see patches

[kitti]

hello there, im kitti and this is the first time on here! be gentle!

i have just started practicing acrylic nails, but i have a question....there always seems to be patches when i have finished the nail. you know, like there doesnt seem to be enough acrylic. but i know i have put enough on. i really dont know what i am doing wrong.

its got to a point where i have just done someones nails (i do them for free at the moment as still practicing) and they have just phoned me up complaining and shouting at me because of this. i havent been doing this long and i just feel like giving up, every time i do this it happens...i must be doing something wrong....

hope everyone is having a good evening. xx kitti xx

 

[Peter Pan]

hi and welcome to the site hun

first off - have you done any training? if you havent i would seriously recommend you do, you will learn a huge amount of information from that, and also be better for it. if you havent done any training, there is so much that can go wrong, and you wouldnt know how to rectify it, its all very well "just practising" but you NEED KNOW the basics first hun

 

[kitti]

hi there, and thank you for the welcome.

yes i have done training, and i have to admit it wasnt very good. i trained using Edge products, which from reading this forum are not the best products to use! which im not blaming them, im sure it is something i am doing wrong, i just dont know what. but where do i go from here? i keep practicing, but dont seem to be getting any better!!!

 

[izzidoll]

It is hard to tell from your description...but are these patches in zone 3..the cuticle area??...if so I think our mix ratio is too wet and is causing excessive shrinkage of the product....so you will have applied it to this area...but it has shrunk back when setting /curing.
Try and work on your mix ratio...your mix of liquid to powder......and not work with too wet a bead.HTH

PS>>>please fill out your profile with your details as it really does help us to answer your questions without having to ask too many ..if you now what I mean!! click on your use CP then click on edit profile.

 

[oey]

Hi

is it the dipping system or are u using the traditional liquid and powder type. I am fairly new to this as well but i read a thread on here the other day that states the ball placed in the zone nearer the cuticle line may be too wet if your are getting patches.

Hope this helps - and let me know how you get on.

Theresa

 

[oey]

some body obviously types quicker than me - but looks like we both agree!

 

[kitti]

yes most of them are in that area.....i take it my training wasnt quite good enough...as i dont have a clue about how much powder/liquid is right!!! i keep on practicing but nothing ever changes! how wet is to wet! how dry is to dry! oh deary me, i have a lot to learn!

 

[izzidoll]

You should contact your trainer...but if that is not an option...

With Creative liquids & powders we work with a medium wet bead...1 and a half parts liquid to 1 part powder.....which in practical terms means when you are picking up your bead the liqid should absorb all the powder in 2-3 seconds...watch it soak the powder up and count it out.....If the powder is absorbed sooner like in 1 second and is a bit droopy on your brush it is definitely too wet...so double dip until you get the mix right....

I am sure their are other geeks on here that use the Edge products and they might tell you it works to a different ratio...but Hey it's worth a try to get rid of those patches and keep your clients happy!!

Hope this makes sense to you....you should have a read through all the fab tutorials on the site as there is loads of help there for you.

 

[Peter Pan]

how come when you trained with the edge then, they didnt show you the mix ratio? im guessing they didnt from what you have put...... you could try getting a piece of laminate paper (cheaper than using nail tips) when you go for the ratio, try getting your product to look like orange peel, then place on the laminate paper, and WATCH IT, it should only "drop" for want of a better word (izzi - help) if you get a ring of monomer around it, then its TOO wet, if it doesnt "drop" then its too DRY. most systems go with a medium wet ratio, you could try, just dipping HALF your brush, then wipe it against your dappen dish, place in your powder (for a count of 2 seconds) look at it, if it goes too shiney its too wet, dip it again - it should resemble snow (by the way, this is the creative way that i told you, but should work with your system too)
hth

 

[big miss nails]

hi im new to this aswell babe.iv recently been to college to do the nail tech course but found it usless!! iv nearly passed its acyrlic that i struggle with aswell.but the other week i posted a thread on here and got some brilliant advice.it really did help but i still failed my last test of tips with acrylic.so im re taking it on monday but i really did find my course uslees iv learnt more from books and web sites.i wish you luck babe

 

[kitti]

oey - i was taught the dipping system, but i didnt think that was widly used, maybe that will be an option, but did want to learn the other way really.

izzydol - thanks for that, will give it a try next time, just need to get my confidence back up now as i dont really want to try again if im honest!!!

