Newbie: First client booked - and she's a biter! Help!

[tilly01]

Hi all, I've just done my nail tech course for all systems and am practising on friends and family at the mo to build knowledge (and confidence) whilst on mat leave.

Along with manicures, currently I've done a set of gels on my sis-in-law and myself, aswell as L+P on my own lil' pinkies. I will be applying tips and 'a' system to one of my friends next weekend, in preparation for another friend's wedding. Only problem is - she's a nail biter! I feel like I'm being thrown in at the deep end with this one (which I prefer in all honesty) but wondered how differently I would treat her?

She wants French. I have the white tips, but as her nails are soooooo short, her smile is gonna be huge and I worry her fingers will look too stumpy so I'm thinking about doing French L+P over natural tips instead so they are more subtle.

Does anyone have any advice on how to get the best results from a biter?

Thanks guys!

 

[loubylou]

It will look so much better if you use a coverage pink and extend her nail bed appearance,
keep them nice and short and make them as smooth as possible because if you leave any bumps or edges on a nail biter they will bite at them,
its a habit they can not resist, hth :hug:

 

[tilly01]

Thanks for your reply! I'm probably gonna sound dumb as anything, but what do you mean by a 'pink coverage'?

I'm guessing a soft pink overlay (i.e L&P) and not have French. Is that right? I keep reading through all the threads on here, trying to learn the terminology / systems names etc. Cheers

 

[Bev Rose]

Hi Tilly,

Coverage pink is an opaque pink powder that will mask out the nail plate and give you the chance to place the white L&P in a better place to elongate the nail plate and create a pleasing french look.

You are right not to want to put white plastic tips on her, they will look ridiculous.

If you don't have a coverage pink powder, then I would sculpt the nail with a sheer pink or tip with a natural tip, and apply pink L&P and then polish.

Where & with whom did you do your training? It will help us to understand the level of training you have had, and give you our best advice.

 

[tilly01]

Hi Bev, thanks for your help on this one! I trained with Salon Systems in a week intensive covering L&P, gels, silk, fibreglass and mani's.

I don't have a coverage pink powder at the mo, but think I should invest in some as I'm sure I'll be getting a few biters! Is it actually called 'coverage pink powder'? Just so I know what I'm searching for! and is there a particular powder you can recommend or should I see if Salon Systems (Profile) do one as I have a Salon Systems UV lamp for curing?

Sorry for all the Q's!

 

[Bev Rose]

Ok.

Well, I'm talking about L&P - pink coverage powder - not gel, so no need to worry about a uv lamp, unless you want to use gel on this client? I would not use gel on a biter, as they are pretty hard on their nails & I would suggest L&P as it offers more strength.

I have no idea what Salon Systems do tbh.

Also, I would be looking into taking a more structured course of training which will cover everything - including how to deal with nail biters - a 5 day course covering ALL the systems you've done is really only a 'taster' on each system. You cannot possibly learn about each system in 1 day - I'm not being harsh here Tilly, just realistic hun:hug:
If I was you, I would decide which system you liked working with the most & go out and book yourself on a reputable course covering that system - say L&P or Gel for example.

I assume you went to Sally's for your course - ask them if they have a 'coverage' pink in the system you wish to use on her, they should know, if they have one.

I use CND (Creative) products and they have a great range of coverage powders. When you get more experience, you may even want to try mixing your own powders to create the correct colour for your clients individually.

 

[loubylou]

If you ask salon systems if they have a coverage pink they will know what you need,
they will have their own name for the colour they use for this purpose,
CNDs coverage pinks are called opaques for example,

if you are wanting to use another brand of powder you will need to do a conversion course as all L&P works slightly different,
so for now stick with the brand you are trained to use just to make it easier for you and when you want to change do a conversion course, hth :hug:

 

[Bev Rose]

Just had a look for salon systems in Beauty Express - they do not, as far as I can see do a coverage pink - so you will have to ask them.
They do, however, do a coloured set of powders for which you could make a coverage pink yourself, using your salon system brand - assuming all the colours needed are in the kit.......

if you check out the tutorial on here called 'Custom Blending it up' it will give you an idea of what I'm talking about!!
I will go see if I can find the link for you.....

Here it is........
http://www.salongeek.com/nail-application/24107-custom-blending-up.html

 

[tilly01]

Thanks for your advice guys, will give Sally's a call tomorrow and ask the for the coverage pink.

My course didn't cover nail biters or anything like that and I'd love to be confident in all situations (rather than just find out through trial and error). It may be that I do conversion courses in L&P and Gels in the future (about a years time) but I want to become familiar with what I'm trained in first - oh, and we're about to have a baby in 4 weeks time so may be pushed for time LOL! I also want to try and earn some pennies before I pay out on more courses!

 

[yeahyeah]

i think the best option for someone not even comfortable with l&p in general yet at this point would be to apply a natural tip and blend, overlay in pink and white (the ones youre used to working with). then use a french pink polish with a bit of shimmer to finish. this will help mask the see-through area between the white and the nail bed. it wont work as well as using a coverage powder of course, but custom blending and whatnot is a rather advanced technique and i suggest you read up, practice a LOT and possibly even take a course before offering those services to clients. dont overwhelm yourself with using coverage powders or mixing colors at this point! goodluck
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[tilly01]

That does sound like the safest option for me at the mo! I'm trying to learn sooooo much and I think Custom Blending may be a bit advanced for me right now! Have read and printed out the tutorial though so will practice (when I get the colour kit) so thanks guuys for all of your help. This site really is a godsend!

Yeahyeah, if I wanted to do an additional course for the art of coverage etc what would it be called please? I've heard of conversion courses for the diff systems, but never header anyone mention a course for coverage. Would this be a 1:1 thing from my educator? I have emailed her today and asked, but waiting for her reply. x

 

[yeahyeah]

tilly, this is definitely something you could schedule a 1 on 1 for, depending on what system/company youre going to be using. also i would check with your local colleges and see if they offer courses on custom blending. aside from that im sure you would be able to find a fellow tech willing to be a mentor, even on this site! sorry i cant be more help, our training is structured soooooooo differently over on this side of the pond! maybe someone else can give you better specifics. goodluck