Opinions needed please

[karentriff]

I have been qualified approx 6 weeks now and I have been offered work in a salon. I have been working from my home salon and charging a cheaper rate. What worries me is whether my nails are good enough to command the full rate. I haved added a couple of pics of french on myself. They are sculpt with CND perfect white and I extendeded my nail bed with opaque neutral. What looks like bubbles on the nail is actually my shimmer top coat. I would appreciate your thoughts
Thanks

http://www.salongeek.com/album.php?albumid=253&pictureid=6131


http://www.salongeek.com/album.php?albumid=253&pictureid=6133

 

[poshpinks]

HI I WOULD SAY YES THEY ARE GOOD ENOUGHT. AND WORKING IN A SALON WILL HELP YOU RELISE THAT THEY ARE GOOD AND PEOPLE ARE HAPPY TO PAY FULL PRICE FOR THEM , i ALSO THINK ITS A FUN EXPERIENCE TO WORK IN A SALON .

 

[NiftyNails]

They look good to me.. :green:

Are you working in the salon on a self employed or employed basis???

I know this is a totally different business, but when I just finished my training as a Canine Beautician ( or haha Dog Groomer) I was lucky enough to get a job, employed, at a local vets.
What this did for me was build up my experience, confidence whilst helping my speed and getting to know the local clientele. All this was off of the vets insurance, time and reputation, so when I was ready to 'go live' on my own I had had 6 months to practice at someone elses expense.

What im trying to say is, give it a go and see how it works out - if it suits in with your needs - and if it doesnt work out, then at least you gave it a go.

I have to admit I prefer to be my own boss, but since my training as a Nail Tech, I found it really scary setting out 'live' without the practice I gained from my last venture.

Good luck, im sure you wont need it looking at your pics. :green:

 

[mdskora]

Oh Karen.....

DO NOT GET COLD FEET..... you will be fine.. 100%... go for it....
anyway you know how i feel...
Mel

 

[beautynails]

I think your nails look lovely, and you are only going to improve with the experience of working in a salon.

Just some things to think about; how are your timings, if you're still getting up your speed is the salon going to be ok with that and will they be supportive of your inexperience?

 

[karentriff]

Thanks gals for the votes of confidence. Beautynails my timings coming down all the time. I am doing a full set in 1 1/2 hrs at the mo. Biggest prob is rebalances are taking the same time but most of them are at four weeks growth. I will be working for myself in the salon and paying rental and the lady is happy to go along with anything.
Mel you are right I have been getting cold feet. Problem is that it was so long before I start from when I accepted the job and I think I have had too long to think things over.
Once again ladies thanks for your opinions and advice
It is much appreciated

 

[geeg]

Looks like you have the skills to do a decent set; what you lack is the experience .... but you are far more likely to get the experience you need by jumping in right now and going for it if you have the opportunity.

Experience only comes with .... experience ... which involves time.

Some of your sets will be good, some will be not so good ... it all depends on the canvas you work on. You will see allot of canvases in a salon situation :lol:. I think you can go for it judging by those nails. Best of luck.

 

[Gail_316]

Your nails look fab! Better than some nails I have seen where the technician has been doing nails for a considerable amount of time!
Gail
x

 

[Cathie!]

I think you should go for it, jump in at the deep end, your timings sound good and yes, 1.5 for a rebalance is good too!

 

[mdskora]

see Karen,,,,

If Gigi says you can do it... YOU CAN DO IT ........
Once you get started you will love it... dont worry about your times... time is not everything.. people are willing to take a little more time if their nails are nice and last longer...
not long to go until you are in...
the good thing is you will have had some "hands on" experience in the salon for when Geeg comes.... You will see all types of "canvas's" as geeg said and that makes you a much better nail tech.... some days i pray for those "normal" people without bitten nails etc... thursday was a killer.. 3 in a row ... sat was a breeze.. 4 infills with not an ounce of lifting.. those days make it all worth while.. so do the looks on those nail bitters when they walk out looking at their hands...
XXXXX STOP THINKING AND START GETTING EXCITED GIRLFRIEND!!!

