Base coat, top coat: what is the difference?

Base coat: To ensure adhesion between the natural nail plate and the colored nail polish. Use in one, thin layer under the color. Features: usually clear, dry quickly to a dull, stickey surface.

Top coat: Use on the top of the hal dried, colored nail polish to ensure protection and high shine. Great to fit flat nail designs, like stones, glitter... Features: Usually clear, slower dry (there are speed-dry top coats in the market), dry to a shiny, smooth surface.

Does 2in1 polishes work? I dont think so. As the two opposite functions of theese opposite properties dont work at the same time. I believe 2in1 (base and top coats) are not for professional use.

A golden, glossy, shiney nail

Golden designs

1. Custom blended nail bed

2. Build a thin, clear layer on the form. Until the product is not settled (or the gel, before curing) push some golden sliced glitters, glitter foils, and some glitter.

3. Put a small product ball to the nail, and push the golden designs into it.

4. Build the arches, the apex, and protect the designs with a layer of clear product.

5. File the nail to a perfect shape, and use gloss gel, to make the designs more shiney.

Tips and tricks for custom blending

Warm skin tones: undertone of yellow, orange or red

Cool skin tones: undertone of purple, blue or green

CREATE YOUR UNIQUE COLORS



Free edge: Forget the common pink and whites. Add a little shimmer, or creamy brown with the commonly use white powder, and give unique service for everyone.

Rates: Concentrate on the balance of the nail bed and the free edge. The free edge can be maximum the half of the nail bed.

Technique: At the 3rd zone, work thinly, that the differences of the custom blended nail, and the natural nail would be invisible.

Opaque: Add some white, or another opaque color to strengthen the opacity. The more opaque the color, the better the coverage to camouflage problems, and create illusion.

The problem: crack on the sides of the free edge

Commonly cracks of the free edges sides.

The base of the problem: You were afraid to touch the skin, therefore you put less than enough product to the sidewalls of the free edge. Maybe you filed down too much product, make the zone too thin. This can cause three problems:

1. Weakens the structure of the nail, cause cracks soon.
2. As the natural nail grows, the natural free edge become under the bad sculpting sidewalls. The client can picking it.
3. The nail crack soon at the sidewalls, and the whole free edge can come off.

The solution:

1. During the sculpting process, be sure that you work thinly, but put enough product to the sidewalls of the nail enhancement, and covered throughly the free edges sides. Leave a small margin around the surrounding skin. During the prep of backfill, file the free edges sides, than build again with fresh product.

2. At the finishing process, use a maximum 180 grit hand file, or higher, and always check out the sidewalls. Pull back the surronunding skins with your fingers, during filing.


Nails: Gabriella Strahl (Hungary)

The benefits of waterless manicure

Why waterless?

Fact: The water can soften the strong skin surrounding the nail plate, but it cause another effects:

Just like your body after showering, the hand's skin will drying after soaked in water. The nail plate penetrate with water, becoming soft, and vulnerable. You can easily damage the skin, or the nail plate during cutting the skin, or filing the free edge. After a few hours, the water will evaporate, and the nail plate become dry, hard, and rough. Change the water to professional skin softeners, high quality skin care, and base coats.

Step by step waterless manicure:

1. Shaping, reduce length
2. Skin softener (tip: Cuticle Away CND)
3. Push back cuticles, cut the skin if needed
4. Refine and cleanse the nail plate to buff with a fine block file
5. Buff oil into the nail plate

Tip: Use professional cuticle oil for manicures. The cheap oils, such for body's skin have bigger molecules, than the nail plate's size. Smaller molecules (what are in professional cuticle oils) can penetrate onto the nail plate. Bigger sizes can not.

Why is it so ugly and strong the smell of liquids?

All is chemistry!

Some manufactures tried to make odorless liquids, but it was affecting the balance of the chemical. These drugs can only mask, not eliminate the odors, and also bad for the liquid and the finished enhancement.

The odors serve as a sign of warning that the chemical, what we are using, can cause allergy.

Turn your side these signs, neither suppress them.

Find your ideal salon

What is an IDEAL salon? It's such a subjective matter. All people have different ideals, and values, so you can see all the same places in different ways. There are some aspects that can select on the basis of business, where there is more chance to start your profession, as a beginner nail tech, or a newly opened salon owner.

1. Entrance

The ideal is a big entrance from the street directly. It's not a good choice to open from a staircase, a house hall, or an office house. An open dorr from the street gives you better advertisement oppurtinities, and clients can find the salon easier.

Tip: Avoid the narrow entrances, the small places, or leading to the entrance (going up or down). People feel disconfortable also in dark, windowness, too cold, or too colt environment.

2. Environment

Take attention also to the salons parking area, and easily get there (on foot or by car). The best choise is a bussy area of other shops, or restaurants, where the neigborhood can hel to each other vith clientel.