I brought you today another Christmas favourite of mine.
It's a purple set, french style, salon friendly. Simple, effective, clients favourite!
If you need to catch up, click
here for day 1.
here for day 2.
here for day 3.
Step by step pictures
Step 1: create your base. These mosaic paints are so easy to work with and they work perfect on gel polish / BIAB / hard gel / acrylics / acrygel. They are very thin with great coverage so your finish design won't be too bulky if you know what I mean. 😊 Most of the colours will cover in just one coat but if you are using two coats, make sure they are very thin. 😉
Step 2: using a fine nail art brush and orchid gel paint from mosaic, paint on your "french" line but do not cure. Feather it down towards to the free edge.
Step 3: use Mosaic gel paint 28 white nights on the rest of free edge. Marble together the two colours with a dotting tool and cure.
Step 4: use the tacky layer of the gel and apply transfer foils on the free edge.
Step 6: using a fine nail art brush and white art gel, paint on some white feathers🪶 on the smile line.
Step 7: add some matt white glitters to your design. Top coat and cure.
Finish picture
If you liked this blog post and found it useful, don't forget to give us a like and share with your fellow nail techs.
Happy to receive your designs too.
Any questions, request leave a message.
Lots of nail love,
Susan xx
P.S.: Click for Christmas Nail Art - Robin
Click for Christmas Nail Art - Penguin
Click for How to Nail Christmas
Click for Christmas Nail Art - Mistletoe
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Today is our day 3 in the 12 days of Christmas Nail Art Challenge, and I brought to you a very special one....one of my favourites, the one and only opal white and blue combo in ombre style. 🥰
I don't want to make my or your life any harder than it is so I am just doing an easy side ombre 😉 you cannot go wrong with it! Jazz it up with some matt white glitters and you are good to go!
Let's see the steps here
Step 1: create your base. These mosaic paints are so easy to work with and they work perfect on gel polish / BIAB / hard gel / acrylics / acrygel. They are very thin with great coverage so your finish design won't be too bulky if you know what I mean. 😊
Step 2: I'm going to use 2 mosaic gel paints from the metallic collection: opal white and midnight blue.
When you are choosing a light and dark colour for your ombre, start applying the lighter colour first. In this case your brush will not be overloaded with a dark colour. 😉
Apply opal colour approximately half of the nail but do not cure.
Step 3: apply the blue colour on the other side of the nail but do not cure.
Step 4: either with your builder brush or an ombre brush work the colours together in the middle. With slow moves work in the middle part to blend the colours together first then move your brush a little bit on the side and work your colours together. When you are happy with your ombre, cure.
Step 5: this step can be missed but it gives such a beautiful little sparkling extra to the nail. Using the sticky layer of the hard gel, stick some foils all over the nail. Top coat and cure.
Step 6: mix together matt white glitters with a bit of top gel and apply it as your smile line. Drag some lines out, shorter - longer and cure.
Finish picture
What I really like about this design, it is simple but so effective. Just perfect 🥰
If you liked this blog post and found it useful, don't forget to give us a like and share with your fellow nail techs.
Happy to receive your designs too.
Any questions, request leave a message.
Lots of nail love,
Susan xx
P.S.: Click for Christmas Nail Art - Robin
Click for Christmas Nail Art - Penguin
Click for How to Nail Christmas
Click for Christmas Nail Art - Mistletoe
]]>This time, I didn't follow the classic blue and silver colour combination, I paired blue with gold 😱
Step 1: create the nail. This design will look good on BIAB, hard gel, acrylics or acrygel. It is better to use a cover pink colour to create the nail as not all of my nails will be a full block colour.
Step 2: apply green and gold foils on one side of the nail.
Step 3: apply gold gel on the other side of the nail but just half way. With your ombre brush, feather the colour towards to the cuticle area. Cure.
Step 4: use a fine nail art brush and black art gel plus blue lagoon to add some lines to the nail. Cure. Add top gel and cure.
Finish picture
If you liked this blog post and found it useful, don't forget to give us a like and share with your fellow nail techs.
Happy to receive your designs too.
Any questions, request leave a message.
Lots of nail love,
Susan xx
P.S.: Click for Christmas Nail Art - Robin
Click for Christmas Nail Art - Penguin
Click for How to Nail Christmas
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Are you ready for Christmas and Chistmas nails? If you are still searching for some ideas ( penguin, robin or mistletoe ), and need to figure out How to Nail Christmas, I am here to help you out!
I have brought you a very simple but yet classic red and gold set of nails which even the beginners can do easily.
Step 1: Apply red gel / gel polish on the nail but do not add it as a full block colour. Apply only just half of the nail and then with an ombre brush, feather it towards to the cuticle area. Cure.
Step 2: using the tacky layer of your gel / gel polish, stick some gold foil on the nail. Focus on the areas closer to the cuticle area.
Step 3: with a fine brush and white art gel add some lines, starting from the free edge running towards to the cuticle area. Cure.
Step 4: add some matt white glitter between the lines. Apply top gel and cure.
Step 5: add some bling in different sizes and your set is ready to go.
Finish picture
If you liked this blog post and found it useful, don't forget to give us a like and share with your fellow nail techs.
Happy to receive your designs too.
Any questions, request leave a message.
Lots of nail love,
Susan xx
P.S.: Click for Christmas Nail Art - Robin
Click for Christmas Nail Art - Penguin
Click for How to Nail Christmas
]]>
It's only the end of November but Christmas nail art is on full swing in the salon now. Every single client up for something Christmasy.
As you know my favourite part of doing nails when we get to the art bit so I am actually really pleased as a lot of people who would normally just go for a plain colour wants something this time of the year.
So I came up with a really easy and absolute salon friendly idea: my little mistletoe. It only needs a few colours and about 5 minutes and you are ready to go.
I have used the following colours
♡ green gel:
♡ red gel
♡ white gel
♡ black gel
♡ gold gel
My usual fine nail art brush, and matt or glossy top coat, whichever you like.
Here are the steps:
Step 1: choose a light background for this design. A milky white with some glittery bits is a good one but you can just use milky white colour. It is up to you. I have done it both ways and looks very pretty. Use a matt top coat before you start painting your branches on. Why? Because it is a lot easier to paint on a matt background than on a shiny one. If you have, use more than just one green colour. With 2 or 3 different greens, you can achieve a very realistic look. 😉
Step 2: using your petal brush, add 2 berries or mistletoe in red colour. Cure.
