The Art of Nailz

The "Perfect" Nail

2012-02-13T17:06:00.000-08:00

I was really nervous about doing a nail for an article called "the perfect nail." That's a very tall order, and technical skill is not as much my specialty as artistic interpretation. Still, it got me to thinking about what a perfect nail should be, who gets to decide when it is, and how to tell when you've done it:

Being tasked with creating an example of "the perfect nail" was stressful, knowing that my work would be used as that example and published where it will be scrutinized as such by my peers; I have visions of nail techs all over the world reading the article and looking at that nail thinking, "Who the hell did that nail and where do they get off thinking they know how to do a 'perfect' nail?!"

On one hand, the "perfect nail" has very much been defined for me-- and the entire industry-- by sculptured nail competitions that set forth specific criteria to be met in order to achieve an ideal that has been preconceived for us. That concept is very finite and clearly spelled out. I think much of the industry's own idea of the "perfect nail" is based on the competition paradigm.

On the other hand... I started thinking how "perfect" applies in real life. It's so subjective. Some people love sharply squared nails, some people loathe them. Take, for instance, the growing popularity of the flared nail. More and more, I find myself coming to terms with this trend and learning to appreciate it for its own beauty. So, as demand for the look grows, I've decided that if that's what's going to be the trend, then at least I can do them as well as possible. So I'm working on making my flares stand out as at least still having technical skill behind them; with straight lines and clean edges. I can definitely look through photos and see the difference between well-done stilettos and nails that are simply filed to a point, and now I find myself also looking at photos of nails and telling the difference between nails that flare because they suck and nails that flare because someone took the time and effort to create an artistically flared nail.

Ultimately, our clients are the ones who determine "perfection." And I am fortunate to have an eclectic clientele that allows me to practice many different styles, and that drives me to keep an open mind regarding these ideals so that I am able to see the same perfection in a sleek stiletto or a extravagantly flared duckfoot: square, squoval, oval, almond; pink and white, rockstar, 3D, natural nails and even distressed manicures-- "perfect" is in the eye of the beholder, and it is achieved each time your client leaves the salon in love with her nails, and returns to have you do them again.

Cover Artist

2012-02-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

It might be safe to say that it is every nail artist's dream to do the cover for a trade magazine.

Here in the US, we have Nails Magazine and Nailpro Magazine to feed the obsessions of the professional nail industry. Abroad, magazines such as Nailure (Russia) and Scratch (UK) capture my attention and make me drool... sadly, the cost of an out of country subscription is a tad steep so I have to drool over the photos and articles online.

I have been blogging for Nails Magazine since 2008 now. I hope to keep this sweet gig for several more years (crosses fingers) mostly because it's a super fun blog to write, and also because being able to say that I'm a "professional blogger" is to girls what being a professional video game player is to boys.

But, in 20 years of doing nails, and 20 years of subscribing to both the US trade magazines for the nail industry, I had never been invited to do the cover nails of either, despite my obvious superior talents and personality.

Ok. Well, I looked into it many years ago: the thing is, the mags don't really reach out and invite people to their cover shoots.

The magazines tend to work with local artists (both magazines being headquartered in southern CA,) with artists who represent major product manufacturers or have connections with one. They offer those coveted cover shoots to the winners of competitions, or nail artists who are already accustomed to working on professional photo shoots.

This means that it's not uncommon to see the same artists credited for the covers over and over again.

For one thing, that can get boring. I've seen year after year of covers and when you use the same talent over and over again, it shouldn't be a surprise that the covers start to look like you're using the same talent over and over again.

Another thing that I came to understand from the git-go is that the cover art is rarely entirely representative of the cover artist: The magazine editors are the ones who put the magazines together and they are often the ones who conceive the issue's theme and tone. So when they select an artist to do the cover, it's less about showcasing that artist's style and talent than it is about hiring labor to bring the editors' visions to fruition.

I don't particular think this is the way it ought to be-- not for the magazines that serve the nail industry! These are supposed to be OUR magazines, about US, and OUR trade-- getting the opportunity to do the cover nails for should be all about the cover artist! The editors should select the artist, say, "You'll be doing the July issue, wow us!" And then the artist should come in, guns ablazing (metaphorically speaking) and get to show off!

This should be that artist's chance to really do something amazing that illustrates their individual style.

But it isn't-- at least, not usually.

But knowing this never dampened the hope that I would someday get the chance to do the nails for a magazine cover. It's a pretty fancy feather for the cap of a nail tech!

Several years ago, Nails Magazine started doing a cover competition. This might be the closest thing a cover artist really has to being able to go wild and do whatever they want. You do the nails, you set up the photo shoot, you get really high quality photos, and you enter them in the contest. Originally, the magazine editors chose the winner and the photo appeared on the January issue of the magazine.

I'm proud to say that it was actually one of my blog posts that helped to further the concept of the "reader-written" January issue combined with the cover contest so that now the readers are the ones who determine the winning photo for the issue each year (after the editors narrow it down to the top 10 finalists.)

But I've never entered the cover contest.

Why?

Oddly enough-- because I wanted my first cover to be at the request of the editors. I wanted them to want me to do the cover.

Maybe it's an ego thing? I wanted to do the cover, but I wanted to do a cover shoot too. I wanted the whole experience. And I wanted it to be because I had earned the exposure and respect in my industry to warrant enough celebrity to get invited to do a cover shoot.

Let me tell you right now-- if this is the way you choose to go about pursuing a goal, it is going to be a long, hard ride!

Nevertheless! Shortly after the 1st of the year, I received a phone call one afternoon from editor Tim Crowley of Nails Magazine.

I was in the process of rockstarring up Brenda's toes and I tried very hard to sound totally nonchalant on the phone while I was doing my happy dance when Tim said he was calling to ask if I could come do the cover nails.

First I was ecstatic. Then terrified. Then nauseous. Then I spent a week battling the impulse to run away and hide under a rock.

Not only would I be doing the cover nails, but also the nails that would accompany an article called "the Perfect Nail."

*Gulp!* "Perfect" nails is not my forte! I do stunning nails. I do creative nails. I do fabulous nails. I do artistic nails. I do nails that my clients love... but "perfect" to a nail tech (especially one who competes) is a different animal altogether than what you might envision!

Nothing like making my first professional photo shoot a horrifying experience! LOL!

But I didn't run away and hide. I drove to Torrance (a 3 hour drive-- I actually lived there briefly in the late 90s,) I got up early in the morning and arrived for my photo shoot around 8 a.m. ( and we all know that my personal clock has no A.M.!)

I was totally prepared for a high-pressure day of creating nails according the editor's vision, on a professional hand model, working with editors and art directors and models and photographers in a setting that is totally new and alien to my daily work environment. I had myself all psyched out to remember that I was not the top of these food chain, that I was merely there to get the job done according to the needs, desires, and time restrictions of a crew that has experience doing this stuff.

Which turned out to be a lot like when I psyched myself up for my state board exam! (Best advice I can give anyone who is headed for their CA State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology licensing exam is that it is NOT as scary as you've been led to believe!)

In fact, my first photo shoot with Nails Magazine was very relaxed. And I wish I'd been prepared for that.

I did not have to rush. I could have taken more time to get my bearings. I could have taken more time to talk with the editor, the art director, and the photographer about the nitty gritty details of the process outside of just doing the nails. So many things that I didn't consider when I sat down with my model.

I knew I would most likely be the only one on the set who hadn't done this before (and I was right,) I didn't want to get in anyone's way by needing someone to hold my hand during the process. I wanted to be independent and be ready to just do what was needed of me-- I could have relaxed and asked for a little hand holding, just a little.

Overall, it was a great experience. I had fun. I met awesome people. I learned a lot about how Nails Magazine does a cover shoot, and I hope that I get the opportunity to use what I learned to do it better the next time.

I have not seen the cover yet. I saw the photos that were taken, and have an idea of which shot will be chosen, but I have to wait with everyone else till the April issue comes out to see the final result-- after the photo editing!

The nails that I did are not indicative of my style, the don't look like the nails in my portfolio, they are largely the manifestation of Hannah's vision (editor of Nails Mag,) but they are beautiful, they were fun to do, and I think they fit into the theme of the cover and will look beautiful in print.

Currently, I am awaiting the arrival of the March issue-- which I believe is the one with the "perfect nail" article in it. I am terrified! I repeatedly made the art director assure me that she had mad skillz with Photoshop and would make my less then "perfect" nail look perfect in print!

my photo shoot crew

The Groupon Debacle

2012-01-27T21:17:00.000-08:00

I don't have good photos for this post, so here are some
awesome tie-dye rockstar nails.

The professional networking forums that I frequent have been alive lately with talk about Groupon-- and its various clone companies-- and how it works, or rather, totally fails to work, for small businesses like salons and salon professionals.

Upon hearing so many negative-- and we are talking about vehement, spitting, cursing, angry negative here-- personal accounts of how devastating a Groupon-like deal can be for a small business, I, naturally, was skeptical.

I balk at any input on any subject that seems too one-sided. But in the case of this subject, many of the stories I heard came from people that I have known and respected professionally for many years. These were first-person accounts of how these deal sites personally affected them.

I had to admit... it's difficult to look at the information as it appears on the surface and then look at your friends and your peers and tell them they should have known better.

So. I have spent the last few days researching from a lot of different angles. And now I'm left feeling sort of unsatisfied and disgruntled.

I really need to write a comprehensive article aimed at fellow professionals within my industry, but I try to write this blog for consumers.

So here is what I'd like you to know about these "deals" if you are going to purchase them and redeem them.

hand painted camoflouge nail art

Small businesses offer discounted deals because they want to attract more customers. So, if you see a great deal-- whether it's for a coffee shop, a salon, or a car wash-- that business ran that special in hopes of getting new customers. New regular customers. They hope that you will redeem your half-off a latte deal and also buy a bagel. Or redeem your half-off spa pedicure and also buy a matching manicure, or a bottle of lotion, or-- even better-- book another spa pedicure (and hopefully a matching mani) before you leave. Or that you will redeem your half-off luxury car wash and opt to buy the "buy 10/get 3" package deal.

At the very least, they hope you will have a great experience with the business and recommend them to your friends, leave a positive review on Yelp or Google or Merchant Circle, etc; follow the business on Twitter, like them on Facebook, sign up for their mailing list.

What they do not want is to be bossed around by self-centered deal-hoppers who saunter into the business like the business owes them something... at least, not more than the deal they purchased.

Businesses do not want one-hit-wonder customers who try to get more than the deal they purchased; who try to use multiple coupons all at once, who try to use coupons that have expired, or try to use an already-redeemed coupon again.

That makes you a crappy customer for any business. And if you are a crappy customer already, do not spout off about how the "customer is always right" on top of it. That was a slogan attributed to Harry Gordon Selfridge, that is largely associated with Marshall Field and Company from the early 1900s and it is not the axiom that customers would like to believe it is.)

Nevertheless, it's my opinion that the consumer should not be burdened with any more responsibility for the fiasco that Groupon has been for small businesses, than to be a considerate and ethical customer overall. And that applies to all of us as consumers, and not just in cases of redeeming coupons and gift certificates.

But what many consumers don't know, is how Groupon works. Most people think that when a business runs an offer with Groupon that Groupon takes a percentage of the price and pays the merchant the rest.

Well, you're right.

Miner Ed: local high school,
El Diamante mascot--
I can do other high schools too.

What you may not know, is that the percentage of the price that Groupon takes is 50%. Which means that if you get a certificate for $20 worth of food from a local diner that only costs you $10, the diner gets $5 and Groupon gets $5.

So any deal you get on Groupon (and this split is very common, so the math applies to most of these types of deal sites) means that the business that offered the deal is only getting 25% of the regular price.

So what? Right? A lot of people argue that businesses run "loss leader" advertising all the time. These businesses knew that they were going to be taking a loss on these deals when they agreed to the offer. So why should the customer feel bad about buying the Groupon, right?

Well. I don't really think you should. I'm just saying-- go into it aware of exactly how big a discount this really represents to the merchant. And be a polite customer.

You know what? Be a polite member of your community. At all times. It's just one tiny thing you can do to make the world a better place.

OK. So anyway: I would totally be with you on that whole "loss leader" thing except that what's happening is that small-- and by "small" I really mean "tiny" like neighborhood cafes and salons-- businesses are finding that they negotiate to run a deal and then Groupon runs the deal and they sell like 1,000 of the certificates!

OMG!

Now... there are a lot of tales on line from retail businesses that explain how Groupon was a bad idea for them, and then these business owners go on to say that they think these deals would work better for service-based businesses like salons.

No, No, No.

angel wing nail art on rockstar nails.

It's true that the bulk of the price of a service-- like a set of nails-- is for labor. The cost of product is pretty low. But I don't just have to cover the cost of the acrylic, cotton pads, file, buffer, that I use to create the nails; I also have to make sure that I make enough money to pay for my rent, my utilities, my insurance, my advertising, etc. AND that's just the money that I have to make to stay in business! On top of that amount of money, I also have to make a living! The amount of money that I need to take home, so I can pay for my car, my car insurance, my rent/mortgage, utilities, groceries, etc-- you know, the reason we work.

So, as a tiny business owner, I effectually have to cover 2 salaries: one to pay for the business, and one to pay for my life. In the long run, just because I am a service-based business does not really mean I have a significantly lower overhead than other types of businesses.

OK. So a set of nails costs $50 (basic pink and white acrylics here at the Art of Nailz.) If I did a Groupon deal for a set of nails, you'd be able to buy a set of nails for $25. I would get to keep $12.50 of that, and Groupon would get $12.50.

By the way-- it takes an hour and a half to do a full set of pink and white acrylics.

That means I'd get $8.33 per hour. Yes, that is less than I need to cover my expenses.

When a business runs a standard "loss leader" promotion, they carefully calculate what it'll cost them, how much they can afford to lose, and then control the promotion so that it doesn't bankrupt the business.

stars on rockstar; is that "double rockstar?"

But when a salon runs a Groupon deal for a $25 set of nails and they only get $12.50 and it takes 1 1/2 hours AND Groupon sells A THOUSAND of them-- well... the problem is that it'll take 1500 hours to redeem all those Groupons! It would take one person, working 40 hours a week, 37.5 weeks to do all those sets! And she still has to work in her regular customers who are still paying full price-- you know, the customers who represent a profit, which means it'll take more than a year to redeem all the Groupon deals sold. Which is one of the factors that many small businesses have run into, and one of the things customers don't understand that leads to angry, demanding customers, and weary, equally angry workers.

Maybe, in a large salon with enough technicians, being tasked with redeeming 1,000+ deals would represent less of a disaster. But several of the salon workers who are running these ads are small salons with fewer than 5 technicians available at any given time to provide services, and I see even more ads that are run by sole operators. That means, just one person, to redeem hundreds of services that run in the red and still do enough services in between to keep the rent paid.

In many cases, the Groupon ads (or Living Social, Daily Deals, etc etc) are wildly successful. They really do sell hundreds, or even thousands, of certificates. And on top of that, most of those certificates sold actually get redeemed-- or attempt to get redeemed.

We're used to advertising that sees very little return. Like, you might get one or two customers for every 1,000 copies of your ad that get seen. So when a Groupon deal suddenly opens a flood gate of new clients trying to get in all at once, it can be a big surprise and businesses can be caught unprepared.

Suddenly, you realize that you may have wanted 20 new regular clients (mind you, I do nails, I tend to speak from the perspective of a nail business, I should think that a local cafe might be delighted to have 250 new customers) and you may have time in your schedule to accommodate 5 to 10 of those new clients in any given week. But now you have 800 rabid fans clawing at your door insisting on redeeming their deal in the next 48 hours.

Yes. It's true. Many, many, small business owners are bad at math. Or at the very least, lazy at it.

Savannah: neice, polish duster.

Almost every story I have heard or read ultimately comes down to, "that was stupid, why would you do that?" Even my 13 year old niece came to that conclusion when I tried to explain what I was writing about today. And she does not pay attention to my business ramblings very intently.

But there are a few more factors at play: for one thing, businesses with employees and/or independent contractors (common in the salon industry) who don't get a say in the decisions that the owners make about advertising. And alleged accounts of shadiness on the part of Groupon sales reps.

If you agree to run a deal, and you HAVE done the math, and you decide it would be a good thing for your business IF you can limit the number of deals that get sold-- say, you have 3 people working in your salon, so you decide 100 deals is all you can afford to do. OK. Then what happens when your sales rep tells you that's "totally doable," sends you the contract, all is set and ready and then, an hour before the deal goes live, you get a call that says, "Oh, by the way, we decided to sell 2500."

