Which abrasive do you use for prep and other L&P ?'s..

[VHunter]

Ok, a few questions from my course.... which had me thinking..

What abrasive does everyone use to prep the nails for a new set or rebalance? What grit?
Because in my course.... I found it to be ummmm 'too abrasive'? Or more abrasive than I've ever used to date?

Do YOU have a "trick" to get the perfect amount of liquid in your brush, or does that come with time?

Do your client's ever complain of a 'warmth' or the nails being 'hot' when they're curing, for a moment or two? Or is it because maybe on those nails, I had the ball a bit too wet? She said it wasn't all her fingers.. just a couple.

Do your client's complain of a pressure on the nail plate, the day after? A "bruised feeling" as my model called it? I've never heard of that from my clients with UV gel...... so I wondered if it was normal, or me? If me, what did I do wrong. (keep in mind, model hasn't worn nails in YEEARRRRS).

Thanks in advance!!!!

 

[izzidoll]

Isn't it EzFlow training you are doing at the moment?
If so it is the 180 grit Grey Fox file for prep.......which although 180 sounds harsh, this file isn't, it is a zebra file and has 2 different types of grit on it (carbide and mylar) which make it feel like a softer file. Use it to gently remove shine.
I use a 150 grit file for rebalance....I very rarely use a 100grit at all.

As for getting the liquid in your brush...I tend to fill my brush and if using a small dappen dish wipe out the liquid on the side......when I used the large porcelain Ezflow dappen dish it was better to fill my brush then press the brush against the inner lip to remove some liquid from it. Wiping on this dish tended to remove too much liquid and ended up with dry beads :irked:

As for the exothermic reaction ( heat)....you are working too wet! Same goes for the painful feeling she gets, possibly caused by excessive shrinkage of the product...from working too wet.
Easy for you to sort out, most people start out working too wet.
HTH

 

[VHunter]

Yup!! EZ Flow... (keep in mind... montreal ez flow course 'may' not be the same as us/uk ez flow courses)
Yes, a 180. Ok, I'll stick with it... Just seemed coarser than what I'm used to, and the nail looked more scratched...?

Ok, so I am working too wet. YIKES, I had better work faster... That stuff sets FAST....

Yup, wiping brush... but I either wipe too much or not enough.... :grr: Guess that will come with time.

I also need to 'press' harder..... I had lift near eponychium right off the bat on about 3 of them... so I fixed those last night. But the others are fine (ok, the french is terrible LOL)
Soooo, I assume it's the pressure?
I waited until the ez bond was completely dry. And waited until the primer was completely dry before applying...

I find it hard to 'press' with the belly near the eponychium, without touching the skin.... HOW do you do that????

thanks again!!

 

[oey]

Victoria - these describe exactly the problems I had when I started with L&P. I still dont feel competent by any imagination but "still practicing' as I call it and it will get better.

What I found for me helped is I overlaid L&P on my own nails so I could get the "feel" of what the product was doing and it help me in trying to work on getting my mix ratio better - still dont feel like I am there completely with it, but I too am a "gel girl" at heart and because we dont have to worry about the mix ratio I think I will always feel better about gel than L&P but I am determined to crack the code with L&P if if kills me.

Keep at it - and good luck. I look forward to reading your threads in a few months time when you will be wizzing through all those fab L&P designs.

x x x

 

[VHunter]

THANKS!!!!!!!
I'm determined... I told my model she may have to suffer a few soak offs.... because I'm NOT NOT NOT NOT happy with her current set....:lol:

I'm also going to ring a few others and see if they'd like some free nails LOL

I CAN NOT wait to touch my colours... but until I get this ratio thing worked out, I don't want to waste them :cry:
Thanks for the compliments and the vote of confidence

:hug:

(as for practicing on myself... I don't have to time to 'fix' them for the screwups if I practice on myself LOL I'm notorious for taking 2x as long doing my own ROFL.... I STINK at doing my wrong hand!! and still get lift on my wrong hand where I NEVER EVER get lift on my 'right' - left- hand LOL)

 

[xAnnaBannAx]

Yup!! EZ Flow... (keep in mind... montreal ez flow course 'may' not be the same as us/uk ez flow courses)
Yes, a 180. Ok, I'll stick with it... Just seemed coarser than what I'm used to, and the nail looked more scratched...?

