_simon]

So I had my first booking out of the three days I need to get through these ladies.

What an eventful day! It mostly went to plan just a few teething problems!

Firstly they obviously didn't it was necessary to tell me their house wasn't actually on 'the estate' all Sat Navs direct you to, spent a fair while driving round, pulling onto unknown drives trying to find a number. I decided to stop inbetween 1 & 3 and call her (she's 4). Only to be told "oh yeah sorry everyone goes onto the estate but we aren't actually on there. We are the next left with the long lane leading into a privet drive way".

Just so we are all aware I had numerous text exchanges letting then know to be punctual, choose colours whilst someone else is being done etc etc. I get there to be told I needed to wait 10-15 mins b4 I start! I just said I had to set up & I'd call them when I was ready. They were having breakfast. I was there by 9:15am as arranged and didn't start till 9:45am.

We also discussed prior which colours they were looking for, reds, pinks, blues & maroon. So I had selected some colours (which had no layering to save time). The first girl couldn't speak a word of English or understand me - Indian Family & Wedding. So she looks at the colours and in disgust puts them down and in her language tells her mums 'black'. BLACK lol I wasn't expecting that. I explained why black wasn't on the colour chart as that wasn't the choice she had selected, but reassured her I had brought everything with me so she could have black. She ended up choosing BlackPool with Iced Coral (flipping layering lol).

Then I get to the very end of her Manicure (SolarOil) when she pointed at her nails and then ponied at all my nail art. Found out she also wanted designs and gemstones on her thumbs plus Rockstar silver glitter tips. Not once did anyone mention nail art to me, so again I hadn't factored in time. Didn't want to do the Nail Art & risk missing people out due to running out of time. So by Thursday I should have some spare time when I said if I have, I shall put the nail art on then, at least I know everyone's been completed.

The next lady also choose black!

The I had to literally swallow a sarnie whilst they watched me as if to say errrr hurry up & have a quick glass of water & a loo break before I continued.

I'm shattered! Why don't people stick with plans that are put in place? If I had started as planned I would have completed all 3 of the first lot. I didn't feel at all welcome in the house, they kept themselves to themselves. And at the end with my kitchen sink in toe, not one of the 5 strapping Indian guys thought it was necessary to just help me a little carrying things to my car. Took me 3 trips whilst they all sat there.

Needless to say the 2nd I drove off I was exhausted and I could feel a tense head brewing. Can't wait to go back Wed... Think of the money I shall tell myself ;-) x

 

[fluffy26]

Oh dear..... Yes you think of the money!! That'll help on your next 2 visits!!! Although sometimes for me with clients like this it's no consolation!!(& don't be afraid at the end when packing up saying, "does someone mind giving me a hand to my car please!!!?) Good luck!!

 

[Becky_simon]

Day 2 was a little better, but I still had moments of near 'break down' lol.

First Lady sits down and has 'some other ' gel polish on her nails. No one had told me I was doing a removal and again this lady spoke no English or understood it. Ended up speaking with another family member, they asked me to soak it off. So I explained I could be this obviously adds time on that wasn't planned in, luckily I'm going back tomorrow so have time to finish things off if needs be! As I'm prepping my foils and cotton pads I'm speaking with the lady asking if she is sure it's Shellac as if it isn't most gel polishes will need the top coat buffing off. She said she wasn't sure as it was done in Australia! I took a closer look before applying any foils and realised they weren't even her nails, had a look underneath & could tell she had extensions on (her nails were bitten underneath). I said I assume your keeping the extensions on, she said yes. So I then explained I can't soak the gel off as the extension would come away. The only way this was coming away was me filing it. Of course she was happy with this, I wasn't lol. What a ball ache. Filing some cheap thick gel polish off a full set of extensions is not my idea of fun and took a serious amount of time. Why don't people tell you the full storey? Do they honestly think I'm going to complete a Shellac Manicure & Pedicure in the same time with a removal as well!!

I get to the ladies toes to find she had black polish on! I give up. And yes I had asked off ladies to remove all polish prior to their appointment. What a waste of time.

I have one lady left tomorrow and some nail art of my First Lady, then thanks heavens I get paid and I'm done.

I shall have a big smile on my face when I pull off that drive lol

 

[pinkiepromises]

Argh!!! I hate clients like this! I know how you feel, when you get in the car and drive away it's the best feeling in the world! Good luck xx

 

[J33XSS]

Wow that sounds like my idea of hell! Hope today went ok for you x