Newbie looking for general advice/info on CND

[Lulu_1985]

Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone is able to point me in the right direction...I am currently studying Nail Technology level 2 and Gel Polish so am not fully qualified as yet.
I am trying to build up a good range of CND polishes & products in particular so that when I am qualified I have plenty of colours/effects to work with for practice and to offer clients if future.
The problem I have is that I haven't a clue where is best to buy them from to ensure its authentic and good price & not sure if I am even able to yet as I'm not qualified yet.
I though CND looked best as that's what I usually would get when I've had my nails done professionally but again I'm only going off my experience, not sure 100% what is best.
Thank you :o xx

 

[ProjectPretty]

CND is not available unless you are a qualified professional as far as I know. I couldn't get hold of CND products until I had my certificates to register for a trade account with Sweet Squared, the official UK distributor of CND and Ellisons.


xProjectPrettyx

 

[SugarMama]

If you're in the UK you can only get genuine CND products from Sweet Squared. They're the only authorized distributor. And yes, you have to wait until you're qualified. I suggest saving the money in a separate place so you can go wild once you graduate

 

[ProjectPretty]

Ellisons also sell authentic CND products. My understanding is that they are official sub-distributors but Sweet Squared are the official company that also hold training courses in CND MasterClasses etc. Again the above only applied if you are qualified.


xProjectPrettyx

 

[Lulu_1985]

Thank you
Gosh so there must be so many fake products out there on places like amazon/ebay etc then, even though they say 100% authentic in uk! that's not good...
I only want to buy from a professional source so thought I'd best ask.
It's a shame I can't buy now as wanted to build a supply up & practice but will have to just save the money instead.
My tutor gave the impression that once qualified u get a card or membership number maybe (not sure if I'm saying that right) to use at wholesale but could still use your student card while studying to buy wholesale too as that's proof but she maybe meant a place u visit ur self & not buying online :o:o

 

[ClaireP]

Welcome, I hope your training is going well. You can buy Shellac and Vinylux from S2 when you are qualified in manicure and pedicure. You need to send them copies of your certificates, then once they have validated them with your trainer/ college they will activate your account. There are no discounts on CND products though (so your student card won't be much help there). I trained with CND through S2, so they validated my qualification instantly, best thing I've ever done! It's always best to buy Shellac through S2 rather than Ellisons, to get on their 'Love Shellac Salon Finder' so clients can find you (you need to buy Shellac every 60 days to stay on it). I hope this helps. Xxx

 

[Lulu_1985]

Thanks so much for ur advice it's really helped.
I am in the middle of my nail technology level 2 at the moment and then will be doing my gel polish straight after, once I am qualified in the nail tech lvl 2 and have my certificates am I able to send these off to join S2 or ellisons etc and request any product including the cnd for when I start my gel polish or do I have to have the gel polish cert too before I can even order that? Can u only request products in the area covered by ur certificate? As my nail tech course is only manicure, nail art and acrylic and then I will be doing the gel nail polish after...
Sorry for all the questions, I am new to this xx

 

[salj]

Thanks so much for ur advice it's really helped.
I am in the middle of my nail technology level 2 at the moment and then will be doing my gel polish straight after, once I am qualified in the nail tech lvl 2 and have my certificates am I able to send these off to join S2 or ellisons etc and request any product including the cnd for when I start my gel polish or do I have to have the gel polish cert too before I can even order that? Can u only request products in the area covered by ur certificate? As my nail tech course is only manicure, nail art and acrylic and then I will be doing the gel nail polish after...
Sorry for all the questions, I am new to this xx

You need a manicure certificate to order Shellac from S2. It'd be a good idea to do the Shellac training with them also, it's not very expensive.

 

[syncage]

you are best to check directly with sweet squared if your particular qualification is covered and for which products but in general an nvq level two qualification should be fine.

If you have not studied enhancement you will not be able to buy the brisa + l&P products but shellac and brisa lite will be available to you.

I'm not quite sure how it works with the l&p + gel products. You will need to discuss your particular qualification. They might require you to complete a conversion course - however these are very good value and come with the complete kit of products anyway.

If you have already completed the manicure section of your course and are able to document + verify this e.g. a letter from your tutor or a certificate/credit you *might* be able to get your s2 account opened a bit earlier.. You do not need to have a gel polish certificate to buy shellac. Again, best to get this information direct from s2 they are all very helpful there and can best answer your education/sales queries.

the number is: 0845 210 6060


You can also buy your products from Ellisons and the Creative Academy. But they get their products form sweet squared (s2) and you need to be authorised by s2 before they sell to you anyway. It's best to buy direct as that's the quickest way to get on the salon locator which does send business your way!