Step 3: repeat the previous step with another colour. This champagne gold is a very good choice. Cure.
Step 4: add some really fine lines with black. And then with white. Cure between. If you fancy, you can add some rhinestones and beads too.
Watch the video here:
Since I have shown this design to my clinets, it's been a big favourite so far. 🥰 it looks good pairing with red...
but also pairing with some pink glitter. 😉
It is so easy to do on short as well as on long nails, I'm sure you and your clients will love it too. 😍🥰
If you liked this blog post and found it useful, don't forget to give us a like and share with your fellow nail techs.
Happy to receive your designs too.
Any questions, request leave a message.
Lots of nail love,
Susan xx
P.S.: Click for Christmas Nail Art - Robin
Click for Christmas Nail Art - Penguin
Click for How to Nail Christmas
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You are tired, out of ideas but fully booked till the 23rd December (hopefully after the year we had 🤞) and already panicking over this whole December - Christmas period.
Now take a deep breath, make yourself a cuppa and read on. I am full with ideas and happy to share to help you.
In this Christmas blog post, I am going to help you with
• traditional and not so traditional colour palettes,
• show you some salon friendly Christmas designs with a lot of bling and sparkle (more will come in future blog posts)
• how to sell your Christmas nail art; I am going to give you my top tips on how to sell your nail art to your clients
• and what sort of present 🎁 to give to them this time of the year.
Sounds good? Grab your coffee ☕ (or tea 🍵) and let's do this together 💪!
There are several colours associated with Christmas but I think the most traditional ones are red, gold and green.
But I also like blue, silver, rose gold or even a colourful one.
What colour themes are you choosing this Christmas?
Are you just playing around with colours?
Are you doing the classic snowflakes ❄?
Stickers, stamping?
It is an easier way to creat art than painting on clients nails. With these Christmas themed sliders, you can get the festive feeling in seconds.
Or are you going into character painting too?
Here is my step by step pictures and video how to create this adorable little penguin. Click here for more.
Love Christmas Robin? Click here for your SBS pictures and video.
There are so many options to choose from and there is a right one for every client. 😉
How about some mistletoe?
Click here for SBS pictures and how to video.
I am going to start preparing myself from next week. Better late then never, right? 🙈🤣🤣
The aim is to design at least one Christmas nail art 💅 a day so I will have some sort of a collection by the time we start creating Christmas nails on clients in December. Have you done any Christmas set yet?
Obviously there is no guarantee my clients will go for these designs but if I don't show to them, they will never know what I can do. Or perhaps they come with some ideas from the internet I might not be able to perform. So to avoid disappointment, to avoid something you cannot do, show your clients what you can and how awesome you are! 😉
To achieve this; do your own nails! Yes, I am guilty with this one as only doing my nails every 6- 8 weeks. But clients like to have a look on a whole set of nails and if you are having it, they are more likely want it too.
But what else can you do to show your nail art?
1. Use plastic nail art tips
These are coming in different sizes and shapes ( oval and square), clear or natural colours. If you are using a lot of glitters best to use the clear ones. If you are showing more of a nail art, you are good to go with the natural ones. Stick them on a plastic card so you won't lose them.
Fancy learning how to create a Christmas bow? Have a look on my ONLINE course here.
Or do you want to learn how to paint candles with a bow? Check out my Christmas ONLINE course here.
Fancy learning how to create this FROSTY WINDOW effect? Have a look on my online training here.
2. Use plastic ( silicon ) finger
I am sure a lot of us have bought these plastic or silicon fingers to practice on. Get them out and stick your design on it. It looks a bit more realistic to clients than just a board to look at . But I can take this further...
3. Use plastic ( silicon ) hand
Now this is a whole new level of showing your nail art. Why? Because you can actually do half a set, rather than just 1 finger. You can show different nail shapes as well as nail art. Clients normally love these. ❤
4. Do your very own nail art book
It's like a portfolio. Showing to your clients how awesome you are. I often ask similar to this from my beginner girls. It might take some time to get it but you can print it out and make it like a little book and leave it at the reception for example. A little something to keep your clients entertained while they are waiting. Just a little note on that, make sure they understand it is not something they can take home ... 🙈 happened to me before. Forgot to add a note and my client took all of them home to have a look on it and choose her next set of nails. It was a bit stressful but thanksfully she brought it back the next day.
There is no right or wrong on this topic.
Some nail techs say: "I am not giving anything to my clinets!"
"I only give them a card for Christmas!"
"My present to them is the Christmas nail art for free."
"I bought a little present for my clients."
"I am going to bake something for my clients this Christmas."
Personally I have done most of it. Every year is a bit different. Do whatever makes you happy. If you are thinking to give them something useful as a present, here is my best bet.....cuticle oil.
I use these every time in the salon, so my clients know it is good. It is small, handy to have, fits in their handbag too. So why not giving it to them for Christmas and everybody happy. Check them out here.
I hope you found this blog post useful. As I mentioned before, I am working on more design, step by step pictures, product reccomendations, videos so it is worth checking back.
Any questions or suggestion, don't hesitate to contact me.
Let's do Christmas together!
Lots of nail love,
Susan xx
]]>Marble, marbles, marble nail art, swirly bits....you name it. I'm sure you have been asked at least once or twice to create marble nail art for a client.
So popular for years and years now. But the way how I create marbles now, is a bit different from the way I used to like 10 years ago. Like with any nail art, there is no right or wrong way to do it and everyone has their own way to do so.
In this blog post, let me show you how I create flowless marble nail art with gel polish.
You will need a few things to create this look:
💅 gel polishes in different colours
💅 top gel
💅 my secret gel.... read on to find it out what it is😉
💅 silver / gold leaf paper
How to get this manicure trend with gel polish in 5 steps? Let's see 👀 😏
Step 1: base. I'm going to do a surface nail art, which means it can be done on any base: Gel polish, BIAB, acrylics, hard gel or acrygel.
In this case, my base colour is a beautiful nude with a hint of sparkles hard colour gel from Mosaic, called Love ❤.