 

[karentriff]

Thanks Ladies. Up till Saturday I didn't have any qualms. But what you all say about the 'canvas' has given me food for thought. I had a lady on saturday who wanted 'natural looking nails'. One hand was fairly long and the other were all broken. I wanted to do nno on the good hand and natural tips on the other. She said she wanted both tipped because she wanted them longer. IMO the non broken ones were long enough for her and I told her this. She said she wanted them longer. I then told her I would need to cut her free edge back on the long ones then so they couldn't be seen beneath the tip. She said no she didn't want them taken back any. I did the long hand first using CND performance natural tips and perfect pink powder. Her natural nail was visible beneath the tip (very white natural free edge) and she said no I don't like it. I soaked them off and redone them with same tips but using cnd opaque neutral pink. She didn't like this either ( I liked it) so off they come again. I redone them with perfect pink in zone 2 & 3 and a thin layer of opaque pink in zone one lightly to cover her natural free edge area. She was happy with this. I wasn't. I thought after all that they looked crappola and it upset me a lot. Things like this worry me because she is now walking around with a crappy set of nails and what happens if people ask her where she got them from?
Obviously there are other ways I could have done her nails but I am not experienced enough to know what I should have done. This is what has given me cold feet.
It undermines my confidence when things go wrong so I did a set on myself saturday evening (the ones in the photo) and you woudln't believe how many faults I have picked in them.

 

[geeg]

Thanks Ladies. Up till Saturday I didn't have any qualms. But what you all say about the 'canvas' has given me food for thought. I had a lady on saturday who wanted 'natural looking nails'. One hand was fairly long and the other were all broken. I wanted to do nno on the good hand and natural tips on the other. She said she wanted both tipped because she wanted them longer. IMO the non broken ones were long enough for her and I told her this. She said she wanted them longer. I then told her I would need to cut her free edge back on the long ones then so they couldn't be seen beneath the tip. She said no she didn't want them taken back any. I did the long hand first using CND performance natural tips and perfect pink powder. Her natural nail was visible beneath the tip (very white natural free edge) and she said no I don't like it. I soaked them off and redone them with same tips but using cnd opaque neutral pink. She didn't like this either ( I liked it) so off they come again. I redone them with perfect pink in zone 2 & 3 and a thin layer of opaque pink in zone one lightly to cover her natural free edge area. She was happy with this. I wasn't. I thought after all that they looked crappola and it upset me a lot. Things like this worry me because she is now walking around with a crappy set of nails and what happens if people ask her where she got them from?
Obviously there are other ways I could have done her nails but I am not experienced enough to know what I should have done. This is what has given me cold feet.
It undermines my confidence when things go wrong so I did a set on myself saturday evening (the ones in the photo) and you woudln't believe how many faults I have picked in them.

The nail techs that are easily satisfied with their work are usually the ones that do not do good work. :hug: The fact that you are not is a good thing; it means that you are a perfectionist as all good nail artists are. Unfortunately this means that we are never satisfied completely with what we do. You have to learn to live with that.

I'm just sitting here hoping that you did not do 3 full sets and that you only had to soak off a couple of sample nails. If I were you, I wouldn't offer so much choice at this stage. You are very new to nails. Don't try to run before you can walk or your clients will be leading you around by the nose instead of you being the one in charge!! You should be pretty much telling your clients (we call it advising them :lol what they should have done.

 

[karentriff]

Thanks Geeg Great Advice as always. I have made a decision tonight thanks to all you ladies that I am not going to allow myself to have second thoughts again no matter what. I am just going to get in there and do it. It's what I have wanted for years.
I can't wait till Jan 7 Geeg to meet with you. Once I know the date is definite I will book my air ticket and accommodation. I wouldn't miss it for the world.