Well. I don't know what happens if you say, "Oh hell no!" Because I haven't heard any account of people doing this. I hear a lot of accounts of frightened, intimidated business owners who are afraid to tell Groupon "no" at the 11th hour.

And maybe for good reason. Because according to one source and his analysis of the merchant agreement, the contract includes a pretty harsh non-compete clause. Basically, it says that once you sign the contract, you can't do any other online promotions until your deal has run... even though the contract also says that Groupon doesn't actually have to run your deal. The wording is very broad. It doesn't list any specific examples of what Groupon considers to be an "online promotion," which means that you could be considered in breech of your contract if you so much as Tweet a special in the meantime.

I have a lot of polish and a lot of glitter.

That's a pretty convincing argument to not hold up the running of your ad.

Accounts of sleaziness aside, there's also that issue of the workers. What happens when your boss comes in one morning and says, "Hey! Guess what? We're running a GROUPON ad!"

What happens when you're a salon worker who gets paid on commission? And now you are expected to redeem 60 quarter-priced spa pedicures in a week? That the salon didn't profit from at all?

I got news: 60% of Nada, is Nada.

Some salon owners out there have found themselves in this "I wish I'd done the math first" conundrum and are doing all they can to step up and pay their work force the standard commission that they would make on regular price.

Some of them think absorbing the losses should be a team effort.

Some of them are looking for new team members now.

The truth is, small businesses have flourished over the centuries, even though their proprietors weren't good at math. Or didn't understand things like "loss leaders" and "yield management." And the fact that small business owners have continued to be successful, year after year, generation after generation, across a vast variety of markets and industries, proves that maybe math isn't as important to running a business as people with business and economics degrees want to believe.

The view from the salon, can't beat it!

On the other hand, when you get caught in the pinch because you didn't do the math, it's best to just own up to the fact. Don't try to blame someone else and say they took advantage of you when all you had to do was say "no."

If you expect sympathy for not being able to stand up to the pressure, then don't go giving your teenagers any of those "resist peer pressure" or "just because all your friends are doing it" speeches when you can't lead by example.

If you buy Groupon deals, be kind to the business and it's employees. They might unexpectedly find themselves in over their heads. And be ethical, don't try to pull a fast one by trying to use the same deal twice or fudge the fine print. And buy a bagel, or a bottle of lotion.

One thing I learned from all this reading is that Groupon-- at its core-- started with a very noble goal in mind. They specifically wanted to promote small, local businesses. Not to take advantage of them, but to help promote them within their communities.

local business: the Art of Nailz, visit :-)

Groupon still does that. The deals that you receive are tailored to your community. Those are local businesses, those are your friends', and your neighbors' businesses. At its heart, these deal sites give you an opportunity to participate in your community and build relationships with those businesses.

Hopefully, these deal sites will modify their business models in the future so that they offer a realistic advantage to the truly tiny business owner.

In the meantime, you are bound to start seeing a LOT more grassroots attempts at swaying your attention away from the shiny ad copy in your daily email, and toward genuine opportunities to support local business.

Like Re-using Q-Tips

2012-01-24T16:12:00.000-08:00

One of the recurring themes that you're bound to notice throughout my ranting, is that the State (no matter which state) does not care about how well we do nails... or hair... or make up... or waxing. Licensing has nothing to do with skill or talent, and everything to do with consumer safety.

Now, government regulation of the cosmetology industry (and other industries) is another matter entirely that deserves not just its own post, but possibly its own server entirely! But I think its important for the public to understand that just because someone holds a license to do nails, doesn't mean they are any good at doing nails!

But despite my feeling that this is a very important thing for people to know and understand-- it isn't the primary point that I'm planning on addressing today.

Today I want to talk about disinfection practices in salons. We are supposed to have them. Maintaining a clean work area is vital to practicing our art in a manner that is safe and healthy for our clients and ourselves. And part of being clean and safe is being sure to disinfect the tools we use.

Now-- there are some exceptions, such as sculpting brushes and the brushes that are inside nail polishes. Occasionally a group comes along and tries to get over zealous with the germaphobia thing and, so far, it keeps getting overturned by experts who come forward to produce all the necessary charts and graphs to show that these things don't pose health threats under normal use.

So don't sweat that stuff. There is such a thing as being paranoid and worrying about nail polish brushes is on that list.

What you should be looking at though are things like cuticle nippers and pushers; nail files, buffers, drill bits, pedicure tubs, and anything that gets used to smooth calluses on your feet-- and if one of those things is a razor blade, then you should freak out and run away! Because razor blades are not legal for use in salons in most states-- and are generally a bad idea overall.

I live and work in California, so what I know and how I practice is largely based on California's rules and regulations. All states are different, so make sure you look into your specific area.

Here in Cali, we are required to disinfect our implements and surfaces using a "hospital grade, EPA-registered" disinfectant.

Most disinfectant is purchased in concentrate and must be mixed with water according to directions to create a liquid that is strong enough to kill fungus, bacteria, and viruses. One of my biggest pet peeves in my colleagues is that they tend to mix their disinfectant too strong. I don't know if they think leaving it so concentrated will kill more germs, or if they think it'll stay stronger longer so they don't have to change their disinfectant as often, or if they just like the color better if it's not so watered down.

Whatever their thinking is-- it's wrong. Mixing disinfectant concentrate to anything other than it's recommended strength either produces a watered-down liquid that doesn't have the strength to kill anything, or it produces a mixture that's so strong that it corrodes metal implements, stains nylon and plastic ones, wastes disinfectant, and is harder to wash off and could lead to skin sensitivities.

Disinfectant should be somewhere in the neighborhood of Windex in color-- except for the disinfectants that aren't blue. There are some pink ones, some purple ones, and some green ones. All of the ones I'm familiar with should be clear (never cloudy) and you should be able to see through them if they are mixed properly. None of them should be so dark you can't see light through them.

Also, the liquid should be CLEAR. NOT cloudy. Cloudy means it's been too long since it's been changed and it's killing power has been compromised.

Yes, disinfectant has finite kill-power. There's a point where the germs can overpower the disinfectant and the liquid ends up becoming an incubator for more germs. That's why it's important to change the disinfectant regularly.

I change mine daily. California says I have to change it daily or whenever it becomes visibly cloudy. I reason that changing disinfectant about every 10-15 clients seems like good math under those requirements. But I keep a relatively small jar for my implements so when it gets too full to hold another brush, then it's time for a new batch.

Some nail techs have chosen to go above and beyond and are using autoclaves to fully sterilize their metal implements-- to date, I don't believe any state requires this. I know Texas tried it, but last I heard they'd decided to put it off.

Sterilization is a big deal. Autoclaves are pricey, and the implements must be sealed into little airtight pouches-- which can't be reused. So, if you find someone who sterilizes, that's pretty cool! It means you've found someone who REALLY takes safety seriously! BUT just because someone doesn't sterilize, doesn't mean you aren't safe.

Surgeons have to sterilize because their implements are designed to get inside your body, where the slightest hint of bacteria could be a serious threat, tattoo artists (good ones) sterilize their tools because their tools are designed to break the skin-- again, where even ordinarily benign bacteria could cause problems.

But nail services should never break the skin. And, under normal circumstances when the tech is following proper protocol for disinfection-- even a rare, occasional mishap should be easily treatable with some peroxide and a bandage. And a cut during a nail service should be rare!

So, here's what we have to disinfect: anything that touches the client. That includes metal implements like nippers and cuticle pushers, as well as nylon manicuring brushes, our drill bits, files, and buffers.

And none of those things can touch another person until they've been disinfected!

If it can't be disinfected according to the State's requirements, it has to be thrown out! NOT put in a bag or a box with your name on it and saved just for you. THROWN AWAY.

Currently, things that must be thrown away include the cotton that's used to take off your polish (duh, right?) and files, buffers, and those little sandpaper bands that some of us use on our drills. Those things cannot be disinfected! They are "single use" items and they go in the trash after your service is complete.

If you remind me that you want them, I will happily let you take your file home with you for personal use...but you cannot bring it back! I can't use it again. It's dirty. And the state has declared that it can't be reliably disinfected. Even if I put it in the disinfectant and it doesn't fall apart-- because of its porosity, there's a very likely chance that the disinfectant couldn't kill the cooties.

I always say that reusing these things is like re-using Q-tips. It's not, exactly, but I need to use an analogy that people really understand!

And here's something else to consider: Remember when I said it wasn't OK to put your personal implements into a container that gets saved just for use on you?

I have heard a lot of people tell me that they've been a salon where their nail tech did that. I've heard a lot of people say they really thought that was a good idea.

Well, it's not.

For starters; here in California, it's still illegal. Because CA requires all those things to be disinfected every time, even if they only touch one person. It still has to be cleaned properly between uses. And files and buffers still can't be disinfected to the State's satisfaction-- the State does not care who the implements are used on, it cares how many services the implements are used for.

But think of it this way:

At the end of the day you go home and change your clothes, right? Maybe you keep you clothes on till you put on your pj's, maybe you strip down your chones and sleep in them and change them the next morning, whatever your personal routine is-- when you take off your panties at the end of the day, do you fold them back up and put them back in your dresser drawer so you can wear them again later in the week?

Or do you put them in the laundry to be washed before you wear them again?

Why? Why would you need to wash your underwear before you wear it again? I mean, it ONLY TOUCHES YOU, right? So if it only touches you, how does it get dirty?

Uh huh... see my point? The same people who are totally disgusted by the thought of wearing the same pair of panties twice without washing them in between, are the people who think it's totally cool to leave their nail files and buffers in an box on a shelf somewhere for two weeks at a time, slowly festering and breeding vast colonies of whatever cooties were on their nails, the nail technician, the sink, the table, the doorknob, their keys, and everything else they touched that day... and two weeks before that...and two weeks before that... and two weeks before that...etc.

So that's why you want to make sure that your nail file, buffer, sanding band, and any other paper-based implements are BRAND NEW everytime you get your nails done. And that's why you want to make sure that you nail brushes, nippers, pushers, etc have been disinfected between every use.

And that's why I won't use your personal implements if you bring them in. I don't know how you store them, and I certainly doubt that you disinfect them properly between uses.

No sirree, don't bother bringing your own files and nippers and such with you here! I only use tools that I can be sure of.

And, frankly, if you can't trust the salon you go to to do right by the state requirements and your health and well-being, then you need to find a new salon anyway.

Serious Nail is Serious

2012-01-06T17:45:00.000-08:00

Another nail trend that makes nail techs crazy:

I really only have one regular client who prefers her nails this way-- but take a look at those "smile" lines.

The "smile line" is the point where the white tip meets the pink nail bed in a traditional French manicure.

No. This is not a traditional French, but it may be the best picture in my current repetoire that shows off the high, flat, "smile" line style.

It is not my favorite look. (Although, I gotta admit, THIS picture sure is a great one!)

Right now, in many parts of specifically the U.S., trends in nail fashion are leaning toward extreme styles that fly in the face of everything that diligent nail artists have struggled to create as the "perfect nail." The "perfect" nail-- and there IS such a thing, as established by mulitple competition circuits throughout the world-- has parallel sidewalls, the white tip is never longer than the pink nail bed, and the "smile lines" SMILE. Which is to say that the line where the white and pink (or which ever colors you choose to use) meet makes a U-shape. It can be just a little U, or it can be a super deep almost V shape... but it isn't flat and straight.

Oh... and, it should be just above (toward the cuticle) the natural "smile line" so as to cover the natural line and allow some room for the nails to grow out before the natural line begins to show through the product.

Alas. Just as every teenager eventually walks out of the house to threats from their parents if they don't change their clothes immediately... so too, must nail styles push the envelope and explore new trends.

So, just like those flare nails that we had discussed earlier, this high, flat demarcation line (because I can't call it a smile line if it isn't going to smile) is all the rage.

It takes some getting used to.

Frankly, I like flare nails more than I like a straight smile.

I actually prefer this straight line when it's placed very high on the nail-- close to the cuticle (btw: always refer to your nails the way your nail-lady sees them! "up" and "high" refer to the cuticle area, "down" and "low" refer to the end of the nail.)

The high placement makes practical sense to me. It gives you the most room for color and art while still allowing blank space near the cuticle, which means that as the nails grow out, it's less annoying to see the space between the color and the cuticle growing so it doesn't look like you need a fill after only a few days.

Also, a high placement-- especially on a flared nail-- means that the line cuts straight across at a narrower place on the nail. When the line is straight across the actual natural smile line, the straight line across what is often the widest part of the natural nail, and is usually in line with the natural fingertip, creates an unflattering illussioin that makes fingers look wide and fat, and often makes the ratio of the tip to nail bed colors look boxy, giving the entire nail structure an unflattering, undefined sort of chunky chickletteness.

Maybe that's on purpose, but it's not very common for women to want any part of themselves to appear fat.

Is Gel Better Than Acrylic?

2011-12-10T10:19:00.001-08:00

Well, I've been working on this post for over a month now. My intention was to assure everyone out there that acrylic is just as "safe" as gel for your nails and that neither product is "healthier" for your nails than the other...

Mostly what I've discovered as I've been writing is that I'm starting to realize why so many consumers (and, sadly, many nail techs) have come to this conclusion.

It has little to do with the actual products and their actual chemistry. The product chemistry is very similar in many respects and neither is better or healthier on the natural nail than the other.

What each concern ulitmately comes down to is proper application, maintenance, and removal of the products. Which is where both consumers and many salons go so so so miserably wrong with nail enhancements products.

People think they should be able to go 5 weeks between fills. People think they don't need to get a fill until the product is already lifting and breaking off of their nails.

It's like an oil change in you car: it's maintenance.

A fill is supposed to prevent your nails from breaking and lifting,

just like an oil change is supposed to prevent your engine from being damaged or destroyed.

If you wait till you see damage, it's too late.

People also take their nails off by ripping, prying, or chewing them off. They just shove another nail under that acrylic and "pop" it off. If it doesn't leave a big hole in the nail all the way down to the flesh underneath, they figure it ain't no th'ang. Who cares about all that ripped up nail? And they'll do this repeatedly, month after month, until their nails are so thin and damaged that they hurt... then they go around saying they don't want acrylic again because the acrylic "ruined" their nails-- acrylic didn't ruin your nails, you did.

But how can I blame you for thinking that's the way to do it when you go to some shoddy salon of questionable training and they just grab a pair of nippers, or a piece of dental floss, or a plastic nail tip, and pry off the old product?

I mean, there you are, at a salon, right? It's a salon, they have licenses (maybe,) they know how to do it, right?

Eegads! If I only had the time in my life to personally slap every crappy, incompetent nail tech accross the face with a rubber chicken.

Believe me, not everyone working in a salon has a freakin clue-- it's up to you to find one who does. But I'll give you a hint, if they're prying product off of your natural nails, you haven't found it yet.

Lots of people have also developed chemical sensitivities to acrylic from having it applied sloppy-- by people who flood the cuticle with primer (primers should never touch the skin! And it is does, it should be washed off immediately!) and then slap the acrylic on with brushes as big as spatulas that get the entire finger wet with monomer.

No wonder you end up with an allgery to acrylic!

Then, those people who can't wear acrylic any more because of this overexposure, end up discovering that they can wear gel with no problem, but that's not because gel is "better" it's because it's easier to avoid getting gel on the skin.

Gel isn't better than acrylic, acrylic just requires a more meticulous technique.

It's no wonder people get the impression that gel is some sort of wonder product that's "good" for you and that acrylic has become villified as the big chemical bad guy.

*SIGH*

Alas. The problem isn't the chemicals themselves (remind me, I must write about chemophobia sometime,) the problem is that there is such rampant incompetence out there with thousands and thousands of so-called "nail techs" not giving a rat's ass about product knowledge or understanding why they ought to. They just slap on product willy-nilly, take your money, and move on to their next victim.

At this point in our industry's history, this level of incompetence and amibivalence is so common that it's what most consumers experience as the "norm."

Naturally, this is heartbreaking to those of us who truly love doing nails and take it seriously.

So to answer the original question: Simply put, no. Gel isn't "better" than acrylic. Or vice verse. Each technician and every consumer will have their own personal preferences, and one product might work better for you, but that's entirely personal.

Neither product is "healthier" than the other, when applied, maintained, and removed appropriately.

And, it turns out, those requirements are very difficult to control.

Don't worry about the smell of acrylic (unless it's MMA:) Under most circumstances-- ie, a room with good ventilation-- the smell of acrylic is just a smell. It doesn't not mean there's something terribly unhealthy in your breathing zone and it won't rot your brain or give you cancer. (In fact, MMA won't give you cancer either-- a small comfort considering all the other health risks it poses.)