0845 210 6060

Welcome - Sweet Squared

 

[Lulu_1985]

Oh fab so that was my feeling, I am doing nail tech level 2 which covers manicure, nail art and acrylic so once I am qualified and join s2 or ellisons I was worried that it would mean as I don't as yet have the specific gel polish qualification that they wouldn't allow me that product.
I am doing the gel polish course after my nail tech and have been told there is even a one full day course at college to pass and that's it so it won't take long to complete as I'll have my nail tech knowledge also. There are others that take longer...
I was hoping to just do a quick general course on the gel nail polish so I can use varied products as I notice the s2 one might take a while and may only be for cnd but I might be completely wrong x

 

[Lulu_1985]

Also a couple of people told me that if I had my level two and could do full manicure procedure etc that I didn't necessarily NEED to do a gel polish course but that it is obviously very useful
I don't know if this is the case so thought I'd ask

 

[syncage]

Oh fab so that was my feeling, I am doing nail tech level 2 which covers manicure, nail art and acrylic so once I am qualified and join s2 or ellisons I was worried that it would mean as I don't as yet have the specific gel polish qualification that they wouldn't allow me that product.
I am doing the gel polish course after my nail tech and have been told there is even a one full day course at college to pass and that's it so it won't take long to complete as I'll have my nail tech knowledge also. There are others that take longer...
I was hoping to just do a quick general course on the gel nail polish so I can use varied products as I notice the s2 one might take a while and may only be for cnd but I might be completely wrong x

If you are planning on using shellac as your 'gel polish' you do not need a gel polish certificate (in fact what they teach you might be unhelpful - shellac has it's only pep (no r!) procedure which is different to most other 'gel polishes' )

When you phone sweet squared ask about their 'shellac brings them back' which is a half day course. This is very well priced and will teach you the proper technique for preparation, application and removal of Shellac, give you some extra tips and tricks, a bit of marketing and pricing business info and fire you up! Also once you have trained with CND the educators continue to be there for you if you have any follow up questions or troubleshooting. It is totally invaluable, can't recommend enough.

I think the other course you have been looking at which take a while are the full nail tech courses for complete beginners.

 

[Lulu_1985]

Ah great so any gel polish course should only be a day or something and work for any product, that's good news,
I will have my nail tech lvl 2 in a few months so will send off my certs and try to join s2 and poss ellisons... I will call them to ask about their courses just in case I find it useful as u say, but I may just do a course at college or not at all depending on what advice I'm given.
I like cnd a lot but I have no idea of any other products...as I can't get cnd from s2 until I pass is there any other authentic products I can buy now for example? just so that I get some practice? I have my lamp and full manicure kit for prep...I saw that millennium have their own make and also a friend uses gelish when she gets hers done at the salon? Another nail tech I saw uses something called ikon or icon I think ( I may be wrong on these) My queries started as I bought a bottle of cnd from amazon in faith before I realised u had to use s2 and was scared it was the wrong thing as I hear ebay etc do fake cnd so my amazon will prob be too x

 

[Lulu_1985]

I've had to buy everything for manicure, acrylic and gel to practice at home as my course is only one evening a week for 3 hours and u only get about 1.30 practical work so the gels is all I need and can't seem to get them for the practice and it build up a good set x

 

[syncage]

Ah great so any gel polish course should only be a day or something and work for any product, that's good news,

Actually I mean't the opposite of this!! It's best to do the gel polish course of the company whose gel polish you are going to do. As they all have differences which they will teach you to get the best out of the product and getting online with the educators for that product is invaluable.


I will have my nail tech lvl 2 in a few months so will send off my certs and try to join s2 and poss ellisons... I will call them to ask about their courses just in case I find it useful as u say, but I may just do a course at college or not at all depending on what advice I'm given.
I like cnd a lot but I have no idea of any other products...as I can't get cnd from s2 until I pass is there any other authentic products I can buy now for example? just so that I get some practice? I have my lamp and full manicure kit for prep...I saw that millennium have their own make and also a friend uses gelish when she gets hers done at the salon? Another nail tech I saw uses something called ikon or icon I think ( I may be wrong on these) My queries started as I bought a bottle of cnd from amazon in faith before I realised u had to use s2 and was scared it was the wrong thing as I hear ebay etc do fake cnd so my amazon will prob be too x

I'd recommend doing a site search (or using google to do a site search) for each brand that you want to research) Also another idea is to get your hands on a copy of a trade magazine (i like scratch) to find out all the professional brands available. CND is the most talked about on here, probably followed by Gelish. Both of these require you to have your certificates before purchasing.

Millenium is not a professional brand (they do groupon deals!) and I'm not sure about Ikon. As a general rule any company that will sell you products without seeing your certificate is not a professional outfit and not supporting professionals so stay away!

Sorry, it's not helpful to you as you want to get started but I wouldn't recommend wasteing money trying out products you arent going to use once qualified.

Also stay away from ebay, amazon, and overseas websites as they are not selling legitimately.

Also you say you have your lamp.. is it a CND lamp? If not you will have to buy one if you intend to use CND products. Gelish allows use of any 36w lamp so you could be okay if you went with them. Be sure to check the manufactorers requirements for each product when doing your research.. The whole lamp thing is another thread! Read the stickeys on uv products if you haven't already. They contain a whole heap of useful information to help you work successfully...

http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/172609-uv-product-summary.html
http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/201083-general-questions-re-uv-cured-colour-coats-answered.html