Step 2: finding the right gel polish colours. You can mix together as many colours as you want but I believe 3 max 4 colours are just about enough. I'm creating blue marble nails so I'm using dark blue, a lighter blue and white gel polishes with this set.
Put the colours right next to each other without any gaps. This will help you creating flowless mixture of the colours later.
Step 3: with a dotting tool, mix the colours together. Now you have some ideas how your marble will look like on the nail. If the colours look right to you, go ahead. If not, you can start it again to make sure the colours are in harmony.
I use an ombre brush to pick up the marbled gel polishes from the paper. It has different length of bristles. I have found it easier to work with than normal builder brush but use whatever is easy for you.
Step 4: applying my secret gel on the nail 😜. I have used this gel before to create different style of nail art. If you want to watch a video what else youcan do with this gel, click here.
You don't need to use this gel, the marble gel polish nail art will still work... BUT if you give it a go, you will see the difference straight away. This gel was created to spread gel polish. So in my case, it will help my marble to spread even quicker and nicer without any sharp edges. Bonus 🤩
If you use this gel, apply it on the nail but don't cure. Use your ombre brush to pick up the colours and then to apply it on the nail. I wanted to create a kind of marbled free edge, hence I'm adding it only just on the end of the nail. Feel free to play around or add marble on the whole nail. Cure.
Step 5: gold or silver leaf papers are on trend now. Add some to your design if you wish. Apply top gel and cure.
Finish picture
Watch me how to do it:
As I mentioned before, it is possible to get marble effect with other methods too.
Check out my previous blog post with BORN PRETTY Watercolour pens 😉 here.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Lots of nail love,
Susan x
]]>Every client has their own reasons why they start getting their nails done. There's a story behind every new set of nails.
I'm working on my next blog post (if you haven't seen them go to www.susansnailstore.co.uk/ blog and check them out) about "why people having their nails done?" So I asked my clients.
Some of them are with me for 10 years, some of them just a couple of years and some are brand new clients.
It is interesting to read how do they feel about nails.
I just did a makeover for Nicola (new client) 🥰 and asked the same question from her.
" Well I feel like nails can be an extension of your identity, they can help you to express yourself, show what you like and how you want to present yourself to the world. I feel more comfortable in my own skin now I have nails that I love and suit me so well. "
Do you agree? What's your opinion? Have you asked your clients, why are they havong their nails done 💅
I took some picture and later shoot a video for you, how I created this look. Hope you like it.😘
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It is important to take before pictures. Why? Because every new set is a different story. It is easier to do a new set on perfect natural nails. Long straight nailbed with parallel sidewalls, you name it. You know, the ones you need for a photoshoot or competition. BUT in real life, finding those nails is very rare. So you got to work with what you were given and do your little magic on it. Maybe not perfect for the very first time (specially if you come across with a nail biter) but it gets better with every new set. 😉 |
Nicola did not want long nails because she is wearing contact lenses but she still wanted to have something a bit special. She is a typical purple lover so her very first set of nails had to be purple with a pinch of extra.
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Here is a little video, capturing how I achieved the look. When you are working on short nails, finding the right nail art is hard. Hard, because you haven't got a big surface to work on but you and your clients want something......something different.
It can be a different colour on just one finger. A bit of glitter or what I have found and worked well for me....fine lines and swirls 😁. It's like with everything, hard to start with but if you practice and practice a lot, you can create a work of art on short nails too in seconds.
A sort of art that both your clients and you will love ❤️.
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Products used
A lot of nail techs asking the same question over and over on social media: "What shall I use for fine lines? Can I use my gel polish for fine lines?"
Well short answer is no. 😞 Most gel polishes have not got enough pigments in them to cover small parts with intensive colours. Just remember, you need to apply 2x thin coats of gel polish to get the desired colour. Plus gel polish consistency a lot more liquidy and yet that's another thing what you do not want.
So instead of using gel polish, you need to find something else. I used to use acrylic paints before, but the war between you and the drying time can be a killer. So pleased I have found these art gels from mosaic. They literally saved my life. 😀
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If you need help with fine lined and swirls...
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Susan's Nails has created this training card for those beginner or advanced nail technicians who would like to practice fine lines and swirls compositions in the comfort of their home.
Each card was designed and hand painted by Susan. The card has got a special coating on which makes it reusable.
There are 5 different designs on each card. Some of them are simple, some of them are a bit more complicated, giving you the chance to challenge yourself.
You can work with acrylic paints or with hard colour gels on the card. If you want to reuse your card, do not cure the gel just cleanse it and wipe it clean. All of the designs are suitable to use on salon length nails as well as extreme length nails too.
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As always, here if you need any help or recommendations.
Lots of nail love,
Susan xx
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Yes, she is my youngest client (over 16) so she has the perfect skin and pretty good natural nail beds too. Creating nails for her always a dream.
As for the base, I used Mosaic A&G in Milky pink. It is a very settled light pink colour which is in great harmony with the colours of this design.
Perfect for nude nails or babyboomer nails. If you are not familiar with acrygels and how to use this fantastic system, you can always create this look with Mosaic Babyboomer cover pink gel.
Mosaic has got some pretty awesome cover pinks to be honest, lot of different colours to suit your clients skin tone.
After file and buffing the nail, my favourite part begings; nail art.
Waves on nails been on trend for a while now. You can combine different colours or you can settle just for 3 in harmony.
I used the following colours: mosaic snow white, rose gold and dublin.
You will need a good nail art brush too. Wether you prefer to work with a short brush or with a long brush, it is up to you.
Watch me, creating this look and give me a like if you liked this video.
If you have any questions about products or training, or you want to see any specific salon design, send me a message to susansnailstore@hotmail.com.
Lots of nail love,
Susan x
]]>In December 2020 Pantone announced that it had chosen two colors of the year for 2021: Ultimate Gray and Illuminating, a combination of dull, familiar gray and the bright yellow of lemon skin.
Every single time when I see this announcement a little fresh air, a little excitement jumping around. I start to plan colours, colour combinations, different designs from salon friendly to a bit more complicated one, different nail art techniques from freehand painting to 3D. I feel alive again! Not just because of the colours or designs, because I know I can work on something new, something different.