Gel is dusty too. People try to sell gel all the time as being "dust-free." That's a crock. As soon as you file on it, you'll be covered in dust. I actually get coverd in more dust when filing gel than acrylic. The good news with BOTH is that it's very heavy dust-- that's why you see it all over your fingers and the table-- it falls down. It does not stay airborn, floating around in your breathing space.

Acrylics don't have to be thick, lumpy, or off-color. Acrylics can be sculpted thin and sleek and can be crystal clear and natural-looking...by the same token, gels can be super thick, lumpy, discolored and altogether disgusting looking. It's all about the skill of the artist. So do your due diligence, research first, and choose wisely.

A Brief Analogy Regarding Rockstar Nails

2011-12-06T15:53:00.001-08:00

Acrylic Rockstar nails with one color.

Even several years after the coining of the term "Rockstar Nails," I continue to find myself trying to explain the meaning of the term and dispelling myths and pervasive misunderstanding of what they really are.

So, while I was taking about Rockstar nails with one client this afternoon, I came up with a pretty good analogy to help with at least one of the misunderstandings.

Acrylic Rockstar nails with one glitter color.

The client I was working on this afternoon wears short nails with a gel overlay and UV polish and usually a touch of nail art on the ring fingers.

The subject of "Rockstar nails" came up and she said that several of the girls in her office wear "rockstar" but she doesn't really care for them herself.

I thought that sounded a little odd, seeing as how it's not uncommon for us to add a touch of glitter to her tips, so I just had to inquire...

And sure enough, as I'd suspected, her concept of "Rockstar nails" wasn't exactly accurate, which isn't too uncommon in these parts.

Acrylic Rockstar nails with 2 glitter colors
and impressions filled with colored acrylic.

Locally, the styles of "Rockstar nails" that get the most attention tend very elaborate: long, with as much bling as will fit!

The girls love the glitter! As well as the Mylar, the confetti, the tinsel, the Fimo cane slices, the decals... and lately, 3D objects such as small buttons and such are finding their way into nails all over town.

(Yeah, I tend to prefer 3D designs that are sculpted out of acrylic, directly onto the nail-- but not everyone can do that I guess, and not everyone wants to pay for the work it requires.)

I suppose it's no wonder that the more conservative ladies

Acrylic rockstar nails with foil, 1 color glitter, and tinsel.

in the area are under the impression that "Rockstar nails" aren't their style!

But this is SO not true!

The term "ROCKSTAR NAILS" refers to the technique of embedding the bling into the product used for the enhancement.

You can have Rockstar nails that are made with traditional acrylic products, and you can Rockstar nails that are made with gel.

Your gel Rockstars can be simple overlays on either your pinkies or your piggies! Or they can be beautiful extensions done with "hard" sculpting gel-- just like traditional acrylics.

acrylic rockstar nails with 2 custom-blended glitter colors
faded together, confetti and mylar, and star impressions in white.

They can be French style-- with the bling only at the tips-- this is popular with acrylic because its easier to change out the colors and designs in a simple backfill service without having to completely remove the nails and start over.

Or they can embed the bling in the entire nail--more common with gels because gels are easier to file, so changing out colors goes much faster... this is also the most popular method for doing "rockstar toes" but you can totally do it on fingernails too!

Rockstar can be just one glitter color, or it can be several. It can be custom blended, it can be faded, or sculpted in designs.

Acrylic rockstar nails with one
color glitter and 3D acrylic flowers.

And "Rockstar" does NOT mean a particular color, or a particular size or type of glitter. (Yes, the nail product company Young Nails does sell a glitter that they have named "rockstar" but don't confuse that with the technique of doing "rockstar nails.")

Rockstar nails can be short or long. They can be round, oval, square, flare, or stiletto. They can be a simple glittery white or they can be lime green!

Aside from the awesome artistic and design possibilities that the Rockstar technique offers, the thing that has made it so universally popular is that,

since the bling is INSIDE the nail product, the nail can still be sealed with a gel sealant/topcoat.

Gel Rockstar nails with chunky glitter.

This means NO DRY TIME! You get all the advantage of all that glitz and glamour and you don't have to sit around waiting for your nails to dry.

And, if you remember glitter polish, you know that stuff takes forever!

Another myth I hear all the time, is that people are being told by other nail techs that you can't do nail art over Rockstar nails!

Balderdash! I do it all the time.

Here's the catch though: The gel topcoat that we use to seal the nails with doesn't really like to stick to paint. The paint has to be completely dry, and it helps if it has a coat of a protein-style bonder over it to make it sticky for the gel top coat to adhere to.

So, in cases of extravagant, or large nail art design, putting a gel topcoat over artwork runs a higher risk of chipping off. That can be heart breaking to the artist who worked hard on the design, as well as to the client who payed for the work and wants her nails to last till her next appointment.

So, I can see why some techs prefer not to attempt it. But that's not the same thing as "it's not possible" now, is it?

Acrylic Rockstar Nails with 4 glitters in sculpted pattern.

Also-- Rockstar nails can be done with ANY brand of product!

The term "rockstar" was originally coined by a local tech (right here in Tulare County) who uses products by Young Nails. And so it's not unusual for people-- clients and professionals alike-- to be under the impression that Rockstar nails can only be done with Young Nails products.

Acrylic Rockstar nails with 1 color glitter and Fimo canes embedded.

But since "rockstar" is a technique and not a product, you can do them with any brand of product. (I mostly use Tammy Taylor.) Of course, Young Nails makes some awesome stuff, and the company is top notch! But every nail tech has their personal preferences.

So, now that you know just about everything you could possibly hope to know about Rockstar nails (oh, and not everyone calls them "rockstar;" other common names for this technique are "sparkle nails," "bling nails," and "glitter nails,") What's this "brief analogy" I was talking about?

Well... the thing is that Rockstar nails can be simple or elaborate, just like nail art.

Acrylic Rockstar nails with sculpted design (stripes) and
embedded star confetti.

Most people are already familiar with nail art. They know that nail art can be painted or airbrushed. It can be as simple as a single stripe or flower, or it can be an complicated, ornate mural.

Nail art can be hand painted, airbrushed, or stamped. It can be painted with acrylic paint, nail polish, drawn on with Sharpie markers.

Heck, Rockstar is just another style of nail art!

But, ultimately, my point was to clarify that Rockstar nails are just like nail art: they offer a wide variety of options to suit your personal tastes.

Simple Nail art on French manicure polish using acrylic paint.

No one would ever look at the tiny flowers on this French manicure and say "that's not nail art" and no one would every look at the detailed competition nail art entry below and insist that all nail has to be that elaborate!

And Rockstar isn't any different! So go get some Rockstar nails!

There's a glitter for EVERYONE!

I am a Trained Professional-- Please do not try this at home

2011-12-04T13:35:00.001-08:00

I had a hard time finding ugly pictures,
so here's my dog wearing socks.

I rarely bother checking Internet goings-on on my weekends. Mostly, I keep pretty busy on my days off, trying to keep the BF and the dogs "de-squeaked" (one dog gets particularly squeaky when he's bored or anxious and the BF has determined that he does too.) But this has been a mellow sort of weekend and so, last night, I admit to checking on my Twitter feed. Which is where I found a link to what you might think is a simple enough question: "Are acrylic nails difficult to do by yourself?"

Specifically, the questioner is asking about sculpting traditional liquid & powder acrylic product over forms.

But what prompted me cackle and start screaming was the "answer" that includes the information, "It takes probably about 6 times to really get good at it, and that would be if you were using really good products."

OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG!

SIX?! SIX times? Seriously? Six full sets and you've got it down? Six full sets and you'll be able to turn out a set of nails that looks anywhere near decent? Six?!

(breathe, Maggie, breathe)OK. Let's start with the notion that this "six sets to perfection" idea is dependent on the quality of the product you are using...

Bullh!t. Quality products are, of course, essential in creating a quality set of nails. But the quality of the product is not the major contributor to the final appearance of the set. For a great looking set of nails, you'll need quality of skills, aka talent, baby, talent. And although there are some people out there who just have an inherent knack for doing nails, most people will end up with nothing but a thick, globby, mess on their hands-- literally-- the first several times they pick up a sculpting brush.

Acrylic is a hard substance. And it is not the best of ideas to use an electric file (drill) on your own nails-- trust me, I know-- not to mention that quality drills are pricey and very few DIYers are willing to put down $400 or so for their own professional e-file. Which means that you either end up filing through all that thick, globby mess by hand-- or you go out and spend $30 on a cheap POS drill. Which means you will end up with one of two sorts of drills: A knock-off brand Dremel-type drill that WAS NOT MANUFACTURED FOR USE ON PEOPLE! These things are made for wood working. They run rough, with lots of vibration. I'm not of the camp of pros who insist that Dremels and their ilk should never be used on nails, but they are NOT the ideal tool for the job! Or-- the other choice in inexpensive electric nail files-- you'll get a Nail Genie, or similar product.

These are, laughably enough, made for use on nails. And, if an untrained DIYer is going to own their own nail drill to use on their own nails, I'd recommend going the Nail Genie route. But you'll hate it. Because they are reknown for their low torque.

Torque-- without getting into a technical description-- is what makes the bit keep spinning when you put pressure against it. Nail Genies have low torque-- this makes them the safest option for using on yourself, because you are far less likely to end up drilling holes through your nails, or worse, your fingers. When you press the bit against the thick, globby mess on your nails, mostly likely, the bit will bog down and even stop in sheer protest of what you are asking of it.

Just don't try using a drill on yourself. In fact, don't try using a drill on ANYONE unless you have undergone some professional training for it AND HAVE INSURANCE UP THE BUTT! Because, if you drill a hole through someone's nail or fingers, it is highly likely that they will SUE YOU!

So, there you are, left with a thick, globby mess on your fingers and now you have to turn it into a set of decent-looking nails.

Prepare to start filing...and filing...and filing.

Yes. You probably can and will end up with a decent-- even nice-- looking set of acrylics. But it will take hours. And more than 6 tries before you figure out how to not end up with a thick, globby mess that requires hours of filing.

But, even if you find yourself impressed with your own skills at turning out a decent-looking set of acrylics, you'll probably want them to stick to your nails for more than a few hours, huh? I mean, the ones you get at the salon last for at least 2 weeks, right? So you're probably expecting similar results from the DIY method.

So, when they start to lift around the edges within 24 hours, you are most likely going to blame the product you used.

And, if you got your hands on a "quality" professional product, then there's a good chance you will decide that that product isn't so great afterall... even if it's best freakin stuff on the planet... because very few people bother to take into account that THEY DON'T HAVE ANY PROFESSIONAL TRAINING. You think that just because you read the directions and/or watched a YouTube video, that you totally know how to do this.

Oh wait. That's right. Even those who have completed a training course, undergone testing, and acquired a legitimate license rarely experience optimal results at that point.

You know why? Because beauty school doesn't teach you skills and state regulating agencies don't care about how well you do nails-- only that you know the "rules" of the state-- which usually revolve around making sure you disinfect your implements. The state doesn't care if you do pretty nails, which is why there are so many crap-tacular "professionals" in the biz making you think that you can do your own nails just as well as they can.

The thing is, even consumer product kits are of fair quality. There are some little tweaks here and there that make professional products "better" but usually only professionals can tell the differences. Pro products have better color stabilization so they don't get dingy and turn yellow in the sun as fast, pro products might cure (set up) faster-- or slower, they might have better shelf life-- or worse, since they are intended to be used up faster, they come in more colors and shades... but mostly, what makes a professional product better, is the professional who is using it.

The professional who didn't stop her training at passing her state board exam. The professional who faithfully reads every page of the professional trade magazines every month, month after month, year after year. The professional who attends professional tradeshows on a regular basis and does more than just shop at those shows. The professional who attends continuing education classes, even when they aren't required for her license. The professional who attends networking events and participates in online networking and mentoring forums. The professional who was not/is not content with "good enough" and insists on going above and beyond in order to find answers to questions and help with technique.

The professional who drives her friends and family insane because she simply cannot not think about nails.

What you don't know about doing your own nails, after you have managed to make them look nice, is how to care for your brush so that it doesn't harden with caked-in product, or contaminate your remaining product. You don't know that you can (and probably did) contaminate your product to the point where it just won't matter if it was "quality" to begin with-- you've ruined it. You don't know how to properly store product to preserve its quality. You don't know that buying "professional" products at the flea market is THE WORST IDEA EVER! ...and you don't know why.

And you don't know how much work goes into properly preparing the natural nail for the application of the product. In fact, that is the number one culprit in service break down, and it is the number one thing that new techs fail to grasp upon licensure and it is the number one thing you absolutely must learn in order to create a truly decent set of nails.

And it is the absolutely least interesting thing to learn. Which is why so many people-- DIYers and pros alike-- waste so much time and money switching from one product to another, looking for a magic potion that will solve their application and wear issues.

Most DIYers will end up jacking up their natural nails; applying more product and then ripping it off, overfiling both their natural nails and the mess they've created from the acrylic, thinking that "roughing up the natural nail" or applying too much primer is the answer to their lifting problems.

Most of the "professionals" entering the industry will find jobs with benefits and steady paychecks within 2 years of getting their licenses and then sit around and say things like, "There's no money in doing nails," "The economy is so bad, no one can afford to get their nails done anymore," "The Asians have ruined the industry and no one can compete with them," and "There's just too much competition." And any number of other excuses I've heard people come up with for why they weren't successful in the salon.

second place "french twist" sculptured nails by Moi 2009

The answer ultimately comes down to, "That all depends on what you mean by 'easy?'"

Yeah, it's pretty easy to get your hands on an acrylic kit and apply it to your nails. It's even relatively easy to manage an aesthetic result that you might be ok with. But it's not easy to do a set of nails that will last for several weeks. It's not easy to avoid contaminating your products. It's not easy to maintain the health and integrity of your natural nails. It's not easy to be sure that your product is safe, in good condition, or isn't counterfeit.

And it's almost never cheaper. Believe me, how do you think I ended up here? I used to be a DIYer too, I've done the math.

The UV Polish Revolution

2011-11-14T16:59:00.001-08:00

There are so many gel products in the nail industry now that it can be downright confusing for us professionals to keep them sorted out, let alone you consumers!

Unfortunately, there is no way I can realistically expect to create a single post to end the confusion. But I'm going to try to address some of the biggest problems I'm seeing that people are having:

I think I've mentioned in the past that there are several different types of gels now. We have traditional builder gels that are designed to create artificial extensions and overlays. These gels have been around for about ever, but have seen some major improvements over the last 10 years or so and people are really loving them. But these gels cure to a non-porous finish and are solvent-resistant, so they have to be filed off when you're ready to take the product off your nails. They can't be soaked off.

More recently, some new gels have hit the market that are porous (some people call them "soft gels") and can be soaked off in acetone like acrylics. Some of these gels are created in thick formulas that still offer the resilience to create a strong extension. Many people-- professional nail techs as well as clients-- prefer these "soft" gel formulas for doing extensions and overlays because they prefer a product that can be soaked off rather than filed off. But others find that these products aren't as strong and don't adhere as reliably to the natural nail to provide the same wearability of traditional gels.

If you're looking for a gel product that will lengthen and strengthen your nails, you'll be looking for one of these gel types. Most likely, you'll just have to try out whatever your nail technician uses. If it works for you, then stick with it! There's really no reason to try to memorize all the different brands and lines and which is which.

But now we also have UV Polish... and this is causing me-- your friendly neighborhood nail professional-- a lot of headaches.

For DECADES I beat my head against the wall wondering why the bow-tied/lab-coated clan in Research and Development for all the nail product companies in the world couldn't seem to manage to come up with an answer to old-fashioned nail polish.

Year after year I saw acrylic and gel products improve in their flexibility and adhesion. We have enhancement products that are safer, better, and more beautiful than ever before. But old-fashioned nail polish still lasted on natural nails for about 6 minutes, right?

I've seen acrylics introduced with pigments in them. Gels with pigments. All good ideas, as long as you're the type of person who never wants to change your nail color. Because these were still enhancement products that are designed to be filled every two weeks, not replaced.

Soak off gels came to the market, but they still took half an hour or more to soak off. Not a feasible solution, and still didn't qualify in most peoples' minds as a "manicure."

Then... about two years ago, a breakthrough! Gelish (by Hand & Nail Harmony) was released to the professional nail industry and began an avalanche of product and service revolution!

But revolutions are long and messy and come with a lot of chaos. Nobody really mentions that, do they?