 

[izzidoll]

I think this tutorial explains mix ratio the best......here is the link http://www.thenailgeek.com/preparation-application/8912-product-control-part-1-mix-ratio.html

Glynis...you have been trained by the best remember...not every course/product teaches mix ratio....hope you are sitting down lol...some don't even teach ZONES!!!.......

Good answer...but the orange peel texture is with white and highly pigmented powders...for pink and other transluscent powders it is a smooth bead with the appearance of frosted glass you are looking for.....

Kitti...Don't give up...a lot of tech's who have been TAUGHT mix ratio have this problem at first!! it is so easy to correct and you will enjoy reading the tutorial and practising it...Good Luck.

 

[oey]

At the Salon where i did my work experience they now always use the dipping system by Backscratchers. They have tried the other types and prefer the dipping one.

I am the same though I want to be fully competent at the L&p system before i try and master any others!

 

[kitti]

oooo people write quick on here....

well....thinking about it....no they didnt show the ratio, just said that you dip it in, then pass it along the poweder get a bead and thats it..... i knew my course was rubbish! i really didnt get taught much did i.

thanks for the tips (excuse the pun) - will give watching it a try, see what it does.

 

[kitti]

thanks for the link, will go and have a peek at that now!

...and yes....my 'course' didnt teach zones.....deary me...what did they teach me and is the certificate worth the paper it is printed on!

oey - the dipping system is much easier!

its so hard not to get downhearted about it all - but hey gotta look on the bright side of life aint ya...and im off to weymouth tomorrow for a long weekend!

 

[nailsbydesign]

Quite a few of us did training that we now know to be quite inadequate, so you are not alone there, but have since gone on to do more indepth and much better training since. Maybe you could save up and go on another course with a company that gives you much more thorough and better training. I learnt to use the Edge UV acrylic on a 2 day course (not actually with the Edge company) but converted to Creative and have definitely never regretted doing that, their training is great, in fact they threw most of what I was taught in my initial course out of the window!!

 

[keri R]

I see you've already got some great advice on the patches, but i thought i'd offer you some on the confidence thing!
Firstly, find a willing ginea pig who wont phone up and shout and complain!(especially if they aren't paying)
Theres nothing worse than that it can really knock your confidence, i've been there. Find someone you can rely on to say they aren't happy with the result when they're still with you so you can have a chance to rectify the problem, and they respect the fact that you are still learning. When you do, you will get a chance to put all this advice to good use and your nails will get better and better!
Never give up!
Good luck!

 

[kitti]

im thinking that maybe i should just see if i can go on another course! will have to save up for quite a bit tho (husband to be has just been made redundant and we get married in sept so need all the money we can get). doesnt seem that my training was very good.

can any body suggest any good training? i live in wiltshire?

 

[kitti]

thanks keri - it does seem a bit mean that she shouted, and i did offer for her to come back so i could try to do something about it, but she didnt want to come back tonite, and as i work part time as a complementary and beauty therapist in the evenings the only appointment day i had free was next weds, and she was not happy about that. but what more can i do? i did them for free, even though the products are expensive and offered to do them tonite, but she said no, and i just feel really bad that she has horrible nails and i cant do anything about them.....

 

[~Emmsybabes~]

DONT FEEL BAD ,SHE KNOWS YOU ARE TRAINING AND SHE DIDNT PAY ...AND YOU HAVE OFFERED (ooops sorry for shouting :o ) to fix them for her ,its out of your hands now really,just learn from what you feel you did wrong,and move on to the next client hunnie...you will improve,and i agree you do need clients who have patience and time to let you sit there for 4 hours if thats what it takes to actually observe what you are doing, i have once had a mate sat there and almost every nail looked different as i was practising different techniques such as mix ratio ,file control ect... it really helped me !

on my first lesson on my college course we filled out all the forms and then spent about an hour and a half /2 hours practising our balls,
the tutor gave us little laminated cards with different sized circles on them,and we had to get the bead to stay inside the circle and be the right height ,thickness,and even had to have the right clicky sound when we tapped them .... we thought it was boring at the time ,as we had to go home and practice them to and take them in the next week ,but now i think it was great ,and i still go back to this method if i have problems
hope this helps a little hun ,if i get a mo tomorrow ,i will post a piccie of the way i do it so you can see ! :hug: