Nail Art - Love it or Hate it?

[mely-bely]

Hello fellow Geeks,

I have been thinking about this a lot lately as I have been doing a lot of nail art these days. Some days I love it, others I hate it!

I have noticed that there are several phenominal nail professionals in this forum that don't do nail art, so I am asking you all to weigh in and tell me whether you like it or not and why.

I am just really curious and want the opinions of the many talented professionals on this site!

Thank you!

Melanie

 

[geeg]

I am an artist and I am more than capable of offering nail art services and I always did offer it in the salon and had many examples to show clients.

But, everyone knows I am not an advocate of nail art. So why not? I'm an artist, I can do it even better than most, so why do I not champion it?

Pure economics. The reason I do not champion the service in the UK is generally speaking, because the amount of people who come in to the salon and want it, is a minute proportion of most people's business.

Purely based on my experience in the salon my ADVISE to new nail techs is ... NOT to go overboard spending heaps of money on products to do nail art when the clients do not ask for it! And the reason they don't ask for it is that they won't pay for it. Simple. The other reason is that many who want to offer nail art are not particularly artistic and it looks pants if you can't do it beautifully.

By nail art, I am not including the odd diamonté or glitter or coloured tips .. I am talking about hand painted nail ART or 3D or embedded etc which takes heaps of time and for which you do not get paid what it is worth.

One reason why Minx veneers are SO popular and becoming more so by the minute is that Clients CAN afford Minx and the designs are perfect on all 10 nails. No wonder they are popular. You can charge a reasonable amount AND get paid for your time and effort. Perfect!


So many new people come into the nail industry all excited about doing nail art before they can even do nails!! What a waste of time and effort for a minuscule number of clients who are interested.

Now whenever I post like this and on this subject I get all these technicians who write in and SAY, that all their clients have nail art and blah blah blah!! Sorry, I do not buy it and I don't buy it because I never see it. I travel all over the world pretty extensively and I never see it!!! NEVER. I see thousands of French but barely a diamonté in sight.

I've no doubt that there are some who have made nail art a niche market but generally there is little call for it ... but the emphasis on it in our trade mags etc is huge and quite disproportional. There are people whose whole reputation rests on nail art and it is barely a part of what we actually do as technicians.

 

[RedAdmiral]

Self confessed Magpie here and I completely agree with Geeg. I am a magpie and that is why I have millions of everything in the salon, I cant help it! do my clients share this glitter facination er no
eg: On Wednesday a girl comes in for party nails for her bday. she asked me what do I have and I get excited and show her EVERYTHING! I can do coloured tips, glitter tips, embedding, 3d flowers (kinda) diamonds, decals, foils, nail art, airbrushing, sparkly paint over tips..........list goes on. By time she decided 20mins had gone by and I'd only started- thank god she had hot pink tips with embedded stars in gel and it only took me another 40 to finish. was it worth it? My desk was a mess with boxes n boxes of stuff and what was the price you ask............. well I class coloured tips as white tip n overlay and charged her €55 - a long way from the €80 I thought I might get for glitter tips/design work! Back went the boxes................. well maybe next time :lol:

I dont hate nail art but not that many people wear it and thats the truth - you can push it on people but its always the simple stuff and maybe, just maybe in the summer a few clients will go mad.
Highest priced nails we ever charged for design work was €130 and took 3 hours that equals €43 per hr and I aim for €50 as a rule!

 

[Jolicatellas]

ME? I love nail art. Can't get enough of it, am always doing it (on me), practicing, dreaming of designs and staying up late to do them.

Do my clients like Nail Art? Very few. Those that do think X amount of $$ is too much to pay & are not interested in the value of the art or the time it takes to complete it.

 

[Lellipop]

I love nail art and love to play and practise different styles, But saying that for everday wear some nail art just isn't practical.
The odd flick or rhinestone is fine and tends to be all that clients want in my experience.

 

[VHunter]

I am by no stretch of the imagination, a "Liliya' in the world of nail art (she's FABULOUS)... however I can do some interesting funky french's, add some simple flowers, embed things etc.

I have to be the odd ball and argue that in my neck of the woods, there is call for it. My 63yr old client just walked out with leopard nails the other night.

I think about 90% of my clientel learned about me because of nail art AND they DO pay for it. They DO want it. It has made up the bulk of my clientel. Not a single one bats an eye at extra charges for certain nail art.

In fact, when I told them about L&P and all the possibilities... they were all frothing at the mouth for me to learn it. They're already doing the math and not batting an eye at the extra charges that will be incurred at 3 d flowers and such, once they become available.
There are people out there that want it. There are people that will pay for it. They just have to find you.

I have only two clients who want p&w french's, and NOTHING else. All my other's are nail art hogs. Some started with p&w, but after trying a few different things, were soon addicted to the art and have no problem sitting longer and paying more than they did for their p&w's.