One of the biggest problems that I, personally, am faced with is that the average consumer still isn't aware that there are dozens of different brands of these polishes now available. In fact, thanks to some great marketing, the brand that most consumers have heard about is "Shellac."

But "Shellac" is only one brand of UV polish that is manufactured by a company called "CND." There's also "Gelish," "Gelacquer," "Geleration," "Gelavish," "Gelaxy," "Polish Pro," "Mani-q color," "Luxio," "Eco," and OPI's new offering which I'm not even sure of the name of. And that's just off the top of my head, there are plenty of others. And, as you can see, many many companies have opted to use some form of the word "gel" in their brand name, making it even harder to keep the different brands sorted out!

No wonder people have embraced the "Shellac" name. Not only has CND done some great marketing to get their product name in front of the masses, but it's easy to remember.

Here's where it gets hard on me: CND has some very specific directions for their product. The company is very persnickety about touching the natural nail with any sort of file. They are very finicky about the way they want their product applied and removed.

And, for the most part, that's just fine. I mean, it's their product. They developed it, they get to write the directions for use.

But, since so many people now associate "Shellac" with all uv polish brands (it's called "branding"-- kinda like when you want a "Kleenex" you probably want a tissue and don't care if it's actual Kleenex, or "Q-tip," or "Band-Aid"... right?) they come to the salon with certain expectations of what the service will entail and what the product actually is.... and let me tell you, there are a lot of people out there who are confused.

First off: Shellac IS a "gel polish." CND has marketed Shellac as a "hybrid" product. They use the term "hybrid" specifically. It is a complex formula that combines gel technology with solvent-based technology-- in exceedingly simple terms: it's like mixing regular nail polish with gel. (Notice I said "exceedingly simple terms?" That's because, undoubtedly, a CND rep will comment on this to say that that's not at all what it is, and that I shouldn't be misleading people by telling them that. You watch.)

But, whether they use the word "hybrid" or not, most of the uv/gel polishes out there use this type of formula. I mean-- every company has its own recipe, no two products are exactly alike. But many products offer the advantages of gel technology; the layers are cured under ultra violet light. You get the flexibility and superior adhesion of gel, with the added advantage of color that is instantly "dry" at the end of the service. Plus, with the solvents, you get a nice thin polish-like consistency and a product that is easily removed with acetone in less than 10 minutes. Which means you can reasonably do a full manicure in about an hour.

The thing is, every brand of uv polish out there offers different advantages and disadvantages-- products are still being tweaked in the lab and improvements are showing up with every new batch of every product.

It seems-- after trying out several different brands now-- that companies have had to choose between products that wear for a long time without peeling, chipping, etc, and products that come off super easy. In the beginning, we were hearing a lot of companies bragging about how their product soaked off in "10 minutes," or "5 minutes." But the ones that soak off fastest also seem to not wear as well.

I settled on Gelish as my initial primary line. It was available in the most colors (24 initially and 84 currently,) wears for at least 2 weeks on almost everyone, and soaks off in 10 minutes. I'm not saying that it's the perfect product, but it's offered the best compromise of qualities so far.

I love soaking off Shellac. Seriously, this stuff comes off like butter. You don't have to file or buff on the topcoat at all and, in less than 10 minutes, every layer just fluffs up and slides right off.

But, Shellac encountered some availability issues shortly after it was released that really cinched my decision to go with another line. It was also introduced with only 12 colors-- and nearly 2 years later, I think they're up to 18 (yeah yeah... they might have 24 now, I'm not looking it up.) And, most importantly, when I did invest in a small sampling of the product, the majority of my clients have reported that of the 6 lines I've tried out, Shellac is their least favorite. So I haven't exactly run out to invest in the rest of the colors (I have 4.)

(BTW: NSI's "Polish Pro" is my clients' favorite line and the one I will continue to build my collection of.)

The confusion I'm seeing in clients coming into the salon is that they seem to be getting the idea that Shellac isn't a gel polish. That "gel polish" has to be filed off.

This isn't the case. That's the whole point-- yeah, you've been reading all this time so that I can tell you that Shellac IS a gel polish and that gel polish doesn't have to be filed off.

And, btw, filing a product off doesn't have to jack up your nails. But it has to be done very carefully to avoid damaging the natural nail.

With this new technology hitting the industry so fast, the professionals out here in the Real World have had to scramble to fill in the blanks that R&D often leaves out when new products are introduced. R&D can work and rework the chemistry until their bow ties unravel, but they can't predict every variable that their products will have to adjust to under real world conditions.

So if you don't have a regular nail technician but visit a variety of different salons and/or techs, it's very likely that you are going to encounter a variety of different techniques for applying and removing gel polish.

Most of the products require a light buffing of the topcoat to "break the seal" and allow the acetone to penetrate the product so that it will soak off in a reasonable amount of time. So don't freak out if there's a little bit of filing done at the beginning before soaking.

Some techs have found that they prefer to use an initial base layer of traditional gel before applying the color coat. Traditional gels are usually thicker than gel polishes and have better adhesion properties. This is a great technique for damaged natural nails or just because that particular technician prefers this technique.

All gel polishes cure under UV light.

All gel polishes are removed by soaking in acetone: CND (Shellac) specifically requests its technicians to use their pads for soaking off Shellac, or to use the "foil wrap" method where each nail is covered in an acetone-soaked cotton pad and then individually wrapped in foil. This method reduces the exposure of the skin to the acetone-- it works faster and is less drying to the skin.

The foil wrap method is the preferred method in professional salons, but there are still some places that will soak your fingers in a bowl of acetone. This isn't necessarily the worst way to do it, and it's the easiest way to do it yourself, which reminds me of one more point:

You can remove gel polish at home, yourself: Check out my post on removing fake nails. I had one client who seemed to be under the impression that she would be able to take off Shellac at home like taking off traditional polish. She kept telling me that she didn't want "gel polish" because you have to come back to the salon to have it taken off. This was when I started realizing how much misunderstanding there is out there about these products. But you can remove any of these gel polishes yourself.
With Shellac, you won't have to worry about anything but the soaking process, with the other brands, you'll have to use a buffer or file to remove the shine from the topcoat so the acetone can penetrate the product. If you have someone who can help you out, soak a cotton ball in acetone, place it directly on the nail and then wrap your fingertip with foil to keep the acetone from evaporating (and from getting on stuff)-- or dunk your fingertips in a bowl of acetone-- after about 10 to 15 minutes you should be able to slide the product right off your finger tips with an orange wood stick. Some people's nail really cling to the color and you might have to gently buff off a few patches of color, especially in the corners.
Just make sure you rehydrate your nails and skin after your remove the polish. Olive oil is my favorite recommendation because it's usually already in your kitchen. It'll penetrate your skin and nails quickly, so it really puts the moisture back into the tissue fast. Lotions and cream usually feel better, but they stay on top of the skin instead of penetrating to rehydrate. Baby oil is not recommended-- it's even less likely to penetrate the tissue to rehydrate than lotion is and there is some debate that suggests that it actually pulls moisture out of your skin!

Why Your Nail-lady Won't Do Flare Nails

2011-11-09T17:02:00.000-08:00

Nails by Allison Nicole

First off, let me start by pointing out that I DID NOT DO the nails in these photos. Both photos are captioned with the names of the artists-- I believe Allison works in Atwater CA, but I'm not 100% certain about that.

Also, both of these artists are awesome. And they both do some wicked-ass nails and have built a reputation for rockin a look that many self-respecting nail techs simply refuse to offer...

Why?

Why would a nail tech absolutely put their foot down and flat out refuse to do something? I mean, other than something that's unsafe or illegal?

Nails by Jamie Rena Melchor; Oakhurst, CA

Well, my friends, welcome to the "duck foot" flare nail trend.

We hate these things.

Obviously, not all of us hate them, for instance, the two fine artists featured in the photos have obviously chosen to downright embrace this style, and have developed quite a following for it too.

But the thing is, you ought to understand, is that most of us worked our butts off to learn how to NOT do nails like this!

Ok... the "duck foot" nail is an extreme style. It's kinda obvious that someone went out of their way to make these nails flare... but we've all seen nails that flare that you're just not sure if it's on purpose or not, right?

That is what we learned not to do. Most of us who learned to sculpt nails on forms spent hours, days, weeks, years, learning to sculpt a nail with perfectly parallel sidewalls to gently tapered.

Believe it or not, there actually is a standard for what is considered "technically perfect" structure. It's a large part of the judging criteria in sculptured nail competitions. And letting those free edges flare out is the exact opposite of what they are supposed to do!

So, when you spend so much time learning not to do something, it can be downright maddening when your client walks in and asks you do that thing on purpose!

OMG! It makes your head spin! Here we've spent decades associating flared-out tips with crappy workmanship and you WANT your nails to look like that?

And so there are a LOT of nail techs who just flat out refuse. They have drawn a line and said, "hell no."

And that's fine.

On the other hand, there are plenty of techs out there who have decided to rock the flare.

And why not? Fashion trends come and go, and nails are just a part of that process. Believe me, in 10 years you'll be looking at those duck feet nails in your photos and laughing at yourself for ever thinking they were "cool." And five years after that, they'll be back in again.

I have to admit. I have a hard time loving the flare. For lots of reasons, most notably that they are inherently structurally unstable. They are out of balance, with more weight off the nailbed than on it, and with that weight spread out over so much space, flared nails are a disaster waiting to happen. Too much free edge to get caught on things, leading to more lifting and breaking.

But women have always loved bad science when it comes to their nails. I'm not likely to change your mind with all my technical info.

So don't be surprised when you walk into the nail salon and your nail tech tells you that you've lost your mind when you request this look.

On the other hand, if you're a nail tech who refuses to take the opportunity to prove that the flare can be pulled off with exceptional technique and style-- don't be surprised when your clients tell you that you've lost you're mind for refusing to keep up with the times.

Either way... I've decided to go with it. Life is short and fashion should be fun... and there is nothing like the feeling I get when a client truly loves the nails I've done for her. So if she loves flares, then all I can do is rock those flares!

Removing Fake Nails

2011-11-08T15:12:00.000-08:00

Ok folks-- most of us in the nail biz cringe at the words "fake nails." I'm not entirely sure why, other than it's a term that doesn't exactly denote a very sincere appreciation for the effort that goes into creating a good set of them.

Nevertheless, this post's title is exactly the term I often see in my tracking services of what people are searching the Internet for, which tells me that a lot of people want to know how to get the product off their nails. So that's what I'm going to discuss:

First off, you need to understand that there are a LOT of different products out there, and on top of that, there are a lot of different formulas of each product, getting stuff off your nails is not a one-size-fits-all process.

Polish:

Obviously, removing traditional polish is easy enough. You use polish remover. But it may be of interest to you to know that you do NOT have to use "non-acetone" remover, even if you have acrylics on. In fact, straight acetone is my #1 choice for polish remover. It works. It doesn't smear. And it evaporates fast enough that unless you soak your nails in it, it won't harm your extension/overlay products.

There's also much information that attests that acetone is actually the safest of the solvents used in polish removers.

How-To Soak Off (most) Nail Products:

If you are going to soak off your acrylic at home, the easiest way is to start your favorite movie, sit down, pour some 100% pure acetone (found at the hardware store-- or the beauty supply) into a ceramic, metal, or glass bowl (not plastic, acetone will melt plastic-- just like it's gonna melt your acrylic nails,) slather some Vaseline on your fingers-- this will protect your skin, acetone is extremely drying to skin-- and then put your fingers in the acetone in the bowl, and then put a towel over your hands in the bowl. The towel will slow down the evaporation process of the acetone, and also keep the smell down-- it's not the most pleasant smell.

DO NOT take your fingers out of the acetone! As soon as you do, the acetone will evaporate off your nails and the acrylic will start to re-harden. Just leave them in there until it's all melted off. If you can't completely wipe your nail clean after an hour in the acetone-- start thinking MMA, or ask yourself if you remembered to file off the gel sealer.

When the acrylic slides off (it should get "fluffy" and flake or slide off easily) then you'll need to wash your hands, slather them in olive oil, gently buff the nail plate to make sure all the product is off and the nails are smooth, file, slather on more olive oil, then lotion. Acetone dries out your skin and it's going to feel icky-- olive oil is great for rehydrating your skin, be prepared to go through a lot of lotion too.

Your newly naked nails are going to feel weird too. They're going to be brittle from dehydration so hydrating with good oil (olive, not baby!) is important. With luck, the person/people who've been doing your nails haven't over-filed them and the only thing wrong with them will be the dehydration and the fact that you aren't used to how easily natural nails break. Most people report about 2 days for nails to feel "normal" again.

With traditional acrylics you want to soak them in straight acetone. Depending on the product used and the thickness of it, it can take anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour to completely remove a set.

There are a lot of techs in the industry who swear that it only take 20 minutes to remove acrylics. I have personally soaked off a LOT of acrylics, sets done by myself as well as sets done by other techs at other salons-- I have never managed to get a set off in 20 minutes without still having to do some filing. I'm not saying that some techs don't do nails that soak off in less than half an hour, I'm saying I've never come across one.

Silk or Fiberglass Wraps and "Dip" type products can also be soaked off in acetone--

the resin used in these nails breaks down much faster than acrylic, so it won't take as long!

Things That Can Slow You Down:

The MMA dilemma:

Some techs use acrylic monomer (the liquid) that is made with Methyl Methacrylate, MMA is not safe for use in nail products! Nail techs use it for a variety of reasons: it's hella cheap-- like, $20-$30 for a gallon sometimes (compared to $180-$250/gallon for high quality, professional, cosmetic grade monomer.)

It sticks to your nail better than you nail sticks to your finger; clients don't care about things like physics, they just don't want their acrylics to lift. So using MMA keeps you from hearing complaints... you know, until the natural nail gets ripped off the nail bed.

Not every nail tech knows jack-*#&@! about their product chemistry-- this is largely a problem with our technical training in beauty schools-- please write your state congress or assembly person and tell them that this is unacceptable. But it means that sometimes nail techs use crappy products because they are cheap and they have no idea that the stuff should only be used to glue tile to cement floors.

What does MMA mean to you if you're trying to get it off your nails? Mostly it means that it can take 2 or 3 hours to soak it off with straight acetone. And it's a gummy mess that has to be soaked, filed, soaked, filed, soaked, filed... etc. And don't expect your nails to be in good shape when you finally do get the stuff off-- because MMA sticks best to a jacked up nail, so most people who use it rely on aggressive "prep" by over-filing that natural nail.

Gel Topcoat obstacles:

If you have regular acrylic nails but they're sealed with a gel topcoat, it's VERY IMPORTANT to file off the gel topcoat before you soak your nails! Many gel topcoats are solvent-resistant and if you don't file it off first, your nails will look exactly like they did before you put them in the acetone, even an hour later!

Removing Gel Nails:

There are a lot of different gel formulas out there these days, so removing gel gets complicated.

Traditional gels are solvent-resistant. They can't be soaked off-- at least, not in anything that is safe to soak your nails in! So you have to file them off.

There's nothing wrong with filing product off your nails, but it's important that it be done carefully. You (or the person doing it) have to be careful to STOP at the product and not file into the natural nail. Fortunately, this is pretty easy to do with gels.

Gels are much softer than acrylic and filing through them takes relatively little time and effort.

Soak-off Gels, kinda obviously, can be soaked off in acetone like acrylics. Soakable gels usually don't take as long as acrylic to soak off either...but some "soakable" gels are quite stubborn and it can be easier to just file them off.

Gel Polish. This stuff is awesome! And it's super easy to soak off. Not quite as easy as removing traditional polish; you'll still have to soak it, but only for a few minutes. Most formulas slide off easily after 5-10 minutes.

The preferred method of soaking off product in the salon? The "foil wrap" method: Each nail is covered with a cotton pad that has been thoroughly dowsed in acetone, then the fingers are individually wrapped with foil. Most of us then like to place the hands in plastic liner bags and wrap with warm mitts or towels.

This method works faster, saves acetone, and is far less drying to your skin!

But it's difficult to manage on yourself, which is why I gave instructions for the bowl method.

Removing Rockstar Toenails:

Most rockstar toes are done with traditional gel products-- you'll have to file them off.

Naturally, I recommend you have any product removed professionally, in a salon, by a nail technician who knows what they're doing and cares about preserving the health and integrity of your nails.

If you have your product removed in a salon and the so-called "professional" rips, clips, or pries the product off your nails, or files past the product into your natural nail-- get up and RUN out the door! If you want your nails jacked up, you could bite them off at home yourself!

TEAM EDWARD NAILS

2011-11-08T14:18:00.000-08:00

As you can imagine, I have more than a few clients who are ga-ga for the Twilight series... and with the new movie premiering next week, it was inevitable that I'd have to turn out some killer nails for the event!