December is all about Christmas, Christmas parties (not this year because of the pandemic) glitters, red, gold, a bit of green if you lucky (I am, as have at least 2 clients who absolutely loves green, so thank you so much Nicola and Carol 🥰), snowflakes ❄ and snowmen glore. So planning something new, that can actually be part of my salon life and nail art all year around, is great.
This isn't the first time that Pantone's Color of the Year has come as a duo. Rose Quartz, a pale pink, and Serenity, a powdery blue were its choices for the year 2016 if you remember.
Personally speaking, I'm happy we got 2 colours to work with when it comes to creating trends on nails.
Grey has been around for quite some time now and loved by a lot of people; (just think about interior house designs) however yellow is a bit tricky. Yellow is not necessarily the best selling colour in the salon. I do not think anyways. I have been working as a nail technician for over 10 years but I can count on one hand how many clients asked for yellow nails. So I have decided to try to find ways, how to get clients wanting that illuminating yellow colour. 😉
Challenge excepted! 💪
As for products, there is a wide range to choose from; gel polishes, hard colour gels...
gel paints, art gels...
acrylic powders...
spider gels...just to mention a few.
Silver Ghost is a big favourite of mine, but you have to be careful how to use it. It's a gel polish with metallic chrome effect. You need to shake the bottle thoroughly before use and just a very thin layer. These gel polishes dries when exposed to air, but for the ultimate result, cure it for at least 3-4 minutes in a UV or LED lamp, and use a fan to ensure a completely dry surface.
Can be used on its own or part of any nail art applications, on uv gels, acrylics and polygels too.
In this blog post, I'm going to share with you a few accent nail ideas and techniques I came up with, how to combine the colour of the year 2021 💛 and how to sell this colour combination to your clientele.
If you are new to nail art, possibly wondering what is accent nails? Or which finger does the accent nail go on?
Accent nail is a simple way of customise your manicure and add personality. Some clients like to have just one accent nail, mainly on ring finger, some prefer two. This all depends on your clients' preference (or on yours if you are free to create whatever you want on your clients' nails). It can be a different colour, glittery or the only finger having nail art on.
Let's have a look on some ideas, shall we?!
What is modern abstract design?
Abstract art is art that does not attempt to represent an accurate depiction of a visual reality but instead use shapes, colours, forms to achieve its effect.
I am a great fan of abstract designs! It is just one of those things you cannot produce twice exactly the same which gives the art that one and only appearance. My clients love it too because they can have a very unique set of nail every single time.
Fine lines with swirls on a gradient background.
Gold flakes with spider gel.
Abstract nail art.
They are also handy knowing, specially if you combine them with other nail art like one stroke, freehand painting, aquarelle or 3D just to mention a few.
Combine matt and shiny, marble, leaves and flowers, freehand painting, holographic powder, fine lines and swirls. Endless possibilities.
Watch it here:
Possibly the easiest way to describe geometric art is designed and created with lines, circles, square and rectangles. Geometric art designs are absolute on trend right now.
You can easily achieve this look with simply using your dotting tool.
Here is an easy step by step instructions to achieve some geometric nail art. All you need; the colours of the year 2021 and a long nail art brush and voala
For those clients, who are up to some extravaganza...flowers in sunshine!
Well this is another nail art that has been around for many years but still loved by clients.
There are different ways to achieve this look, here is my version of it.
What is silhouette? 🤔 you may ask.
Well, "the dark shape and outline of someone or something visible in restricted light against a brighter background". OK, this sounds more complicated than it is.
Leaf silhouette design has been on trend and you can find it everywhere. From wallpapers to pictures on the wall, curtains or bedding. Clothes, earrings you name it. So if we can have this design in our house, why not have them on our nails, right?!
Here are just a few leaf 🍃 silhouette example you can incorporate to your nail art. Obviously it all depends on the size of the nail but these designs are not too complicated and can be achieved in the salon quickly.
Why is it good to know them? Because you can use leaves on their own as a design but they are also good to be combined into your floristry nail art.
Let's have a look on a step by step, shall we?!
Step 1: background. I'm having a mid grey gel polish background.
Step 2: using the sticky layer of the gel polish, add some yellow transfer foil. This little piece of foil instantly brightened up my grey 🌝. Use top gel. It can be either a glossy or a matt one.
Step 3: with black gel paint and a thin nail art brush, paint on your leaves 🍃. Mine cures without any tacky layer so I don't need to add top gel to it.
You can combine it with marble background too. So easy and so effective, I am sure your clients will love it too.
Watch it here:
To get clients choose yellow, the easiest way is, with flowers. One of my favourite, absolutely salon friendly way is freehand painting.
Painting with gel.
I love using watercolour in the salon. This is such a quick and light, elegant way of doing nail art. If you want to read more about the watercolour pens, please click here. If you want to read more about how it works and check out some step by steps, please have a look on my blog post here.
Aquarelle with gel using gelatty aquarelle gels.
I have been doing 3D nail art for some time now but unfortunately no matter how lovely they looked, my clients never really fancied it. Their reason was that " oh I have children, cleaning a lot, wearing gloves. These look really lovely but I don't think they are very practical for me." I was totally heart-broken because despite of the fact they are a bit time consuming, they look absolutely lush.
So one of those play days of mine (when everything goes to plan nice and smooth or terribly wrong) I came up with an idea, how to create 3D roses that wearable for everyone.
When we are talking about 3D designs, most people think about acrylics. Well I'm a gel girl in general, so acrylics not always an option for me. Not because I cannot work with acrylics, I just choose not to. That's why I was really pleased to welcome 3D gels. You can create similar look with them to acrylics, minus the smell, so for a gel girl this was just like heaven.
I developed a way to do 3D roses, they are as high as a small sized gem but still look pretty 3D from the top. You can create 3D roses on any nail, short or long, square, rounded or coffin shaped just to name a few. You can do just one rose or you can do a whole composition. The choice is yours and the possibilities are endless.
I hope you got some inspiration from this blog. But if you need more help, let me invite you to my upcoming online course.
My name is Susan and I have been working as a nail technician in my own salon just over 10 years. My biggest passion is salon nails and nail art. I like to create nails and art that's wearable and not just for a competition. It is a big challenge as normally salon nails are not very long but with the right techniques you can still create art on them!