I'm not saying one has to base their business on it, but there is a market for it. If you enjoy it, the clients WILL come for it if you get your name out there.

 

[Tracey Roberts]

I am an artist and I am more than capable of offering nail art services and I always did offer it in the salon and had many examples to show clients.

But, everyone knows I am not an advocate of nail art. So why not? I'm an artist, I can do it even better than most, so why do I not champion it?

Pure economics. The reason I do not champion the service in the UK is generally speaking, because the amount of people who come in to the salon and want it, is a minute proportion of most people's business.

Purely based on my experience in the salon my ADVISE to new nail techs is ... NOT to go overboard spending heaps of money on products to do nail art when the clients do not ask for it! And the reason they don't ask for it is that they won't pay for it. Simple. The other reason is that many who want to offer nail art are not particularly artistic and it looks pants if you can't do it beautifully.

By nail art, I am not including the odd diamonté or glitter or coloured tips .. I am talking about hand painted nail ART or 3D or embedded etc which takes heaps of time and for which you do not get paid what it is worth.

One reason why Minx veneers are SO popular and becoming more so by the minute is that Clients CAN afford Minx and the designs are perfect on all 10 nails. No wonder they are popular. You can charge a reasonable amount AND get paid for your time and effort. Perfect!


So many new people come into the nail industry all excited about doing nail art before they can even do nails!! What a waste of time and effort for a minuscule number of clients who are interested.

Now whenever I post like this and on this subject I get all these technicians who write in and SAY, that all their clients have nail art and blah blah blah!! Sorry, I do not buy it and I don't buy it because I never see it. I travel all over the world pretty extensively and I never see it!!! NEVER. I see thousands of French but barely a diamonté in sight.

I've no doubt that there are some who have made nail art a niche market but generally there is little call for it ... but the emphasis on it in our trade mags etc is huge and quite disproportional. There are people whose whole reputation rests on nail art and it is barely a part of what we actually do as technicians.

OOOOO Could you do something to show us all plzzzzzzzzz, from what I've read I know your not into the art side of it, but it would be lovely to see what you can do, put us all to shame :lol: x

 

[tonitigercharli]

Hello fellow Geeks,

I have been thinking about this a lot lately as I have been doing a lot of nail art these days. Some days I love it, others I hate it!

I have noticed that there are several phenominal nail professionals in this forum that don't do nail art, so I am asking you all to weigh in and tell me whether you like it or not and why.

I am just really curious and want the opinions of the many talented professionals on this site!

Thank you!

Melanie

Well I gotta say I am one of the very few (maybe) who is NOT a fan of nail art.....I know, I know......I dont know what it is I just have never fancied it and I am quite artistic anyway so I am sure I could if I put my mind to it but the interest for me is just ..well...not there. Only one person I have ever done nails for asked about nail art and I have been doing nails on & off for ten yrs. I love polished nails, I love P&W's -to me they are classy but nail art leaves me cold. Thats not to say though I cant appreciate nail art-especially from a nail techs point of view rather than a consumer. I know how much work must go into it, and some people who do it are absolutely fantastic and it leaves me in awe how much work must have gone into it. For me to offer something different I need to be passionate about it. I don't feel that way about nail art so I steer clear. If people were asking me about it all the time I would get over 'my issue' and offer it-but they don't so I am quite happy xx

 

[geeg]

OOOOO Could you do something to show us all plzzzzzzzzz, from what I've read I know your not into the art side of it, but it would be lovely to see what you can do, put us all to shame :lol: x

I do not think I'd put anyone to shame.

My expertise is in hand painted nail art not 3D or embedded although for the fun of it I would like to take some classes with an expert. Anyone want to teach me?

However there is not a doubt in my mind that once I learn a few techniques from the experts I could do it and I could do it very well. Art is what I am good at. But I always ask myself WHY??

When no one will pay me for it? The answer is just for ME and just for fun which is the motive, I believe, behind most people's interest in it. It certainly is not for the money they can make in their business. They do it on themselves.

 

[dellaznailz]

I look at nail art as a means to an end. I love it and I agree with geeg; it's for fun and for it's me

It is the reason I got into this business: I was willing to pay( a lot!) for nail art and at the time could afford it, but one Christmas I was very clearly ripped off by the owner of the salon I used.

When I went back two weeks later for my infills the tech who had done them was very embarrassed and showed me a few 'tricks' do do my 'other' hand. From then on I always did my own art and thought if I can paint with my wrong hand i should be ok at doing nails with the right one! Off to classes and the rest is history.

I don't care if my clients don't want art, that side of it is still my love and almost my hobby. Many people spend a small fortune on their hobbies and mine occasionally pays me back!

I do lots of charity and school(PTA) fairs with my nail art and I use it as an advert. I still have clients who started off with a quick paint and one flower and are now faithful mani,pedi/ tech clients

3d work is not practical but playing with products gives me time to understand how they work, move, react and improves my colour understanding.