These are custom-made decals that I embedded into the nail itself. The decals are placed over the white rockstar acrylic with a layer of clear acrylic over them and sealed with gel so the images will last through several fills without damage.

The decals ROCK! I'm absolutely THRILLED with the way they turned out! And I feel pretty confident in my abilities to fill any custom-decal order for nail art at this point! (And I know Dale Jr is going to be first on the request list!)

These photos came out a little disappointing though: in real life, the decal images are much clearer and you don't see the file marks in the acrylic like you see in the photos.

The other tiny thing you might notice in some of the photos is that the gel sealer was put on a little too thickly and it had a chance to pool at the corners of the nails a tad.

Other than that, this is an existing set, we did a complete re-tip (cut off the old free edges and re-sculpted new ones on forms) with white rockstar acrylic and added a couple confetti circles on the nails that don't have decals. The nail bed acrylic is also rockstar with some chunky opalescent glitter in it.

This shape isn't quite wide enough to qualify as "duck feet" but it's a pretty wide flare nail with a high, straight "smile line" (the point where the pink and white meet... but if this flat line is going to keep being popular we're going to have to find a new name for it, since it definitely doesn't "smile.")

Yeah... I can do "Team Jacob" too.

Oh yeah, and for the Team Edwarders; CND's Scentsations lotion in Vanilla Shimmer has just enough shimmer in it to give you a great "sparkle in the sun" effect.

If you just gotta have any of this, text or call Maggie at (559) 300-8063 and I'll do my best to fit you in before the premier! (or after, if you're not that picky.)

Include them with a full set like this for $85 (hey! those long flares take a lot of time and product!)

On a rockstar set of standard length (about half of those pictured) for $65...

or with a regular fill on your existing nails for $40.

A Yelp Review for Yelp

2011-10-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

Yelp.com is not a big hit here in the South Valley... at least not yet. But then, it's only been in the last few years that my fellow Visalians seem to have come to fully embrace the Internet at all.

I discovered Yelp accidentally several years back while Googling myself... Yes. I know it sounds dirty. I think Google did that on purpose when they chose their name.

Nevertheless, as a small business owner, I realized that the Internet was the future of customer referral for my type of business long ago. I've been working hard to maintain a strong web-presence for as long as I, myself, have had Internet access. It actually drove me nuts for many years that my customers seemed so non-plussed about the Internet at all. But-- THANK YOU STEVE JOBS!-- as soon as the iPhone hit the market, I saw a distinct change in attitude toward Internet use among the people I see and talk to IRL every day.

So, occasionally, when I have a little extra time, I Google myself-- just to make sure I'm findable.

And so it was that a few years ago I discovered Yelp.com. And that's how it all began:

When I stumbled across Yelp, I had already closed my Court & Walnut location and gone back to a booth rental set up at Attitudes Salon. When I did this, I forwarded the land line phone # to my cell phone for a month and made sure to point this out in my outgoing voicemail message so that callers would take note to change their contact # for me. Then I cancelled my account with the phone company and have used my cell # as my primary business contact number since 2007.

Unfortunately, this meant that I was initially unable to claim my own business with Yelp!

There are a lot of "peer review" style sites out there in cyberspace and many of them simply add listings from the local telephone records-- I assume that's how Yelp had a listing for The Art of Nailz to begin with. But since the number on file was the land line number, I had no way of claiming my business listing because they were unable to verify my claim by calling me.

I looked through Yelp's site and sent off an email to their contact info-- to no avail-- so I simply wrote a review for the business.

Oh yeah. I know. I'm not supposed to do that! Oh NO! Ok... well, I've read through Yelp's TOS several times now and it doesn't really say "YOU CANNOT DO THIS" so much as they repeatedly use the term "we discourage this..." at any rate, I wanted to let anyone who came across the listing to at least know what happened to the business.

Then I added the salon where I was working at the time, wrote a review for the hair stylists, and happily nodded every time one of my co-workers said they'd gotten a new client from Yelp.

Then I moved to my current location. I created a business profile on Yelp, still had that lost-in-space listing from my old location, and-- since I have a new land line (for the credit card machine)-- Yelp created a new listing for the "new" business.

So I had, essentially, 3 listings. Stupid. But I was totally unable to get ahold of anyone at Yelp to take care of it.

Until they decided to contact me.

Naturally, all they really wanted to do was sell me advertising. Which left me in a frustrated, exasperated state of hysterical laughter and simultaneous irritation and incredulousity (that's a word, isn't it?) I did manage to finally get someone to condense all 3 listings into one page. BUT NOW, the 4 reviews-- and I'm willing to just count the 3 legitimate reviews from people other than myself (from that first listing, remember?)-- are "filtered."

WTF?

Well, apparently I'm not the only person who has experienced the Yelp Review Filter and been left with the feeling that I've been groped by a toothless stranger on a bus-- because it's obviously such a common complaint that they've seen fit to include a significant discussion of the issue in their FAQs.

So... I have been looking for a way to review Yelp itself. So far, I haven't figured it out. So I'm just gonna do it here:

Yelp sucks. Like Communism: it's better in theory than in practice.

I WANT-- desperately want-- to love Yelp. I think it's such a great idea. I like the idea of peer review sites. I like the idea that my clients have a place-- a place that gets noticed-- online to talk about how great I am. I even-- gulp-- like that the clients who don't think I'm great, can voice their opinions as well. It gives me an opportunity to "listen in" on what people think of my and my business. That's extremely helpful to me when it comes to deciding how I do business.

I also like the idea of Yelp as a consumer. I like being able to look up a new doctor or a restaurant or salon and find out what people in the community think of them.

Because, let's face it, the marketing that businesses do for themselves is all about us telling you how great we are! And sometimes we are great, but not for the reasons we think, and sometimes we're not as great as we think.

Ok. So... I also totally get the concept of the Review Filter. I understand where the Yelp-masters are coming from when they talk about trying to weed out "fake" reviews. Yeah, we can review ourselves. Disgruntled employees can review their companies; people can review their competitors, their ex-girlfriend/boyfriend/spouses' businesses... there are lot of opportunities for people to leave less-than-accurate reviews and ratings that unfairly tip a business' reputation pro or con. And Yelp can't send a duly appointed representative to each and every place/person to check up on it-- not to mention that duly appointed representatives are generally (still) human beings and are subject to persuasion too.

And I get that Yelp doesn't have (and probably doesn't want) the manpower to individually read and assess each review on the site to determine if it should be posted or not.

So, in essence, I get that Yelp built a fancy piece of software to crawl their site and review reviews. And so, I get what Yelp is saying about the filtering process.

What I don't get, don't like, and think is stupid, is that they've "filtered" ALL my reviews. And I'm not sure I think that makes sense. And not just for me, personally, but in other cases for other people dealing with the stupid too.

I think, maybe, the Filter should "think" to not hide ALL of a businesses' reviews. That's crap. All 4 reviews were made by separate people, from separate accounts, using separate IP addresses, so the Filter shouldn't be thinking they're duplicates.

Hopefully my reviews will eventually be un-filtered again and show up on my business profile. But, in the meantime, Yelp is a review site. How does it make sense to essentially "erase" ALL the reviews a business has accrued?

Especially in an area where the site is just starting to see regular use? Doesn't it make sense that Yelp would want businesses to have reviews? No one wants to keep checking your site for reviews if there are never any reviews.

Is this because I laughed at your advertising prices? .... oh sure, I read that in the FAQs too, all about how Yelp doesn't "punish" businesses for not advertising with them... but, ya gotta admit, seems coincidental.

I don't pretend to be Good Will Hunting-- I can't "reverse engineer" the fancy algorithms that are used to determine credit scores, or Yelp Review Filtering. But I wouldn't be surprised if some of the variables used for the filtering process are the number of overall reviews any particular person has written overall, the number of reviews a business gets within a certain time frame-- like if I get 20 reviews all in one day, it might be because I told people to write me a review and I'd give them each a cookie for doing it-- and ratings, like, if I get 27 reviews and they're ALL 5 stars, maybe that makes the Filter think, "hmmmm, I wonder if she's bribing them with cookies?"

But, like I said, Yelp isn't big here yet. In fact, after my conversation with the Yelp rep about their ludicrous ad prices, I spent the next 2 days asking everyone I spoke with if they'd ever used Yelp-- overwhelmingly the response was "What's 'Yelp?'" And my hair stylist said she only knew about it because I wrote a review for her.

People don't love constantly being required to register for a site and set up a profile-- I guess, eventually, we'll all be able to use our Google or Facebook accounts to sign in for ANY site-- but so far, Yelp isn't playing that game, but Yelp requires you to create an account and log in in order to write a review. That's more effort than many people want to make. And yeah, I tell people all the time to write a review for me-- I never tell them what to say, I don't want to bake cookies to bribe people. I'm not trying to sway the results, just introduce people to the site.
I have hopes that Yelp will figure out a more accurate filtering process. I expect that Yelp will eventually see far more use here in Visalia. And, as long as they continue to play nice with Google, Yelp will grow and prosper. But I am ticked that they now tell me that my business "has no reviews" just because they've been "filtered" shouldn't mean I go back to square one altogether!

But-- I'm not going to bother to keep posting reviews if the reviews I write are going to get trapped in a filter. And my clients aren't going to write reviews for me if their reviews are going to get hidden. And I'm not going to keep encouraging people to use the site if it's going to end up that their efforts are for naught.

The Myth of "Solar Nails"

2011-10-27T17:06:00.001-07:00

I hate to bust anyone's bubble, but there's no such thing as "Solar Nails." Well... then again, maybe sort of...

Fortunately, none of the salons in my backyard are trying the old "solarnail" farce, but it has become SO prevalent throughout the country-- and even several other countries-- that it's really worth discussing!

I realize that I'm getting old. As in officially a "grown up" now-- which has it's own ups and downs that go WAY beyond the nail world! But let's talk nails!

Back in MY day, we didn't have a little nail salon on every corner offering cheap-ass nails with no appointment!

Acrylic nails didn't really become affordable for the average person until the early 80's, and many folks my age probably doesn't really remember anyone they knew actually getting nails until the mid-80's.

You had to get out the phone book, look through the yellow pages, and start calling salons to find out what they charged and when you could get in. Most salons charged somewhere between $40 and $60 for a full set, and $25-30 for fills. No one did pink and white nails, and EVERYONE did handpainted nail art!

Very few nail techs used tips back then. Tips were what they pulled out and dusted off when they had to put a set of nails on a really bad nailbiter.

So you pretty much called back the cheapest salon and tried to get in THAT day! Which was almost never possible, so you either ended up making an appointment and waiting for your nails, or you chose a salon that charged more, but could get you in sooner.

Well, 20-some years later, there IS a salon on every corner offering cheap-ass nails without an apointment. They slap on some tips and use a fat-ass brush to throw some clear acrylic down on top, they file it fast and airbrush you on your way out the door. The technique is almost universal, no matter what salon you go to, no matter what city you live in.

Except, after awhile a lot of people who were going to these places started noticing that these nails LOOKED cheap. They turned yellow, they were crooked, and several of us old-school perfectionists that still take pride in our work were referring to them as "chicklet" nails because they often lacked an arch in the middle of the nail and it looked like someone had just pressed a big ole chicklet onto the nails. Yuck.

Now they do something called "Solar nails." "Solar nails" differ a little bit from salon to salon, town to town because "solar nails" is a made up name to describe a technique-- not a product-- like Rockstar nails, which we've heard my rant about!

In most cases, "solar nails" are pink and white, and carefully shaped and squared off, and many salons actually sculpt "solar nails" on top of forms old-school style, instead of using tips. OR they use a white tip with a clear or pink acrylic overlay.

The problem is that there are SO many girls getting their nails done now who are too young to remember the good ole days! Many girls have never stepped foot into an upscale salon, or been to a salon where they had to make (and were expected to keep) an appointment! And even if they are aware of such salons-- it's probably some boring, expensive, hoity-toity place where their moms or grandmas go.

Awhile back I was hearing a lot of people referring to "solar nails" as "new." They aren't new! They're JUST pink and white acrylic nails! Same as I've been doing since before I even got my license!

They aren't fancy, they aren't new, they aren't special, and they aren't different from acrylic! They are still acrylic, they are just pink and white acrylic.

And acrylic isn't SUPPOSED to turn yellow!

Basically "solar nails" is just a marketing gimmick. It allows these salons to compete with upper scale salons by stepping up their quality. It also allows them an opportunity to make more money by differentiating services.

And let's face it... these people need to make more money! Common people! Really? You think $15 is a fair price for a full set of nails? Even if it only take half an hour, by the time they cover the cost of products and overhead associated with the cost of doing business, they don't even come close to pulling in minimum wage! All too often, many of these salon workers are working in situations that most of us would consider sweat-shops.

I-- and many state regulatory agencies-- have some issues with the sub-standard business practices and disregard for public and worker health and safety, but beyond that, it's just a shame that so many people are out there working so hard to make pennies on each dollar earned.
Anyway... my point was to help everyone understand the truth behind "solar nails." That they ARE ACRYLIC NAILS, not something different, better, or special.

Acrylic, btw, is still an excellent scuplting medium for artificial nail enhancements! It remains the cheapest, and the most durable product available. Acrylic products come in a staggering variety of colors, and quality of product! Just because one product turns nasty yellow colors, or gets brittle, or lifts on you, doesn't mean that ALL acrylic will. There is a BIG difference in products, and not all acrylic is the same!

One more thing: there is a product manufacturer named "CND" which stands for "Creative Nail Design." CND has been manufacturing nail products for decades now. They produce very high quality products for the professional nail industry and you can see their ads in many of the fashion magazines.

CND makes a product called "Solar Nail." This was their big selling acrylic line in the 90's when I got into the biz. Now they make "Retention +," "Moxie," and "Radical Solar Nail," among other lines. "Solar nail" remains a registered trademark of CND. It is the name of a specific line of acrylic-- and it is almost never the type of acrylic used in salons that offer "solar nails."

Now you know. Don't get duped. Choose a salon that knows it's stuff and is willing to talk about it! These are CHEMICALS that are being applied to your fingers! You deserve to know what's in them and how they work!

Them Ain't Gel Nails

2011-10-27T17:05:00.001-07:00

There are few things that come across my desk (metaphorically AND literally) that make me wish I could afford a multimillion dollar national advertising campaign to tell everyone the TRUTH. If only there was some way to get the word out....

Oh yeah... I have the INTERNET!

My little blog may not always be that interesting, and it may not get all the attention it deserves, but I get enough public and private comments on some of the entries to know that at least a few folks read it. Hopefully those few folks will advise a few more folks to read it, and so on and so on until enough people get the information that I can rest assured that all is right with the world once more.

People, I hate to break it to you, but GEL nails are done with GEL. Gel, as in gelatinous, as in jelly. It's called "gel" because it's a GEL.

Gel nails are absolutely, positively NOT made with liquid and powder.

There are some products out there that call themselves "gel" that do not use a UV lamp. These are made with cyanoacrylate resin-- same stuff as Crazy Glue-- and I guess the resin IS sort of a gel, so calling them "gel" isn't really wrong.

And you can add powder to gels. Like, sprinkling on a little acrylic powder for added strength. It's arguable as to how effective this is, but some folks feel like it makes a difference.

But gel nails are NOT made by dipping a brush into a liquid and then into a powder like acrylic. This is acrylic. The liquid is called "monomer" and the powder is called "polymer," when you mix the two together you create a polymer resin that is applied directly to the nail where it hardens ("cures" is the proper term) into a hard plastic polymer. Voila! Acrylic.

Gel nails are created by brushing an oligimer directly over the nail and then exposing the gel to Ultra Violet light, which reacts with a photoinitiator in the oligimer (gel) which starts the chemical reaction to cure the gel.

Gels come in a bunch of different viscosities (thicknesses) and there are few different chemical compositions of gels on the market as well as different systems by different manufacturers who have different directions for applying their products. So although one salon may use a gel that is squeezed out of a tube, while another salon uses a gel that is in a little pot, and one salon may use the same gel for every layer while another salon has three different gels for three different layers... the main thing to know is that GEL IS NOT A POWDER!

It is true, I know of at least one company that produces a product that they call "powder gel." Sorry, no such thing. Powder is not a gel. Gel is called gel because it's a gel.

There is such a thing as a light cured acrylic. Liquid and powder that are combined like acrylic, but use a photoinitiator as a catalyst, instead of BPO (Benzoil Peroxide) in the powder, like a traditional acrylic.

