Yeah sure, I can do nails

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nailzoo

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I find it interesting that people "expect" to be able to just "do nails"......

Well...... yes you can, but it does depend on how good you intend to be.

Oddly enough, when people see what I can do with nails, they "expect" me to be able to paint .....

Heaven forbid, my autistic godson (bless him) does a better interpretation of an apple that me, I'm so crap at painting, I have much more of a 3D mind, am better at creating a shape and a very "symmetrical" thought pattern.

I know so many techs that can do nails, but can't paint them to save themselves.

Know techs that can paint, but can't do a nail to save themselves.

Know techs that sculpt like a Grecian artisan, but don't know how to buff in a tip.

Know techs that can do tips, but absolutely flake at doing sculpts.

Know techs that "acrylic" just oozes from their brush to create a masterpiece..... yet cant get a grip on gel.

Know techs that shove that gel stuff around like they are masters icing a cake, yet can't create an acrylic nail.

It's interesting to see "expectations" .... but little "limitations".

I see my own limitations (I'm so crap at gels), I can do them, but I have to "carve" a nail out of a quite ugly block (so I don't do them) ..... yeah, sure I could do them, but not that interested (and too busy doing acrylics).... (so I realise my own limitations).

I want limitations, because I want perfection as an end result.

I guess what I'm talking about is, as a proud person I only do (let's say 6 out of 8 services), but I do those 6 very well and my reputation would suffer if I was do do the other 2 (but not that well).

Do you do services, just because others do them (and you don't want someone to walk out the door), or would you recommend other techs that do things better, I refer Gels to the salon up the road, but I get clients from them, that they have talked into Gels (over acrylics) and find they didn't live up to expectations .......

I find by limiting myself and being honest, I retain clients, refer clients and get referrals in return by sometimes saying "no", rather than doing something I'm not quite competent at ...... rather than an attempt (and fail).

Your thoughts ......
 
Jack of all trades, master at none. I'm more of a constructor than painter. That's not to say I won't work on my weaker skills. But, will not be one to hand paint flowers. Not gonna happen. So instead I work with additives and glitter to be creative. I have no problem referring out l & p. (allergy) I will continue to master building a beautiful gel nail. In the process of rebuilding my skills after long time away from nails.
 
I cannot do gels, fiberglass or 3d work very well and I know this for a fact,therefore I will not attempt it. I had to complete gels, fiberglass etc. in school to graduate and I did them, however I knew where my limitations were going to be so I was not going offer them as part of my service, I only offer L&P and when someone ask me to do another job I know I do not feel comfortable with I refer them to another shop I have no problem in doing this, I would rather do that than not do my best work on another service I have not perfected.
 
when i first read this post i thought .... Jack of all trades , master of none...but then i went off and thought about it ..

i know i can do anything i put my mind too.

i know i am very good at the things i like doing or am really interested in ....of course after a lot of practice...but then I had to want to improve or I would have lost interest and thrown it to one side.
well actually this is exactly what i did with L&P for years, I had a mental block with it, and forget about gels , the thought of them was worse again...now 12- 13 months after picking up my brush again and finding my eureka moment with reverse application i love doing ...GELS ...Hello?

so yes it is ideal to concentate on the few things you love doing because then you will excel at them....but at the same time you cannot give up just because you feel can't do it....you cannot let it beat you , you have to keep at it and you will master it....( or at least be able to turn out an average set of nails, that don't lift and last , )

or how else do we move from being novices at something be it gels , l&P or otherwise , struggling to build an apex, frustrated by flared sidewalls etc to becoming like you or geeg or others?
 
Ive always worked with L&P's for the last 20years, 5 years ago I decided to take the plunge and did a course in gel, my expectations were that I wouldn't have any problems and would get the hang of it quite quickly .....WRONG! I think after working with one system for so long I found it much harder to get to grips with.

A few of my regular clients let me try the gel out on them, but my word it took me ages as my application sucked I had to file so much to get a nice finish, they didn't last as well either.

Thankfully they were really nice about it and most said 'oh these gel nails aren't as good as the L&P's are they'. I did have to put them right that actually gel are a lovely system if the tech behind them knows what there doing with the system lol.

Anyway embarrassed to say I gave up with it, although I don't usually like to be beaten and im always still tempted to do a refresher course and have another crack at it.
 
I am that tech who can sculpt a nail but have a harder time blend a tip. I love sculpting, I am so much quicker at it then doing a tip. I also feel my quality of work is much better. I can't do l&p because I am allergic and doing nails with gloves on isn't my strong point :( I get asked for gel a lot more though so it doesn't effect me negativly at all.

I can do nail art but most wants stamps and rinestones.

I stick with sculpting because that is my strong point, but if anyone really insisted on tips I am more then capable of going that route as well.
 
I went to art college and sold quite a few paintings, sculpting is my forte yet I'm crap at nail art unless I have a picture in front of me. I have NO imagination. But I can copy like a dream :o

I have to say it's really nice Nailzoo to hear someone as talented and respected as you has limitations. Makes me feel better lol
Xx
 
I'm good at gels but pants at l&p. I'm fab at blending tips but rubbish at sculpting. I'm great at waxing everywhere but find it hard not to fall apart with shaping eyebrows! I will sit and shellac all day, paint designs and stick things on with lots of concentration. If people ask for l&p I will do it unless I knew they were a very picky client then I would suggest someone else I know who is better than me. Same with eyebrows :(
 

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