I used to be a primary school teacher before so I take pride in my teaching which started 8 years ago. I am trying to create open days / demo days / courses that help my students and fellow nail technicians to have a good start and support in this ever changing industry.
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As spring is here, all clients prefer to have flowers on their nails, so why not giving them what they want?!?!?!?
With this quick step by step pictures, you can easily create stunning roses on your clients nails.
Step 1:choose your background colour and cure.
Step 2: paint on a French style smile line but do not cure.
Step 3: with a sponge, bring the colour down towards to the free edge. Cure.
Step 4: start painting on your rose. Cure.
Step 5: add another rose to your composition. Cure.
Step 6: extend your composition with some leaves and a sparkling grey line. Cure.
If you want to watch a video how to create this look, check this out
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Thank you so much. It just shows that even in such a difficult time, all nail techs are ready to improve their knowledge.
So today, I am very happy to bring the next free lesson to you.
Lesson 2 contains the following items as a pdf file:
No time limit!!! You will have access to this lesson forever.
As per ususal, the only way to get your ebook if you "buy" the product on our website but do not worry, there is no catch. It is completly free.
Get ready and enjoy your time!
Love,
Susan
#HomeSchooling #NailTechnicians #Lesson2
]]>Yesterday just launched my very first lesson on my #HomeSchooling #NailTechnicians program and the feedback is amazing so far. Thank you so much for all your kind words. I was working very hard to get the ebook together for you with as much handy information as possible.
On my training courses, I always pointed out the position of your design and the harmony of colours are very important. And now you know the secret why, right?!
If you missed the lesson, don’t get upset, just visit my online training page and find it among other completely free lessons.
As I have pointed it out earlier, the only way to get them is to “buy” through the website but do not worry. There is no catch! It is completely free and will not charge you for it. There is no time limit so the pdf file stays with you forever.
The most amazing feedback I got from you was about the fine lines and swirls training card. Thank you so much, I love them too.
I have already had these cards in my shop but because of current situation, I made a small change and now it is available as a PDF file too. Great idea, isn’t it. You can still buy them as a physical product but if you do not want to wait till they turn up via Royal Mail, then head on the website and get them as a PDF file. Start practising from the comfort of your home right now.
Enjoy your time!
Love,
Susan xx
Most of us lucky enough and can work from home. Well, at least you have supply at home to entertain yourself; brush up on some serious sculpting skills or try out some new nail art designs. No matter the situation, you must stay positive.
When this crisis is over, our salons will be full with clients again who are wanting fancy nails. And you have to be ready for that! So take this time as an opportunity to practise.
I have heard so many times on my courses before; “ I have got no time to practise. “ well, now is the time! I have put together quite a few salon friendly design for you which are suitable for absolute beginners too.
I am going to upload nail art lessons on my website, 3 times a week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So don't forget to come and visit my online training page on those days. ;)
Some of them will be free, some of them will be there for you for a small charge and I have also added some variants too. Hopefully all of you will find something to work on these days.
I have just added my very first lesson to the website. Don’t forget the only way to get it if you “buy” it through the website. You do not need to be afraid, there is no catch, no charge later.
It contains:
And on top of it all, there is no time limit, which means you can have all the above forever.
I would love to see your work, whatever you are practising: on tips, practise hand, your own nails or even on your husbands lol. So if you fancy showing it to me, please use #HomeSchoolingNailTechniciansLesson1 or as always, you can send me a message or email to susansnailstore@hotmail.com
I am here for you and together we will get through this. Stay in, stay safe and practice while having fun! More to come but until …….much love,
Susan xx
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I know it's very tough on many of us with salon's being closed but there is a light at the end of it.
If you are done with all the cleaning and never ending laundry, I have got a #HomeSchooling Challenge for you ;)
It starts on 1st April.....I know, I know but this is not an April Fool's Day joke. I promise!
I am going to upload nail art lessons on my website, 3 times a week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So don't forget to come and visit my online training page on those days. ;)
Some of them will be free, some of them will be there for you for a small charge. It is only fair on those of my student's who already paid for some lessons to me.
As I am hoping this situation not going to last for too long but I have planned 20 lessons so far and still on the go to do more.
When this crisis is over, our salons will be full with clients again who are wanting fancy nails.
Be ready, be inspired, get in the challege with me!
Your first lesson starts on 1st April on my online training page.
Yes, you will have to buy the lesson ( free or not) through the website but there is no catch and that's a promise.
See you on 1st April but until stay safe.
Love,
Susan x
P.S.: #homeschooling #nailtechnicians #onlinetraining
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I have created these on one of those rainy autumn afternoons when I wanted to have a play with the new Mosaic gel paints.
Accidently left them on my table and since then, I am doing nothing but these designs on my clients nails.
They absolutely lovin' it! So, why don't you head over to my YouTube channel and have a look on it?!?
Tell me what you think, your feedback is always welcome!
Lots of Nail Love,
Susan x
]]>One of my favourite flower is tulip. I was trying to find the easiest way to paint it on nails and today, in this blog post , I am happy to share it with you.
Please welcome my new nail art challenge :)
Step 1: apply NABA hard colour gel 41 all over the nail as a full block colour and cure. Remember NABA hard colour gels cure without any tacky layer, so you do not need to cleanse the nail at all. It is ready to work on it, straight away.
Step 2: apply stencil on the nail.
Step 3: using your ombre sponge and MOSAIC Titan - one stroke paint, make an ombre looking fade on the nail. Cure.
Step 4: Take the stencil off the nail and then use NABA Matt Top gel all over the nail. Cure.
Step 5: with your Mosaic Petal brush using NABA hard colour gel 01, 04 start painting on your tulip's petal. Cure.
Step 6: repeat step 5 with opposite colours. Cure.
Step 7: fill in the middle of the tulip with NABA hard colour gel 20. Cure. Use a thin brush like Top Liner, Slim or #000.
Step 8: paint on the leaves. I used 3 different green for this to get a more realistic picture. The colours are the following NABA hard colour gels: 39, 29 and 75.
Step 9: using an acrylic brush, add some blue paches on the side of the nail and cure. I used NABA hard colour gel 44
Step 10: add some more patches with a ligther blue like NABA hard colour gel 30 and cure.
Step 11: you can add some fine lines to your work with white hard colour gel.