I know I know I know! It gets SO confusing! That's why it's been SO EASY for salons all over the world to rip their clients off by claiming to be offering a premium service such as gels when they are really just plopping down the same old acrylic and charging you double!

And if you think YOU have been getting ripped off just because you never took Organic Chemistry don't feel too bad just yet! Most nail technicians never took Organic Chemistry either! Most of us have NO CLUE about the chemistry behind our products! And even the top notch gals I hob-nob with in the industry can get overwhelmed when we start talking science. Especially when there's SO MUCH of it to try to understand!

And here we are, trying to cram a doctorate degree's worth of chemistry into our heads while also making room for physics and microbiology! And we're trying to do it all within the 2 weeks we have before our client shows up for her next appointment so we can answer all the question she has about her nails!

Meanwhile, not only are we trying to understand the basic science of what most people consider an artistic field, but we also have to sift out the difference between what is fact, vs what is marketing from product manufacturers who want us to use their products.

*sigh*

It's enough to make ya want to just work at Starbucks... except Starbucks won't let you have your nails done.

I just wanted you to know what gel really is. How to determine if you are getting what you are paying for, because it seems that a lot of salons out there are charging extra for something they aren't doing!

Oh yeah, and gel nails are done with gel. All gel. You can brush the gel on over a plastic tip, or you can scultp gel onto the nail with a form, but the entire nail is made of gel. Some gels are thick and can be sculpted on all at once, many gels are thinner and work better if they are built up layer after layer... but all the layers are done with gel. Not an acrylic nail with a gel topcoat.

Gels come in a bunch of colors, like polish. They can be done in pink and white, all clear, colors, or even mixed up with glitters for Rockstar.

Gels are still a premium service in the United States. Many schools don't teach gel techniques and most state boards don't require it on their practical exams.

Gels require a very different technique than acrylic for application. It seems like it would be as easy as polishing the nail, but it's really not. I found that out the hard way myself!

Also, gel products are, on average, 3 times more expensive than acrylic products. So yeah, they cost more, if you find a salon that doesn't charge more for gel, tip your nail tech a little extra-- cuz she's short changing herself.

Really?! You Want a FISH Pedicure?

2011-10-27T17:04:00.001-07:00

By now you MUST have heard about the infamous "fish pedicure." Some salon back east (that's what we say in CA, "back east," it means I've forgotton exactly which eastern state this is in and I'm too lazy to look it up just now) has started offering pedicures that involve sticking your feet in a tub of water with a bunch of small fish that EAT the dead skin off your feet.
Yes. You put your feet in an aquarium and the fish EAT the dead skin off.

Yes.

FISH.

Live fish....

...in your pedicure soak.

My boyfriend thinks this is a FABULOUS idea and if we were made of time and money, we would buy a ticket and hop on a plane and go "back east" to this salon so he could have these fish eat all the dead skin off his feet.

Meanwhile, the professional industry is AGHAST at the notion! Seriously, I have seen few things that have shocked and disgusted my colleagues like this fish idea.

Nevertheless, just the other day, a fellow nail tech posted to one of our professional forums that she was starting to get REQUESTS for fish pedicures. The calls are starting to come in as the public hears about it-- they want to know if we offer it, when will we offer it, and how much will it cost?

Thing is, most of us are ICKED OUT by the idea of the fish pedicure and we have NO intention of offering the service.

The problem as most of the pros see it is that we can't figure out how it can be considered sanitary? State Boards (the government agencies that typically regulate the salon industry) across the nation have been issuing more stringent rules for disinfecting pedicure equipment in the wake of a slew of infections resulting from poorly disinfected pedicure spas, improper disinfection of implements, and illegal use of Credo blades. (Illegal in many states-- basically a razor blade in a plastic handle used to "shave" off calluses-- WRONG on so many levels! Don't make me start a whole new blog!) One woman has actually DIED as a result of an infection that she developed after a botched pedi!

So here we are, with all these nasty nasty infections breaking out because there are so many people out there doing sub-standard work for customers who don't know any better (btw-- it is NOT "just nails" and the worst that can happen is you DIE! So start demanding higher standards from where ever you get your nails done!) when along comes FISH!

Ok. Here's where I was until about 5 mintues ago-- I can't help but admit that the idea of paying someone to have fish eat the dead skin off my feet DOES ick me out.

Problem is, I really can't say why. I think the fact that these fish exist is WAY COOL. These fish evolved (unless you don't believe that-- then I guess these fish were created...) JUST to eat dead flesh. DEAD, not living tissue. They live in places where animals come to bathe-- scientists call them "doctor" fish, but in reality, they REALLY ARE "Spa" fish!!! How cool is that?! And there's not really any reason they can't give humans the same spa treatment they give hippos.

So why is it icky? I have NO trouble going swimming in lakes and rivers. I've put my hand in the aquarium before-- usually to make sure the placostomous is just hiding out in the little ceramic tiki hut and hasn't keeled over in there-- but still, not afraid to touch fish.(and, if you're a Hitchhiker's Guide fan-- I SO WISH I could get a Babble fish to stick in my ear! Not icky at all!) And these little spa fish don't have teeth at all. They can't hurt you. They are probably SAFER than any other rasp, file, pumice stone, and ESPECIALLY razor blade for removing callouses.

So, I spent my last week thinking, why NOT use these fabulous little fishees to make our feet baby soft?

I'll tell you why.

Because I can't buy jalepenos. THAT'S WHY! Because there's a guy who is SUEING Walmart because he bought some jalepenos and then he got SICK. (insert whining voice.)

Because a few weeks ago we couldn't buy TOMATOES. Because people were getting sick, and nobody knew what was causing it but everyone who was sick had recently eaten salsa-- so a bunch of people thought it must be the tomatoes. So the FDA started testing tomatoes. They didn't BAN tomatoes. NOOOOOO!

Our friendly grocery stores and restaraunts VOLUNTARILY stopped selling/serving tomatoes. They didn't put up a warning sign and give us the opportunity to make an informed desicion to take responsibility for our own actions and possible consequences thereof-- NOOOOO! They just stopped selling/serving tomatoes.

After 800+ cases of salmonella St. Paul, and a bazillion tested tomatos that weren't contaminated-- the FDA proceeded to scratch their heads and said, "Hmmmm, maybe it's the peppers?" And proceded to start testing peppers.

Suddenly the tomatoes were back on the shelves but now I can't buy any *&!ing peppers!
And this morning I read a story in the newspaper that some guy is sueing Walmart because he bought some jalepenos and then got the dreaded St. Paul Salmonella.

After reading the FDA's website about the recent salmonella outbreak and the facts about salmonella in general... it turns out that every year about 4,000 cases of salmonella are reported and confirmed in the United States, with approximately 400 deaths occurring from the infection each year.

Meanwhile, this particular strain of Salmonella-- the St. Paul type-- has, last time I checked, resulted in over 1300 cases with only ONE DEATH that was only PARTIALLY attributed to the salmonella! That's right... the only person who has died after being infected with Salmonella St Paul already had terminal cancer. Which means that the type of Salmonella bacteria that we normally see 4,000 cases of in an average year has about a 10% fatality rate! But this far rarer strain of St. Paul Salmonella has a less than .001% fatality rate but America is so freaking germophobic and sue-happy that it is keeping me from making an informed choice to go ahead and buy jalapenos.

And THAT is why you shouldn't get a fish pedicure! Because what's going to happen when someone gets an infection because they put their feet in an aquarium with those little fishees and their little FISHEE POOP when they had a busted blister, or hangnail on their baby toe, or a small cut where they scraped an ankle or stubbed a toe?! and heaven forbid they're diabetic! or turn out to be allergic to the fishes!

It's hard enough for the government to regulate our industry, and there are many within the industry (myself included) who believe the government has no business trying to regulate the beauty industry-- That they are out of their league and that they shouldn't be responsible for policing an industry they know nothing about. But our culture is growing progressively unwilling and consequently unable to take care of itself, expecting the government to play nanny to them and keep them "safe." Safe from whom? Ourselves and the consequences of our own poor decisions?

Folks, there is NO way to completely disinfect any sort of tub where you are putting your feet in the same water as fish. Even if these poor little fish are getting dumped into a new tub with each new service (and how traumatic do you think that is for the little critters?) with fresh water for each client... those fish poop. And there's no way to potty-train fish. And poop contains bacteria... and bacteria can cause infections. How do you expect the regulatory agencies to respond to this?
Because some day, SOMETHING is going to go TERRIBLY WRONG, and the same people who are lining up today for fish pedicures will be clambering to join a class action lawsuit against the same business they have patronized for years; seeking legislature to protect others from the same service they are RAVING about today!

If you want a fish pedicure, fine. Just own up to the fact that it doesn't take an ichthyoligist to realize this might not be the best plan for smoothing those calluses, so if something goes wrong don't be too quick to find an attorney because maybe some of the rest of us still want jalapenos!

(originally posted at www.myspace.com/nailsbymaggie on 8/20/08)

MMA Is Not For Nails

2011-10-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

MMA is an abreviation for Methyl Methacrylate Monomer. It is a chemical compound. MMA makes acrylic. But NOT the kind of acrylic you want on your nails!

MMA is dental acrylic. It's what they make fake teeth and crowns out of. And even dentists are starting to use other chemicals now because MMA is just so gosh-awful bad for you!
It's also used in industrial applications-- they use it to hold concrete together and to glue tiles to cement floors. This stuff is STRONG.

Back in the early days of acrylic nails it was the only stuff available. We got it from the dental industry. But it didn't take very long at all before it started causing problems and by the early 70's (that's right, acrylic nails have been around THAT long!) so many women had suffered allergic reactions to it and/or had major trauma to their own nails because of it that the FDA got involved.

The FDA reviewed the complaints it was receiving, did some research and declared MMA to be a "poisonous and deleterious substance" under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (which was initially put in effect in 1906.)

So the FDA said, "This cannot be used for nails" (well, I paraphrased that actually) in 1974 and it was supposed to be taken off the shelves!

By that time a lot of companies had already figured out that acrylic nails were going to be BIG and they didn't want to lose all the money that was sure to be had in the industry-- and they didn't want to see the industry fail either-- so they found alternatives.

Now we use EMA (ethyl methacrylate monomer: one letter makes a BIG difference in the molecule!)

EMA creates a more flexible acrylic that is more likely to break under stress. The molecule is WAY huge compared to the MMA molecule-- which means it can't penetrate the nail plate and is far less likely to cause allergic reactions.

Unfortunately, MMA is still available because it gets used for so many other things than nails. And it's cheap. CHEEEEEEAAAAP. A gallon of MMA can be found for about $15 where a gallon of cosmetic-grade EMA goes for over $200. That's a big difference!

So if you've ever looked around and seen those banners for full sets at $15 and wondered why they were so cheap when the nice salon up the street is charging $65 for a full set? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

So what's so bad about MMA?

Well, I really didn't know much about MMA until I got fired from a job back in 1995 for refusing to use it. I ended up down at the library for hours researching and making photocopies. And let me tell you-- this stuff is illegal for GOOD reasons!

First off, if you work with it long enough you will inhale a lot of the vapors that evaporate off the liquid. This gets into your body and slowly poisons you. Possibly to death, since it can cause pulmonary edema-- build up of liquid in your lungs. Now that IS a worst case scenario and to my knowledge no one has ever died from MMA poisoning in a salon environment.

But what it DOES do is cause a bunch of problems with your brain and central nervous system that is classified as "brain dysfunction."

It can cause loss of memory and dementia. It can cause nerve damage that will make your fingers and toes go all numb and tingly. It causes birth defects-- specifically causes spinal cord issues in fetuses.

Most clients will never have to worry about these things because they just aren't exposed to MMA often enough or long enough to inhale that much of it. But if you ever wondered why all those people are wearing masks?

Sadly, wearing a paper dusk mask will NOT prevent you from being poisoned. The vapors penetrate those masks and go right into your lungs. The masks just keep the dust out. (and, btw, a lot of techs wear dust masks because of the dust, so don't jump to conclusions! But if EVERYONE in the salon is wearing one AND their acrylic nails are dirt cheap? Get suspicious!)

What YOU (the client) have to worry about is the chance of developing an allergic reaction. The molecules in the monomer (remember! Monomer is the liquid-- and it's the only place where MMA is a problem) are so tiny that they can get into your skin and soak through the nail plate. This means your body is more likely to notice the foreign substance and revolt! Which is essentially what an allergic reaction is.

I see a LOT of people who develope allergies to acrylic. And what kills me is that so many people working in my industry don't have a CLUE about chemistry. So almost everytime they assume the problem is caused by the primer and will try to switch products.

This doesn't work. Sometimes it helps for a fill or two, but eventually I end up with a new client who can't wear acrylic and thinks I'm a goddess because I have stuff that is hypoallergenic.
Allergic reactions show up as itching, swelling, redness, and little blisters all around the nail.

Take a look at that photo.

That's a nail with MMA. OUCH! Notice how the nail itself is still in excellent shape? But the natural nail has been torn off the nail bed? That's the big problem with MMA. It's so strong it doesn't always break, that's why the FDA got so many complaints!

Women were getting their nails torn off their nailbeds! Then they were getting infections, some of those infections were going all the way down to the bone in the finger and then they had to have part of their finger amputated!

This is all the more a problem in salons that don't bother disinfecting properly. They just keep using the same drill bit and the same files and the same buffers over and over and over until they wear out! They don't even bother WASHING them between clients! Let alone DISINFECTING them according to the LAW!

(did you know that California does not recognize disinfectable buffers and files? They make us throw them out after each client! No. It is NOT legal in California to keep files and buffers to reuse on the same client! It's like a Q-tip-- once it's been used it has to be thrown out! You can't wash it, and you can't even use it on the same person again!)

EEEeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwww.

You can show this blog entry to as many people as you can! The more people understand about getting their nails done safely, the better!

Written by Maggie Franklin, posted at www.artofnailz.com

Finding a Good Nail Tech in Your Town

2011-10-27T16:56:00.001-07:00

How many times have I run into someone who tells me that where they live there AREN'T any nail salons where English is the primary language, or that there AREN'T any nail salons where they live that disinfect, use top notch products, etc.

Look folks, this just isn't true. I spend hours online networking with other professionals who are constantly saying that they are having a hard time building a clientelle because the consumers in their area don't CARE about a clean salon, or a nail tech who speaks English, or uses high end products and offers high end services...

So, how is it that Group A can't seem to find Group B?

So here are some things to think about next time you go looking for a good nail tech:

A. If you want clean, professional, knowledgeable, and talented-- it's going to cost you. There is a REASON that some nail techs charge $65+ for a set of pink and white acrylic nails when there's a salon on every corner with a banner on the window advertising a new set for $19.99. These two services are no more the same than a Hyundai is the same as a Mercedes Benz.

I do not understand how people who know the difference between the clothes at Walmart and the clothes at Nordstrom's can't seem to make the same connection between a 20 dollar set of nails and a 65 dollar set? --and believe me! I'm using that $65 figure as a baseline for an upscale set of nails. Depending on where you live, a high end nail tech might charge anywhere from $50 to $150 for a set of nails!

By the same standard, I've seen low end salons advertising nails for as low as $9!!

According the newest data available (Nailpro Essentials, 2008) the AVERAGE PRICE for a new set of tips with overlays is $41 in the U.S. And the AVERAGE PRICE for a new set of Sculptured Pink and White Acrylics is $48. If you are paying considerably less than that, you are receiving considerably less than average work-- and considerably more than that typically represents considerably higher than average work.

Some adjustments need to be made to account for what might be "average" in your area, of course and there are always some exceptions to the rule on both ends of the spectrum-- but I trust you aren't stupid and can figure that much out for yourself.

B. Once you come to terms with the fact that you aren't going to be able to get really GOOD nails for the cost of a McDonald's happy meal, you'll need to come to terms with the fact that you are going to have to schedule an appointment if you want some quality time with a quality nail tech.

We do business the old fashioned way; we develop a relationship with our clients. We like to know who's coming in, we like to make sure we have reserved the appropriate amount of time needed to do your nails the way you like them, we learn your name, we want to know about you-- tell us who you are, how many kids do you have, where do you work, show us pictures of your grandkids (but please don't bring them with you.) We hope you like your nails, please let us know if you have any problems with them, and we hope to see you again.

Many of us are in demand-- even when we claim we are slow (like I have been lately) it can be difficult to put a claim on a piece of our time. Especially if you require an appointment after 5 p.m. So call in advance and be prepared to wait a couple of weeks, or be placed on a waiting list that might mean waiting several months before you get in! If you are able to schedule appointments during regular business hours, it'll increase your chances of getting an appointment sooner.