I'm not an expert but I will tech you geeg! how about a thousand lessons from me for one from you?:lol::hug:

 

[Violet Star]

I LOVE to look at nail art and admire the technicians hard work and creative mind, but myself i wouldnt wear nail art. I like natural french x

 

[sarahpoppy24]

I am by no means an expert! I do mostly classsic pink and white but the younger clients say 18-21 at the moment are all after glitter tips where i live. Which I find is very simple (just embedding the glitter over a clear tip) so all I need to buy is the glitter pots they love it and I just mix the glitter with my creative clear!! I love the look of all the nail art but would never attempt it yet as only been doing nails eighteen months! (am thinking of a cource) but the glittery tips I love doing them and they seem so popular at the moment where I live! xx

 

[NoLimitNails]

I love nailart, but yes glitter tips, embedded sand, stones, shells and painted nailart is what I do most, which takes no longer than a p&w.
The flowers embedded or 3d or anything more complicated people don't wanna pay for, but I do them on myself and on tips, and hink it gives me knowlegde af my product.

Oh yes and Gigi I'm no expert either but will teach you anytime for the rest of your life for a one on one with you too (beat the thousand lessons right:green

 

[BobSweden]

I do not think I'd put anyone to shame.

My expertise is in hand painted nail art not 3D or embedded although for the fun of it I would like to take some classes with an expert. Anyone want to teach me?

However there is not a doubt in my mind that once I learn a few techniques from the experts I could do it and I could do it very well. Art is what I am good at. But I always ask myself WHY??

When no one will pay me for it? The answer is just for ME and just for fun which is the motive, I believe, behind most people's interest in it. It certainly is not for the money they can make in their business. They do it on themselves.

You called Gigi? :lol:

We will definitely be organising some workshops in the UK, most likely during August or September. Or if you can get a class together in Spain - Iryna can make the education there.

There's a description of the different levels Iryna offers in the online catalog below - but she also customizes training if required:

Iryna Giblett Nail Academy: International Catalog

More examples of the techniques she teaches can also be seen here in her Gallery:

http://www.irynagiblett.com/eng/gallery.php

What we don't show publicly is her current level - that's because she's planning on entering a few competitions and we don't want to tip off the other competitors.

Right now were in Moldova where she's judging at their national competitions L&P/gel, decorated french, mixed media and 3d acrylic. People here are wonderful and Chisinau (capital) is a very nice city with nice architecture and open parks. Food and especially their local wine is excellent!

 

[mely-bely]

Thanks for weighing in! V - I am in the same position. There was little to no nail art in my town until our store brought it in - now everyone is frothing at the mouth for it - it appears we are a little behind.

I only started doing nails again (as the store is my baby) because no one else here is doing it and the clients are finding me. I love the shells, lace, mylar, etc - but what people are requesting the most are the colored acrylic collections. I am doing more color fades, etc than anything. People are starting to ask for 3D flowers and handpainted butterflies now too. The ladies here are willing to pay to have something no one else has and we have a few NSS salons here that are giving me a lot of business. I keep hearing, is that it? (cost wise). I had two clients yesterday who had been to a NSS here and both told me that they went in expecting to pay $30 (as advertised) and ended up paying $80 for all the extras. One extra being a top coat. They got their l&p done and were told if they wanted it to shine they had to pay and extra $20 for a topcoat.

Anyway, these salons are making me look good! It takes a lot of extra time, but as long as they are willing to pay - I'm gold.

Having said that, I get pretty excited when a client comes in wanting a Traditional French because I don't get them very often!

 

[Jolicatellas]

T I had two clients yesterday who had been to a NSS here and both told me that they went in expecting to pay $30 (as advertised) and ended up paying $80 for all the extras.

What cheek!

Having said that, I get pretty excited when a client comes in wanting a Traditional French because I don't get them very often!

I'm the opposite... I get excited when some says they DO want nail art!!!! Especially if they go for something complicated. I love people walking around with nails I've designed. :green:

 

[Poshfloss]

No I am not a nail art fan. I think I was put off when someone did mine one Christmas, they didn't match.........can't stand that. Came home and re did them myself :cry:.
I do love coloured acrylic, glitters, rhinestones and even decals, as I can make them all look the same.......I mean on each hand.
Colour and glitters are for me.
I do love to see P & W perfect shape with high gloss finish mmmmmmmm just perfect. :hug: :hug: x

 

[MsJohnson]

I love nail art! It's a great creative outlet for me. Some people draw, some write, some express themselves through dress or makeup. Nail art does it for me even if it's only on my own nails. I have to admit that I love the attention my nails get too!

 

[Nail Delights]

i love love love nail art just cant ever find enough to do i have even passed this on to my 8 year old as her nails are always sparkling