Step 12: the finish picture
Well, good luck with this new challenge. I hope you will find it easy to follow with these step by step pictures. Looking forward to seeing your beautiful work. Don't forget to tag us and use the word #nailartchallenge
And as a bonus, I am giving you 10% off to use in our online webshop with the code: NAILARTCHALLENGE20 till the 31st March 2020.
P&P applies, until stock lasts.
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Here is a quick step by step video on how to create some salon friendly one stroke flowers with acrylic paints:
The new one-stroke gel paints are in convenient tubes -- colors are 3ml, Black & White are 5ml. The 13 beautiful colours are very highly pigmented, so a little goes a long way! One-stroke gel paints are thicker and do not leave a dispersion layer.
For those of you that are familiar with one-stroke acrylic paints, the colour coding is similar to the Polycolor acrylic paint line. These paints are the best acrylic paints and the choice of colour for an experienced one-stroke artist has been made easy. The difference is that the gel paints are ready to use. As well, the gel paints do not dry until they are placed in the led-uv lamp so you can paint at your leisure and, if necessary, make corrections. The gel slides gently on the brush and does not skip like too-dry acrylic paint can.
Of course, the colors can be mixed with each other in order to find new tones.
If you fancy learning this technique, have a look on our training page.
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If you never heard about it, maybe it is time to have a look on this video here:
The more you play, the better it gets. Then I stopped for a moment and had a thought about what else can I do with this spider gel?!
I knew it was perfect for those straight, fine lines but I was wondering if it was possible to do something else with it.
Thankfully it didn’t take too long to come up with another idea. Taadaaam’!
A new way of using my well loved spider 🕷 gel. Quickly introduced the idea to my gel beginner girls and it didn’t take much for them to master the new technique in seconds.
This is one of those abstract nail art ideas where you cannot go wrong. It is pretty simple and easy to use. Looks good in any colours and done in seconds. Perfect! Just one of those things we need in our busy salon life ;)
If you like this idea, watch how you can create it too:
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If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to speak to your fully qualified nail technician.
Sounds professional, right? How many of you actually provide your clients with aftercare advise? If you have never done it before, it is time to start something new. Believe in me, this little thing makes your life easier. Accidents happen. A client can break a nail any time. BUT! If you give them some handy tips what to do and most importantly not to do with their nails, you should be fine and forget those half an hour nail repair appointments for either free or for pennies ;)
Let's see how you can help your clients to keep their nails in perfect condition until their next nail appointment.
Doctors Orders
Think of your nail technician as your personal NAIL DOCTOR, please listen carefully to her advice. If at any time you break a nail or one of your nails starts to lift away from the natural nail please reschedule an appointment with your nail tech so she can fix it. Do not attempt to repair, glue or 'plaster up' the nail yourself. This could lead to moisture and bacteria becoming trapped underneath the nail enhancement and could lead to an infection.
Every Little Helps
Your nail technician has a range of fabulous home care products available for you to buy to help keep your nail enhancements in tip top condition. Especially important is the daily use of cuticle oil. Cuticle oil not only keeps your cuticle supple but also nurtures your natural nail bed, providing it with all the necessary vitamins, as well as keeping your nail enhancements more flexible helping them to last longer and preventing small cracks and breakages. Apply a small drop to each nail and gently massage in. Do so on an evening and leave the oil on over night to give it time get into action. It is also recommended that you wear gloves when gardening or using water over a long period of time.
No Biting, Pulling or Cutting
In between one appointment and the next you may find that as your nails grow the length of your nail enhancements becomes uncomfortable. You can carefully file down your nails with a natural nail file if you wish. Your nail technician will be more than happy to show you how to do so correctly. DO NOT cut the enhancements down with nail clippers, doing so incorrectly could lead to you damaging your natural nail.
Do not bite, pull or chew your nail enhancements as this will also lead to natural nail damage. If you wish to remove you enhancements at any time, please schedule an appointment with your nail technician, she will remove your nail enhancements safety, without causing any damage and preform a mini manicure, leaving your nails in perfect condition.
Be Regular
Returning regularly for your infill is very important if you wish to keep the integrity of your natural nail bed. Infill's are also know as a Rebalance, this is because during your infill service your nail technician will rebalance the nail perfectly reliving excess strain caused to your nail bed. As your natural nails grow, so to do your enhancements, causing them to become "tip heavy", thus putting too much strain on your natural nails that therefore causing them to break.
Call in Sick
If you develop any sort of allergic reaction, skin or nail condition please inform your nail technician straight away. Allergic reactions to the ingredients in nail products is uncommon but if ever in doubt please call. Allergic reactions are characterized by redness, itching, inflammation of the side walls and skin irritations. Other skin allergies not related to nail enhancements products maybe contagious and therefore you may need to wait until the condition subsides before visiting your nail technician again. Your nail technician will take all the necessary steps to finding a solution to your problem and if needed will refer you to a dermatologist.
We hope you enjoy your nail enhancements, Please find below personalized recommendations from your nail technician
If you have any more ideas how to help each other and our clients, please do not hesitate to comment and share it with us via email.
Lots of nail love,
Susan x
]]>Do you feel how slow January is? After all of that buzz in December; the party season, living on energy drink, sugary doughnuts and glitters, life goes back to the same old, same old. Pretty depressing, right?
So, what to do then to start this year right ?!?! Nailsmag brought out an excellent article with 8 handy tips for us, nail techs. If you have not red this article just yet, have a look on it here.
I have already refreshed my workstation and organized and decluttered the salon. Wohhooo, at least 2 tips are done from the list, happy me.
It also brings up a very important TIP: pick up a new skill or technique. You could enroll in an in-person class or learn online. Try perfecting a new nail art skill you haven’t mastered, like fine lines and swirls or express aquarelle with gel, or go for something totally different that could help you in the salon, like photography, interior design, or stress management.
If you fancy taking a course this January, have a look on these upcoming course at Susan’s Nails in Peterborough
If picking up a new skill is not in your plans this January, then I still have got something for you. Once you’ve tidied and made some space in the salon, go shopping!