C. Be prepared to commit to your appointment.

We don't have you schedule an appointment just for fun! This is a RESERVATION. By scheduling an appointment, you are entering into a verbal contract to receive a service in exchange for payment. We agree to set aside a specified time period in which to perform that service. Once that time is reserved, we can't give it to anyone else. So if you default on your reservation-- we don't get paid. This is just like booking a hotel room. You have a certain amount of time to cancel that reservation, but after a specified point, you're credit card will be charged for the first night's stay even if you don't show up.

Many high end salon professionals have cancellation policies. In most cases, there is a minimum amount of notice required to cancel or reschedule an appointment. 24 to 48 hours is common. If you don't give enough notice, the salon professional will probably expect you to pay a fee. Usually the fee will be equal to the cost of the service that was scheduled.

Don't get all huffy about this. Just like the hotel that charges you for holding that room even if you don't show up-- it is not our fault that you were not able to keep your end of the agreement. We were there, with time set aside, waiting to give you a great set of nails. If you "forgot," "totally spaced," or just plain decided to blow us off-- it is unfair to expect us to cheerfully reschedule you and take the risk that you will deny us the opportunity to work for a living again.
Most salon professionals will take emergencies into consideration-- I once had a client miss an appointment because her husband suffered an aeortal hernia and had to be airlifted to Stanford University for emergency surgery... I let that one slide. On the other hand, I have had clients remember to call to cancel their appointments while they were IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM awaiting emergency surgery!

Believe me! when a 16 year old can call her nail tech to cancel her appointment because she has had an ovarian cyst rupture and needs emergency surgery, it will NOT bode well for you to expect me to overlook my cancellation fee because YOU decided to go shopping with your sister but didn't bother to let ME know you wouldn't be getting your nails done.

D. You will have to look for us.

The vast majority of high end nail techs are working in high end salons. Possibly fancy day spas. Possibly in home-based salons or even alone in small studios. We are not (usually) located in the mall. We are not (usually) in strip malls. We do not advertise our services with faded neon-colored banners, or window decals of 1980's style Nagel prints. You will not stumble across us accidently by walking into the salon next to your local laundromat.

If you are looking for a high end nail tech, you might start by inquiring at your high end hair salon.

You might start paying attention to the nails of people you see daily. When you see someone with really nice nails, ask her where she has them done. Ask questions. Are you looking for someone who speaks English well? Are you looking for someone who does gel nails? Who does full acrylic instead of using tips? Who does nail art? ASK.

Google probably knows: I have a friend in Denver who does nails, one of her clients found her because she asked Google for "the best nail tech in Denver."

E. Pay attention to what Google tells you.

Google (or any other search engine) may not link you directly to a nail tech's or salon's website. For instance, Google refuses to link to my own website. The ways of Google are mysterious and I can't figure out why it doesn't like my site but Google will link to several sites that are about me. Including this blog.

Even if the links aren't directly to websites that are interesting to you, they may tell you a lot about a particular nail tech or salon. Do the search results link you to articles from industry trade magazines? Isn't it a good sign when a nail technician has been featured in magazines for other nail technicians? Are there links to local newspaper articles? Community involvement?

F. Don't just look for pictures.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a nail tech can do awesome nails and still not be at the top of her game. I've seen great talent that used products with MMA, didn't disinfect-- or never bothered to change her disinfectant in the jar! (yuck) And techs who did great nails, but routinely cut their clients, and used the same files and buffers (non-disinfectable items) over and over on client after client.

G. Find someone you can communicate with.

I hear many people complain about nail techs that don't speak English--Some of the best, and most respected, talents in our industry don't speak English all that well. I certainly hate to think that anyone would walk away from a great nail tech just because English wasn't their first language-- but it IS important to be able to communicate with anyone who is performing a service for you! This goes well beyond speaking the same language however!

I cannot believe how many times a new client has sat in front of me and complained that her previous nail tech never did her nails the way she wanted. Many times the previous nail tech has been someone who speaks English fluently, but didn't bother to pay attention to what the client was asking for, or didn't bother to clarify what the client asked in order to be sure they were on the same page.

Once you know what it is that you're looking for, it'll be easier to find it. We're out here! Just don't go visit your aunt's nail tech 2 states over and complain that there's no one like her where you live until you've actually looked!

I'd Like to Ask a Favor

2011-10-27T16:52:00.001-07:00

The beauty industry has really gone through some changes in my time. And not all those changes have been for the best.

For one thing, I learned to do acrylic nails by sculpting them on forms. The only time anyone pulled out plastic tips was for nail biters. Most people who did nails in the 80's considered tips "cheating." But these days, that's all you see!

It's not unusual at all these days for me to have clients who have never seen forms! Sometimes they freak out a little when they see me pull them out, they don't know what they are! Once I explain it and they relax, they almost always end up preferring sculptured nails.

This is because there are a lot of cheap nail salons out there these days that use tips to cut corners. They just grab a plastic tip and slap it on the nail and then throw some acrylic over it and take your money. They don't put much effort into producing a quality set of nails and they don't take pride in their work. They are in it for the money and they make their money by working fast so they can fit more people into the day.

These salons are new too. Visalia has only had them for about 10 years now. But they spring up fast and spread like wildfire. There's one in every stip mall, every shopping center. They are highly visible and easy to find. But why people think that the one in Mary's Vineyard is going to be any different from the one in Packwood Creek is beyond me. Can't you tell they are all the same type of salon?

They advertise cheap rates and don't take appointments. Just like Supercuts isn't much different from The Perfect Cut-- same type of salon, just a different company. Yet I see people all the time who try every single one of the cheap, walk-in nail salons in town before they get on the internet and find my website.

This is different too. Back in my day we had the yellow pages. There weren't any nail salons that did nothing but walk-ins. Some places might take walk-ins, but only if they had time, which was rare.

We had to get out the yellow pages and start calling salons and find out when we could get in.

We made appointments.

People understood appointments better back then. They were just more common, so maybe more people understood that if you made an appointment-- you kept it. OR, you called in advance to cancel it.

This is probably the single greatest frustration I have with the changes I've seen in my business.

People don't know what appointments are anymore. Oh sure, they'll call and make one. But then they just blow it off without a second thought. It doesn't matter if they just decide to go somewhere else, or decide not to get their nails done, or if something comes up and they can't keep their appointment... problem is, they don't tell me.

So there I am, waiting on you. Sitting at my desk with my implements all disinfected and set out, looking forward to meeting someone new. Getting to know my new client and getting a chance to introduce someone to a different type of nail service. A service that is clean and safe, that doesn't hurt, or destroy your natural nails. And a nail-lady who actually cares about who you are. Who wants to have a conversation with you and get to know you.

But you've never met a nail tech like that before, you don't know that I'm sitting there waiting just for you because you've never been to an upscale salon before. You figure that if you don't show up, I'll just take who ever's next in line.

But there IS no next in line, not until my next client is scheduled for her appointment. Because I set aside that time just for you.

And I happen to be self-employed. I make money by doing nails. If I'm not doing nails, I'm not getting paid. I have to do a certain number of clients each day in order to make enough money to pay all my bills. If you make an appointment and don't keep it, then I just sit around, not making any money.

It's hard not to take that personally. I mean, I know you don't know me and you may not have known that you are costing me an opportunity to make a living by not keeping your appointment-- I really do try to remember all this and cut you some slack. But I'm sitting there at my desk not making any money and that gives me a lot of time to start thinking about all the changes I've seen over the years-- and it's just so hard to believe how we, as a society, have gotten so lazy at being courteous to one another.

I mean, back in the day, if you had a flat tire on the way to the salon, or your kid got sick and you had to go get them from school, or your doctor appointment took longer than you expected-- it was reasonable when you called the salon the next day to explain why you missed your appointment. But NOW ADAYS we all have cell phones. Even 5th graders have cell phones! There's just no excuse anymore for not being able to at least send off a quiet text message to give us a head's up when an emergency pops up.

But emergencies are few and far between-- what really bugs is how many times someone just doesn't show up. Just blows me off. Like it's no big deal. Like I don't matter and my time means nothing. And if I call up and politely say "Hey, you missed you appointment today..." that person is SO SURPRISED to hear from me! Like it never occurred to them that by making an appointment with me, I may have been expecting you.

Well, I was. I was expecting you. I cleared my schedule just to sit down and chat with YOU and do YOUR nails. And when you don't show up and you can't even bother to call me or text me to let me know you can't make it-- My feelings are hurt. My feelings are hurt and my bank account is hurt. And I really like doing nails. I'd like the opportunity to do your nails. I don't want to have to find a "real" job. I want to make a living doing nails.

So, next time you call up and make an appointment. Keep it. Or at least call to cancel it. And I don't mean call to cancel it when it's 6 minutes before you're supposed to be there. That's just weak. Call and give a day's notice. At least call the morning of. Just like you were calling in sick to work or school.

OMG! And that's another thing! If you have a nail appointment at 6 o'clock in the evening, DO NOT call me at 5:30 to tell me that you are sick! And then try to get my sympathy by telling me that you are so sick, in fact, that you did not even go to work that day! If you KNEW you were too sick to go to work at 7 a.m. that morning, WHY didn't you call ME right after you called in to work?

Waiting until half an hour before you are supposed to be sitting in front of me is just rude. There is NO WAY that gives me enough time to call someone else and offer them your spot. It takes at least a couple of hours to allow someone else enough time to find out that I had a cancellation, make arrangements for their kids or finish up with what they are doing, and drive to the salon. At least 2 hours. So don't wait till the last minute to cancel.

You can avoid a lot of hurt feelings by just remembering to call me at all, and I'll cut you some slack if something comes up at the last minute-- but if you cancel or reschedule everytime you make an appointment, that gets old. It gets old, and it means I can't rely on you. And if you reschedule all the time and you only give me a few hours notice everytime, that's very stressful and eventually I'm going to learn to stop reserving time for you because I know you'll just reschedule.

So have a little compassion for the people you do business with. You sit with us every few weeks while we hold your hands and listen to you share your ups and downs. You come to be part of our lives and you expect us to pay attention to you and be supportive.

Please return the favor.

The Truth About Minx Nails

2011-10-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

So... the thing is, that I have a really hard time selling stuff.

I have to be 120% convinced of everything I say in order to sell something.

So I didn't jump on the MINX bandwagon when it first rolled through town a few years ago. The stuff just didn't seem all that interesting at the time.

Then a buddy of mine who does nails in Houston, TX jumped on that same bandwagon and she can market socks to snakes if she needed to! So Athena start telling everyone over at the Nailtech Mailing List how AWESOME Minx Nails are and how much she's lovin them and how popular they are in her neck of the woods!

So Athena is so into the Minx game that she gets all her colleagues on the networking list all fired up too! So a ton of us start reconsidering our initial thoughts on the product and we run out and invest in the stuff.

So here I am, with about a hundred sheets of Minx and a shiny new heat lamp sitting at my station, waiting for the world to beat a path to my door for this hot hot hot new trend.

Except-- I have the dangedest time selling the stuff. Even to people who call me specifically asking for it!

For one thing, Minx is more of a retail item than a service. Sure, I have to apply it, but I don't create it like I do acrylic or gel enhancements.

For another thing, it's really hard to describe what it is. So I see a lot of confusion in people who have seen it on tv or the internet. A lot of people think it's some sort of revolutionary new enhancement product that is a going to be a great alternative to acrylics; which it is so not.

And it's pricey. It costs me an arm and a leg for each sheet, once I factor in the time and skill required to apply it, it's the same as getting a full set of acrylic nails. But it rarely lasts as long.

And that is where my love for Minx breaks down.

I just can't justify spending the same amount of money on something that will last a week as for something that will last 3 weeks.

Visalia does not have a hoppin club scene. This ain't Hollywood. It's not Miami. It's not Houston. I can totally see how a more ubanized area would have a higher demand for this type of product. If I was headed out to the clubs on the weekend and needed the ultimate look for my nails to match my outfit, I'd be all over Minx.

I think Minx is perfect for proms and special occassions where you want to sport an awesome look for your nails without the commitment to enhancements.

I'm so not going to tell anyone that they don't want Minx! I just want my clients and potential clients to know exactly what it is! I HATE seeing dissappointment in a client's face, and I hate taking the fall for a disappointing product-- like I'm screwing someone over because they thought they were getting something different from what they asked for. So here's the scoop:

Minx is a sticker. That is the absolute most basic, plainest language description I can give you. It's just a vinyl sticker. It's pre-cut into a nail shape and there are 9 or 10 sizes on each sheet. They get put under a heat lamp and warmed up to soften the vinyl so that it can be stretched and molded to the contours of a nail. Once it's pressed down on the nail and carefully fit around the cuticle area and into the sidewalls we let it cool off for a little bit.

Then I use a very fine file to gently file off the excess vinyl at the free edge. Yes. This takes skill. It has to be done very carefully so the vinyl doesn't shrink back from the free edge. It has to be done just right so the vinyl doesn't fray where you file it.

It stays on the nails about a week. If you're really good at not playing with it, then it could last longer, but most people end up picking at the edges and once it starts to lift up on an edge it'll just peel right off. On the toes, however, it lasts forever! I LOVE Minx for toes!

One thing that Minx has going for it is that it's the only way to get a true chrome effect on your nails! No polish, paint, or Rockstar glitter has quite the same effect as Minx. It really is cool looking, there's no denying that much!

So if Minx is what you want, then I'll be more than thrilled to book that appointment for you! I just want to make sure you know what it is before you're sitting in front of me saying, "Oh, that's all it is?"

Polymer, Polycrylic, Polly-wanna-cracker, Plastic Nails...

2011-10-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT YOU HOLD DEAR!

I about sick and more than a little crazy at the unspeakable amount of ignorance regarding the use of the prefix "poly" that runs rampant through out the so-called "professional" nail industry.

Y'all are killin me here! Seriously!

Since it seems, after a good 10 years already, that a significant number of my colleagues largely refuse to educate themselves on the subject; the best I guess I can do is try to put something out there that reaches the masses.

Before you buy into any manicurist's rant regarding "polymer" or "poly-crylic" nails and nail products-- PLEASE, take a moment to look up the definition of "Polymer."

Did you click on that link? It takes you to the Wikipedia entry for "polymer." Now, I know a lot of teachers and college professors won't let you use Wikipedia as a reference source if you're writing a paper-- but, trust me, it's an accurate enough article to give you a real understanding of what the word "polymer" really means. And, if you read it, you now know that "polymers" are types of molecules that make up a lot of different types of materials-- including ALL, that's right! ALL-- artificial nail enhancement products. Even polish. Or "lacquer," or "enamel," or whatever you prefer to call your favorite pigmented, brush-on nail paint.
The word "gel" gets thrown around rather haphazardly in and out of the professional industry.

The primary problem with the word "gel" as it pertains to nail enhancement products is that it doesn't really refer to any specific type of polymer. The word "gel" just refers to any-- that's right, any-- nail enhancement product that is a gel.

You know. Gel. As in gelatinous. Jelly-like.

The majority of the pros concur that real gel nails are created by coating the nails with multiple layers of viscous liquid (viscous= thick. For our purposes here, that's close enough) that must be cured by being exposed to ultra violet light. Which means that the product is already in a jelly-like state when it leaves the factory. No components must be mixed to create the "gel." UV gels can come in all kinds of containers, from pots or jars to squeezy tubes to polish-type bottles, but if they are UV gels, the container will be opaque. (Opaque means that light cannot pass through it-- as in, you can't see through it.) The containers have to be opaque because sunlight and even regular lightbulbs (especially fluorescent light bulbs) emit ultra violet light-- so if light can get through the container that the gel is in, it will thicken and eventually harden in the container.

I hear ALL THE TIME from people who have been duped by unscrupulous salons that claimed to do "gel" nails, but really just slapped on old-fashioned acrylic (liquid and powder) and sealed it with a gel topcoat.
REAL GEL NAILS are done with EVERY layer in gel. Gel is never a powder. It can't be-- since the whole reason gel is called gel is because it's a gel. Remember?

BUT sometimes you hear the term "no light gel."

"No light" gels are really just nail glue. Usually a thick nail glue, but still nail glue. Which isn't even really "glue" since true glue is made of processed protein and nail glue is made of cyanoacrylate resin-- same as Crazy Glue.

Most pros don't consider these "resin" based products to be true gels, but since the term gel only refers to the physical properties of the product, it's fair to call it "no light gel."

But the thing that makes me CRAZY is how many techs are out there selling their preferred UV Gel product as NOT BEING GEL! And go on and on about how their product is a "poly-"something-or-other.