Ok, so I am working too wet. YIKES, I had better work faster... That stuff sets FAST....

Yup, wiping brush... but I either wipe too much or not enough.... :grr: Guess that will come with time.

I also need to 'press' harder..... I had lift near eponychium right off the bat on about 3 of them... so I fixed those last night. But the others are fine (ok, the french is terrible LOL)
Soooo, I assume it's the pressure?
I waited until the ez bond was completely dry. And waited until the primer was completely dry before applying...

I find it hard to 'press' with the belly near the eponychium, without touching the skin.... HOW do you do that????

thanks again!!

When you place your bead in the cuticle area say 'going going gone' (so bead can settle lol) then angle your brush so the flag are between the epi and the bead and then press the bead by sort of lowering the handle whilst gently pulling back....dont press with the belly....only use the flags....your flags should be in a point when picking up your bead but when you start working the beads let your flags go flat....you do need to press to avoid lifting but do it with flattened flags iykwim ! x

(sorry im not very good at explaining)

 

[oey]

THANKS!!!!!!!


(as for practicing on myself... I don't have to time to 'fix' them for the screwups if I practice on myself LOL I'm notorious for taking 2x as long doing my own ROFL.... I STINK at doing my wrong hand!! and still get lift on my wrong hand where I NEVER EVER get lift on my 'right' - left- hand LOL)

I know exactly how you mean about taking twice as long on yourself (or even longer in my case). My clients are so used to now seeing me with one hand done and one hand not that it becomes a talking point in itself! But I still feel that if you can crack it on your own nails then that is when you know you have got where you need to be.

 

[EgitaN]

I am on CND L&P course at the moment and we have been taught to use 240 grit for prep.
So, how I know there is perfect amount of liquid – I draw a line in the powder with the flag of the brush, count to 3 and watch it, if it’s right consistency there is no excess powder on the brush and it looks creamy. If the powder absorbs the liquid on 1 or 2, then the bead is too wet and I dip it into the powder again. Counting helped me a lot to get the right habit for making beads.
Also too wet beads make the nail feel uncomfortable as it shrinks and it can cause lifting.

 

[VHunter]

you do need to press to avoid lifting but do it with flattened flags iykwim ! x

(sorry im not very good at explaining)

I think I got it. You explained it well THANKS

But I still feel that if you can crack it on your own nails then that is when you know you have got where you need to be.

THAT is so true, I've always felt that if they look good on you, then they are even better on your clients. But this early in the game.... I'm not THAT crazy... I have enough victims lined up, willing to suffer so I can learn to THEIR benefit :lol:

I am on CND L&P course at the moment and we have been taught to use 240 grit for prep.
So, how I know there is perfect amount of liquid – I draw a line in the powder with the flag of the brush, count to 3 and watch it, if it’s right consistency there is no excess powder on the brush and it looks creamy. If the powder absorbs the liquid on 1 or 2, then the bead is too wet and I dip it into the powder again. Counting helped me a lot to get the right habit for making beads.
Also too wet beads make the nail feel uncomfortable as it shrinks and it can cause lifting.

Yeah, I usuall use a 200/240 there abouts..... So the 150/180 in class threw me off a bit.....

COUNTING! never thought of that! Thats a great idea!!

THANKS everyone
:hug:

 

[xAnnaBannAx]

I have to say I personally feel the 180 is a little harsh...when I first did my training I did feel a bit uncomfortable with it....and I dont always use it....ive managed to really damage my own nails with practising on them and some are very thin with onycholysis so when I do my nails now I am very very careful and all I do now is clean my nail plate of cuticle, dehydrate and NNO on...no filing, no primer and they dont lift.

Its a good product so when youve done your training if you still dont like prepping with the 180 im sure you'd be fine using something softer x

 

[RedAdmiral]

I suppose a 180 isnt too bad if you file efficiently and with a light pressure I used to now I use a koala (240) - I thought it would slow me down at the beginning but it didnt