Find our JANUARY MONEY OFF VOUCHERS below:
• Order anything from our online webshop worth £50.00 (P&P not included) between 1-31st January 2019 and get £5.00 OFF with code: AJANUARY2019
• Order anything from our online webshop worth £100.00 (P&P not included) between 1-31st January 2019 and get £10.00 OFF with code: BJANUARY2019
• Order anything from our online webshop worth £150.00 (P&P not included) between 1-31st January 2019 and get £15.00 OFF with code: CJANUARY2019
These special money off vouchers are valid between 1-31st January 2019 on online orders only! One voucher per customer. You can use the voucher only once. You need to put the code in at the checkout to get your money off. P&P applies.
So get up, get organised, get some new skills or products and have a good year!
Lots of nail love,
Susan x
Watch how to apply!
Based on this amazing base gel (not to mention how long it lasted on my clients natural nails) I was looking for a similar ish product that is good for:
I have tried a few from different companies but they were a little bit iffy. Either the colour was not natural or the burning was so unbearable, I almost gave up.
Then I received a message from NABA, saying the new POWER BASE colours arrived! 🙏🏻
Excited or what! And they came not just in one colour but two!!
One of them is called Cover Pink, the other one is Cover Beige.
I like them both but Cover Beige suits better to my skin type.
How to use them? Very simple!
After natural nail preparation, I applied a thin coat of colour. Cure. ( curing time varies, depending on your lamp - I use NABA LED lamp - 30sec )
No heat spike.
Applied my second coat. You can use it a bit thicker if you wish. It has got a nice texture to it. It doesn’t flow or run. You can control it easily. Cure. Surprisingly still no heat spike! I am very very pleased because normally I can feel every product! Event the top coat! How? 🤷🏻♀️ Don’t know, don’t ask! I am just super sensitive!
If you want to achieve a natural nude look, all you need is top coat now.
If you want to get that French look, use your NABA X One lac gel or NABA 01 white hard gel and with a fine nail art brush, or dotting tool (whichever is easier for you) paint it on ;)
As your final step, use top gel. You can use NABA Power Top or Base and Top Gel. Both are flexible top coats.
Forget those days when you were hunting for that perfect pink colour to do a French gel polish service and you were applying 2-3 sometimes 4 coats to have the perfect coverage! With NABA POWER BASE you can do all that with one product! And also a bit of strengthening to the natural nail too! Now that’s power!
As for pricing? I always charged an extra £5.00 on top of my gel polish price for natural nail strengthening. And none of my clients asked me why after they felt the difference. Longer lasting gel polish service (up to 4-5 weeks), stronger natural nails!
Amazing, natural nude colours in the bottle. That’s the new NABA POWER BASE GELS.
]]>Use these steps to achieve amazing holo powder effect and wow your clients!
Step 1: base colour on your nail
The base can be a gel polish colour or hard gel colour. Any colour is ok to use, depending on the look you wish to achieve. If you want to stand out, try to use unusual colours like yellow and green. Life is too short to have boring, black nails!
Step 2: apply your top coat
I highly recommend to use tack free top coat, NO WIPE, top coat if using a gel polish colour or hard colour gels.
Bare in mind, there are hard colour gels out there (like NABA hard colour gels) that cures without any tacky layer so no need to use any top coat before your holographic powder application.
Step 3: apply your holographic powder
Choose a powder that is very highly pigmented , like NABA Holographic powder. Ultra fine holographic powder that will make your nails shine! It comes in one color only but you can achieve different looks using colorful base underneath powder.
Pigment comes in a large jar that can fit more than 1 gram of product so your jar will not be full when you receive it. You only need the tiniest amount of product per nail so 1 gram of powder will last for many nails.
Dip your eyeshadow sponge applicator into the powder and then massage it into the nail. Remember, less is more!
You will need to polish your nail until you achieve the look. You cannot miss this look!
Step 4: wipe away your excess powder
Turn the applicator and brush off the extra powder from the nail. You can also use a soft cloth.
Step 5: apply top gel
Don’t forget to use a flexible top gel over pigments if you don’t want your top gel to crack after a day or two.
Extra tip: apply the pigment straight after it came out of the lamp and the nail is still “warm”.
Here is a quick video on how I used the holographic powder on a yellow set of nails with some freehand painting nail art.
Please leave any comments , tips you have picked up or suggestions below . We would love to hear from you.
Love,
Susan x
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Unicorn make up, unicorn hair, unicorn clothing or even unicorn cake! We have seen it all now so it was kind of a must to have on nails too.
A fun, bright, iridescent nail colour to welcome the summer. NABA has launched its own version of unicorn powder and here is my little review on how to use it!
It comes in a sealed pot which seams to be bigger than the pigment amount inside of it. Unfortunately there is only 1g in the pot but the good news is; you only need to use a small amount of it. If you wonder how many sets can you do with 1g of pigment?! The answer is approximately 20 so in this case, the price is very reasonable.
It doesn’t come with any application tool, you need to find the best for you. Some people like to use their fingertips, some like a silicone tool. Personally speaking, I like the small eyeshadow applicator with a sponge end. You can get these from any shops nowadays.
If you never worked with pigments before, have a look on my previous blog post on them here.
I like having a play with my stuff and getting the most out of it so i will show you 3 different looks with unicorn powder.
They all look a bit different and the look can be achieved with different products.
In my first video, I am demoing a very nice, milky pink builder gel, called Fairy Pink from NABA. This hard gel can be used as gel overlay on natural nails or on tip extensions as well as sculpted gel nails. Self- levelling, medium viscosity. Ideal for baby boomer, rose quarz and 3D nail art. Cures in UV lamp and LED lamp too. Easy to file. After curing time, file and buff the nail, then apply tack free top gel and cure. As soon as your top gel is cured, apply unicorn pigment onto the nail. Coat it with a flexible top coat. You can add nail art on it or just leave it on its own. Very popular and easy to achieve look in the salon.
In the second video, I am using NABA hard colour gel number 67
Spice up your salon nails with these amazing new pigments from NABA. Due to high quality, you only need to use a tiniest amount to get the effect. Achieve different looks using colorful base underneath these powders. You need to apply these pigments on tack free hard gel / gel polish / top coat and then seal it with a flexible top coat.
In my last video, i have created a babyboomer background with the new revolution gels. Used top gel and applied unicorn pigment on top of top gel.