Folks. I'm here to testify. Their "polymer" or "polycrylic" products ARE gels. Why? Because it's in a gelatinous state.

And what's more-- other gels ARE TOO "polymers!" In fact: traditional liquid and powder acrylics ARE POLYMERS! and "no light gels" ARE POLYMERS! and all uv gels ARE POLYMERS! and nail varnish/lacquer/enamel/polish-- all polymers. and nail glue-- also a polymer.

At least, the resulting, cured products are polymers.

Oh yeah. ALL ARTIFICIAL NAIL ENHANCEMENT PRODUCTS are also acrylates, and all acrylates are types of plastic.

Yes. There are some differences in the chemistry of certain types of gels. That's the problem with such broad usage of the word "gel," since it only refers to the physical properties of the products, there a lot of different chemical formulas that qualify.

And part of the problem is that the companies that manufacture nail products market their products in misleading ways-- they tell the manicurists who use their products that the product "isn't a gel because...blah blah blah" or that their product is different/better/new because it's different/better/made with magical unicorn pee...

Sorry. Did my disdain for companies that intentionally use misleading information to convince licensed professionals of their outright LIES start to slip through there?

Yeah. I am going to have to take a stand and claim that some of these companies are intentionally lying to us-- they have chemists making their products. I cannot, for the life of me, wrap my brain around the concept that a PROFESSIONAL CHEMIST who has GONE TO COLLEGE and OBTAINED A DEGREE IN CHEMISTRY could possibly develop a gelatinous polymer designed to use as a fingernail product and honestly NOT KNOW that it's an acrylate, let alone a gel.

Unless there's something I'm REALLY SERIOUSLY missing in the MSDS. (Material Safety Data Sheet-- very cool piece of paper that list ingredients and lets you know what to do in case someone drinks the product.)

Ok.

So. I'm not sayin' that there aren't different chemical formulas for all the different types of polymer nail products out there. And there ARE many different formulas for gels. In fact, UV gels are booming in the industry right now and they keep introducing more and more new formulas to the market!

We now have "traditional" or "hard" UV gels that will not soak off the natural nail with solvents-- but have to be filed off the nail. We have "soak-off" or "soft" UV gels that can be soaked off with solvents-- and even then! Some "soak-off" gels soak off very easily and quickly, while some take a really long time. We have gel polishes now-- and there's even different formulas of gel polishes!

It really does boggle the mind to try to keep track of them all.

If your nailcare professional chooses to use a particular formula of gel product with claims that it's not an acrylate, or tries to tell you that it's not a gel or that other gels aren't polymers-- well. These are buzz words and marketing terms that indicate that your nail tech probably doesn't quite grasp the concept of polymers in general. But that doesn't mean her product isn't good. In fact, many of these products are great and I know a lot of people who love them...but then again, I know a lot of people who love other types of gels too.

In the end, it's going to be up to you whether or not you decide to stay with that tech and her product. And that comes down to whether or not you like that tech and feel safe with her, and whether or not you like the way your nails look when she's done with them and whether or not you like the way product wears for you.
I just want everyone to know the true meaning of the word "polymer." That way, you can make up your mind about how much you like a product without thinking it's better or worse for your nails based on erroneous marketing.

Remember-- there are some VERY smart folks doing nails out there! And there are some of us who are very knowledgeable about the products we use. Then again-- there are also a lot of people who only repeat what they get told by their sales rep.

It's up to you to educate yourself in order to protect yourself and get what you really want. And education starts with listening to more than one side of the story and then making an informed decision about what you believe.

It's Not "Fungus"

2011-10-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

Let's discuss those green spots underneath your nails...

First and foremost: it is NOT "fungus." That yellow/green/brownish discoloration is a sign of a bacterial infection caused by a little cootie called "psuedomonas aeruginosa." The bacteria lives in water and soil and is very very common in our environment.

Secondly: I can't guarantee that you won't get it. But I DO take special precautions and do everything in my personal power to make sure you won't get it from me.

When you arrive in the salon, I require you to wash your hands using soap and water. This is the first, and most basic, step in making sure that we get started with a clean work surface (ie, your nails) and even if you don't dry your hands thoroughly I will make sure that they are dry before I begin my prep routine.

I know many (I feel safe in actually saying "most") people have never been asked, let alone required, to wash their hands prior to a nail service. In fact, I once had a client who insisted that I didn't know what I was doing because she had not only never been required to wash her hands prior to service, but had actually been refused service because she once arrived at the salon after gardening and voluntarily washed her hands when she arrived! The technician told her that since she got her hands wet, the tech could not do her nails.

Allow me to assure you that this is not the case. Many states have regulations requiring both parties to wash their hands prior to service. And trust me, simply washing your hands will not do anything to negatively impact any product's ability to adhere to your nails. Especially not when followed by proper preparation of the nail plate.

I simply cannot believe that in our germophobic culture where people refuse to push a grocery cart without first wiping it down with a Clorox wipe, that these same people are offended by having to wash their hands before having their nails done.

After you wash your hands I begin services by carefully prepping the natural nail to receive whatever product you choose. This procedure includes a thorough scrubbing with a 99% isoproply alcohol (rubbing alcohol) solution-- and I mean "scrub." I use a nylon brush that has been disinfected in a hospital-grade, EPA-register disinfectant and stored in a dry, dust-free cabinet. This allows me to be sure to thoroughly saturate the nail plate with the solution, making sure to get into any nooks and crannies that could be missed by merely wiping with a cotton pad.

This solution acts to further sanitize the nail plate, remove dust, and dehydrate it to make it more compatible with further prep products that we'll be applying.

Then I apply a nail plate "dehydrator" or "pH balancing" solution. (Different product manufacturers have different products and different labeling.) These prep products dry out the nail plate and make it easier for primers to get a good grip on the surface of the nail plate.

Then we apply primer.

"Primer" used to mean a methacrylic acid solution with a very low pH factor. These primers are still around, widely used, and perfectly fine when used with caution by a conscientious professional. They are highly acidic and should NEVER touch the skin! Contact with skin tissue can (and will) lead to chemical burns.

But many products today are used in conjunction with "protein bonder" or "non-acid" primers...

They are still technically "primers." Technical lingo often gets quite confusing and as specific words and terms develop negative connotations, their usage becomes heavily debated and their true definitions often get confused: A "primer" is anything that is used to "prime"-- or prepare-- a surface for another product to adhere to it.

Nevertheless, whether I apply a traditional acid primer or a protein bonder, that goes on after the dehydrator.

Then I apply the enhancement product.

Acrylic, gel, silk wrap, powder glaze, UV polish-- whatever enhancement service you have chosen.

Once the product is applied and set, then you can relax some. At this point, we have done pretty much all we can to ensure that the application process has been completed with complete attention your health and safety to preserve the integrity of both your natural nail and the enhancement that we have applied.

I never re-use my files, buffers, or those little sandpaper arbor bands on my drill. In fact, in the state of California, it's not even legal for me to reuse those items-- not even on the same person! It's like reusing q-tips or toilet paper-- it doesn't matter if it's on the same person, some things are just meant to only be used once. These items are made of porous materials and even if I put them in the disinfectant, it doesn't guarantee that all the cooties can be killed, so we just throw them out.

All my metal and nylon implements get disinfected according to the state regulations.

I don't even re-use the terry cloth towel that I keep over my lap to keep the dust off my pants (like that even works anyway!)

I work very hard to make sure that I do not contribute to any possible infection!

During the preparation and application process I can get quite snippy with my clients. This is not personal and I have been fortunate that most people seem to understand where I'm coming from, and I'm always happy to explain myself: You need to sit still, facing the nail table (and your nail technician) straight forward. You need to keep both hands on the table. I am working on both hands, not just one, even if I'm only holding one at a time.

It is imperative that you not lean on your hand, brush your hand through your hair, stick your hand inside your purse or your pocket for any reason, or try to eat with your "free" hand. Anything-- and everything-- you touch between washing your hands and the end of the application process is a potential source of infection. Oils, makeup, hair products, and miscellaneous cooties can contaminate the nail plate and lead to service break down.

"Service breakdown" equals "broken heart" to your nail lady. It means that all my hard work to build beautiful enhancements and all my diligence to ensure that those enhancements are built on a clean, properly prepared foundation-- has gone to $&*! It means that there is now an increased potential that those enhancements will begin to lift from the nail plate and that moisture will build up in that space where that nasty bacteria can colonize; leading, of course, to those green spots on your nail.

And that's just speaking of what I can have any hope of controlling while you're here in the salon!

Aside from this, there is the added concern of what the heck you do with those beautiful enhancements when you're out of my sight.

In a perfect world, clients would wear their enhancements in perfect balance with their nail bed (free edge not longer than 1/2 the length of the nail bed;) they wouldn't wear flared or "duck feet" tips that not only mean extra weight at the free edge, but also mean more area of the free edge to get caught or hit on things; and they wouldn't insist on so many embedded embellishments (glitter, confetti, jewels, etc) that the free edges are so thick that, again, they are too heavy for the nail bed to provide anchorage for them, and that they lift from the cuticle area or sidewalls under impact, instead of breaking clean.

Also-- in a nail tech's perfect world-- you would never flail wildly, drum your fingers, tap your nails, add or subtract keys from your key chain, slip when opening your car door or setting your parking brake, put fitted sheets on your bed, take clothes out of the washer or dryer, play fetch or Frisbee with your dog or children, text message on any phone that doesn't have a capacitive keyboard, type, get in fights, or get blind, stinking drunk and simply not have a clue what you did... basically-- your nails would never come in contact with anything.

But it's not a perfect world. Fashion-- not just nail fashions-- aren't always practical, and right now those flared tips are in. And it isn't realistic to expect all my clients to stop working, texting, driving, or essentially going on about their lives-- just because they got their nails done.

So, with all this in mind, here's some advice:

Acrylic takes approximately 48 hours to fully cure. That means that even though I can file on it after about 3 minutes, it's still not entirely "hard." Most cracks and breaks actually get started within the first day of getting your nails done. People walk out of the salon and start banging their nails against all sorts of surfaces. Most people aren't even aware of how often they hit their nails against things. Not being aware of this makes it much harder to avoid it, but try to pay attention to the tips of your fingers! You paid good money to have your nails done, now treat them with some respect and go easy on them.

Cracks usually start inside the nail and work their way out. We've all hit a nail and not broken it, right? But that doesn't mean that the impact didn't cause a fissure in the product-- deep inside, especially during that all-important first 48 hours of application. Once a fissure has started, it will eventually develop into a visible crack. With luck, your nails will grow out and that compromised portion will be filed off before it becomes an issue-- but when you see a crack in the nail, or your nail suddenly "pops off" even though you "didn't even hit it," remember all those times you hit your nails against the table top while you were talking with your hands!

Even invisible, microscopic cracks can let moisture and bacteria in.

If you begin to see green spots (or yellow or brown or black) under your nail-- it's lifting. No exceptions. Something went wrong somewhere along the way and the product has let go of the natural nail and there's a point of entry that has allowed bacteria to get into that space.

While this is not a cause for panic, it does need to be taken care of. You need to kill that bacteria! And the first step to doing that is to make sure that space is dry.

I personally recommend getting the product off the nail as soon as possible if you see any discoloration. And I don't mean by sticking it in your mouth and ripping it off! That just jacks up your nail. Not to mention, this is a bacterial infection we're dealing with, and while a little green spot on your nail isn't something to freak out about-- that same bacteria can lead to some pretty serious consequences if you get an infection elsewhere in your body. So keep it out of your mouth.

Once you get the product off your nail, wash it with soap and water, douse it in Bactine or Peroxide, take your hair dryer to it and make sure it's dry.

Now, here's the hard part: the green spots won't go away. The discoloration is a stain in the keratin of your nail that's caused by a by-product of the bacteria. It is not the bacteria itself. So even after you kill the infection, the discoloration will remain until the nail grows out.

Yeah, you could file it off. But you're just filing down your natural nail, which isn't really doing your nail any good.

And you'll need a doctor to clear you before you can get your nails done again. Because nail techs aren't allowed to treat infections and we're not allowed to work on anything that shows signs of infection or open wounds.

The best thing you can do is help me take care of your nails. I only see your nails once every couple of weeks, you see them everyday. So first off-- pay attention to them. Treat your fingertips delicately and avoid excessive pressure against your nails and fingertips to help prevent stress fractures in the product.

Keep your nails clean, and make sure you take the time to dry your hands and nails thoroughly when you wash your hands.

Use cuticle oil every day: the only time oil makes your nails lift is if it's left on the nail plate when product is applied. When product is applied over a properly prepared nail plate, there is no point of entry for oil or cooties to get between your nail and your nail enhancement. But cuticle oil every bit as important in maintaining the integrity of your nails and cuticles as moisturizer is to preventing wrinkles around your eyes.

A high-quality cuticle oil is made entirely of botanical oils-- contains no mineral oil-- and will keep both your natural nail plate and the surrounding skin tissue properly hydrated. This prevents the skin and nail from drying out, causing those tissues to shrink and pull away from the enhancement product. Dry skin is the number one cause of lifting and cuticle oil is your best defense against it. You don't need to get all greased up, just a tiny drop on each cuticle and then massaged in will do the trick!

Get your nails done! There's a reason that 2 to 3 weeks is what we recommend between fills. It's not just a way of making more money. In fact, I'd love it if all my clients came in once every 4 weeks, that would allow me to see more clients! But 4 weeks is too long to wait. You nails grow about 1/4 inch every month, and as they grow out, they change shape slightly. Nails bend and flex as they grow, some curl up, some flatten out, but the product isn't as flexible as the natural nail and it can't bend and flex very much.

Modern products have made great improvements, but 3 weeks is still about the limit of any product's ability to grow out with the nail before it starts to give.

Getting a fill (or rebalance) is like having the oil changed in your car: you're supposed to do it on a regular schedule in order to prevent things from going catastrophically wrong down the line! It's preventative maintenance, so don't wait until your nails are lifting or broken to have them done, by that time it might be too late.

If you do happen to break a nail or one starts lifting or you see a crack-- treat it with an antiseptic, just like it was a skinned knee or a broken blister. Take precautions to prevent an infection from occurring. Use your hair dryer to make sure the area is totally dry and then seal it with a tiny drop of nail glue-- or remove the product entirely-- until you can get to the salon for a professional repair. And by "until you can get to the salon" I don't mean until your next appointment in two more weeks. I mean ASAP. And if you can't get into your regular nail tech for a proper repair, then either go to another salon for that repair, or take the product off the nail and just wait it out till you can see your regular tech.

Glue is not your friend. It's a last resort sort of thing. And it'll do more harm than good if you don't make sure the nail has been sanitized first; you'll just end up sealing that bacteria in.

Remember: Psuedamonas A. is in most soil and water and other moist environments. And by the time you see a green spot, it's already too late. So make sure you're taking care of those nails, and treat cracks, lifts and breaks like they were open wounds. Clean them, dry them, and sanitize them and I'll never have to tell you that I can't put product back on that nail until the spot is gone or a doctor tells me it's ok.

And once again: I can't guarantee you won't get it, but I do my best to make damn sure you won't get it here.

A new website?

2011-10-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

I have had my professional website hosted by Lycos since the 1900's. I love that I can access it anytime, anywhere and that I don't have to pay someone else to build and maintain my site for me: someone who doesn't know, care, or understand my business or give a rat's ass about it. I love that I can just bust into the site and rearrange and update whenever I need to, instead of sending off the edits I want to aforementioned "doesn't give a rat's ass" guy so I can wait for him to get around to updating my site for me-- and then bill me for however many hour he claims to have spent on the task.

Yeah... I might be a tad bit of a control freak. But then again, I think it only makes sense to exert a little control over your own business.

At any rate, after almost 13 years, the Internet has really grown up. I'm actually still quite fond of my host site over at Lycos and I'm not exactly ready to pull the plug on my website there. But since Blogger/Blogspot (what IS this place called, anyway?) has given me the option of adding static pages to a blog which essentially gives me the option to tie in all the same info from my website with a blog, I thought I'd give it a try and see if it turns out to be a good fit or not.

So here ya go: This is now the official Art of Nailz blog and quasi-website. Super easy to manage and maintain.

My original "Fish With a Bicycle" is still here too, but I'll be transplanting several of the nail-related posts from there to here for the benefit of those who wander search engines in desperate search of answers to nail-related questions.

For the time being, I'm going to leave my URLs (artofnailz dot everything and nailsbymaggie dot everything) forwarded to the original site, so if you've come this far and are still wondering what I'm talking about: check out Artofnailz.com, compare the two sites and then let me know which one you like better and why.