Having a good play with my unicorn pigment, here is my advices to you:
Would I recommend it to use in salon? Absolutely!!! My clients are loving it wether i use it on top of Babyboomer nails or on top of colour, absolute winner!
Go and make your clients dream a reality with unicorn pigment today!
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A few weeks back, NABA launched their own “acrylgel” products and called it as REVOLUTION gel. It was time for me to give it a go. Needless to say how excited I was when my parcel arrived on a very hot Monday afternoon. Perfect time to give it a go when the temperature is 30 degrees in the salon. As we all know, even the thickest hard gel would go a bit runny and harder to work with under such circumstances. A little bit of challeng, me thinks😂.
REVOLUTION gel promises endless time to play with as it will not move, or flow. Challenge accepted! 💪🏻
There are 2 different cover pinks available: medium and dark, pink builder and white. All the above are the perfect combination of French nails and Babyboomer nails.
Personally speaking non of the above are my favourites so it makes all this testing even more interesting.
Anyway, let’s open the pot and spoon out some gel. First thing I had to realise, it aint gonna happen with my favourite cat #6 brush. It is either the gel too hard or my brush is too soft to do the job. Need to find something else then: mixing spatula 💡! Perfect!
At this stage, I was just playing around on a tip. Not brave enough to do it on my nails just yet.
Now let’s pick up the brush ( you can either use your cat #6 brush or an acrylic brush - it is personal preference, whichever works better for you ) and move the gel. But it doesn’t want to move! Besides, sticks to the bristles like an old chewing gum 😭 Really?!?!
Didn’t receive any instructions, so trying to remember all of those “helpful” ( or not so helpful ) YouTube videos. They use a liquid to move the gel.
Ok, so here is the thing; if I use monomer then it will stink the salon. One of the reasons why I don’t work with acrylics. So what else to use then?
💡 Cleanser 💡
I love the smell of my NABA Cleanser so it will be fine. And surprise, surprise it works with REVOLUTION gel too.
When you work with hard gel only, your fingers automatically want to move the gel in a certain way. Well with THIS gel, forget those moves. Doesn’t work. If you ever worked with acrylics then you are lucky as you will need to do the “tap-tap-tap” method. If you never worked with acrylics before, it is a new skill to master 😉
I can hear and see my gel beginner students face already 😘 sorry guys, you will get used to it! Promise! It just looks hard but actually ok and of course practice !
So I pour out some cleanser, I am all set and ready to move my still rock solid REVOLUTION gel on the tip. And guess what?! It actually moves nicely, exactly the place where I want it to be 😱 perfect! Let’s cure it now!
I am using my NABA LED lamp and it is pretty solid in about 1 minute but please have a go with your own lamp. I really don’t like giving out information about curing time as it varies depending on your lamp. Have a play!
Let’s just give it a quick cleanse and try filling it. I am using NABA 180/180 file as per usual. Surprisingly, it is even easier to file than hard gel. ( Not because it is hard to file hard gel anyway. ) I actually don’t need to file a lot ( another bonus ) because I managed to put the gel exactly the place where I wanted to. Will this reduce the service time? Probably yes!
Quick buff, top gel and done ✅
Right, let’s be brave and do a set on myself. After I safely removed my old set of nails with an efile, I decided to play safe and do a gel overlay on myself, French style. 😱
Natural nail preparation, prep liquids ✅
NO base gel this time, straight on the nail, starting with DARK COVER PINK.
Tap-tap-tap ➡️ nail bed extension ready ✅ Let’s cure it! Now here is the thing about heat spike. It is a tricky one. There are some people out there who can take the pain, no problem. And some others who cries like a baby 👶🏻 even after top gel application. And yes, that sums me up quite well!! I am the one who 😭 like a 👶🏻.
So heat spike; bare able.
Next gel I am using is the PINK BUILDER, straight on top of my nail bed extension.
Tap - tap - tap, cure ➡️ no heat spike!
As I want to do a proper French set, next gel to use is WHITE.
Tap - tap - tap, cure ➡️ no heat spike!
A quick cleanse and filing and job is done!
Well, as REVOLUTION gel does not move, I am up for the challenge to do the rest of my nails in one go 😉
Conclusion of REVOLUTION gel so far:
✅ a mixture of acrylics and hard gel
✅ cures in uv and led lamp
✅ easy to do French nails with it using reverse technique
✅ you can play with this gel forever as will not move or run at all
✅ extremely easy to file
✅ a new service to offer clients
💡 application is different from hard gel
💡 need to master the “tap - tap - tap” technique
💡 required amount of gel (comes with practice, depends on the length of the nails)
It is ok to say, REVOLUTION gel passed the test for French.
Now let’s see what is happening with BABYBOOMER style?
I am using DARK COVER PINK and WHITE BUILDER gel.
Application is getting easier and easier. Comparing to do Babyboomer with other gels; quicker.
Filing very easy and quick!
As my clients always up for some funky stuff, I added some unicorn 🦄 pigment over these nails and finished with some freehand painting nail art.
You might be wondering if these gels work as extensions now?
The answer is yes! 👍 They work perfectly on tip extensions as well as on sculpting forms. You can pinch it and it stays in form without adding any clip on top 😉 another BONUS!
I would definitely recommend to try this new gel from NABA. It is a game changer, specially for those nail technicians who are struggling with hard gel application. Don't miss out on a brand new service that you can also offer to your clients.
UPDATE: The top picture was taken of my clients nails on 6th July before she went on holiday to sunny Greece 🇬🇷 for 2 months. Yes you heard it right, 2 months of sun 🌞 , sea 🌊, sand and lotion. I used NABA REVOLUTION GELS; cover pink, white and pink builder.
She returned today, on 6th September. Exactly after 2 months without any break or any lifting. Obviously this is not recommended to leave infill for so long but the nails are all good. I filled the length and gave her a new set of nails today. Happy client, happy me 🙂
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If you missed the Facebook LIVE Feed on our Facebook page last night, here are the videos to watch now!
If you have got any questions about the products, or the technique just send us an email or comment below ;)
Intro into different foils
Foil Design 01
Foil Design 02
Foil Design 03
Foil Design 04
Foil Design 05
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Thanks for coming to my Facebook LIVE! Much appreciated! If for any reason you missed it, here are the videos for you ;)
If you prefer to have it as a handout, you can download this design from here.
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