Sunday, January 20, 2019

Now Seeking New Victims I mean-- Clients!


These are my nails. It's been a very long time since I had product on my nails at all and I've been working as a ranch hand for the last 8 months.

Over all, I've been really proud of how well I've managed to care for my hands, but there are few more calluses than look good in photos and my cuticles are are far from model-worthy.

Not to mention-- I'm still helping on the ranch and I have a lot of typing to do.

My own nails are not my best advertisement.

I'd love to do some more long nails...and some more coffin nails...and some more of these rhinestone clusters...and some more...

You get the picture.

Or rather, you could BE the picture!

I recently expanded my available hours and I'm accepting new clients now. So click on the "Book Now" button (it might be at the bottom of the page if you're on your phone) and help me expand and update my portfolio!

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT NOW!

Friday, January 18, 2019

Did You Notice my Name Changed?


Don't worry, it confuses me too!

No. I did not get married and, no, I did not get unmarried.

"Maggie" has always been a nickname-- it's short for "Marjorie."

It's a bit of an unconventional nickname for Marjorie but it's traditional as "Marjorie" is the French version of the name "Margaret" (which is English-- and my spelling is the Scottish spelling, just FYI) so I'm totally allowed to use any of the nicknames associated with Margaret.

When I went into nails in 1992 I was 22 years old. For a long time I just went by "Marge" because it was really easy to tell people "Marge, like Simpson."

But what would peoples' first image be of a nail tech named "Marge" when they asked someone "who does your nails?"

Well the first image that popped into my head (in 1992) was Madge, the Palmolive lady.

Remember her?

I was a 22 year old newbie with lots of energy and passion for my new career. I was all about acrylic talons and loads of nail art!

The last thing I wanted people thinking of when they heard my name was a dish soap commercial from the 60s!

So I decided to go with "Maggie." Hoping it sounded younger, more fun, and more artsy.

It seems to have done the trick.

But how did my last name change? That's slightly more complicated:

Mom took her maiden name back when she got divorced, but she didn't want to pay to have my name changed so she never did.

I grew up using her last name and through a series of "things were different back then" circumstances with the Social Security Administration and a replacement SS card in my teens-- I ended up with her last name on all my documents...except my birth certificate.

So, in 2016, when my BFF and I decided to take a trip to Cartagena, Colombia (Like in Romancing the Stone-- we might be 80's girls) and I finally applied for a passport-- I hit a wall of post 9/11 Patriot Act bureaucracy that forced me to change all my paperwork back to my legal name.

For consistency's sake, I continue to use my known name (Maggie Franklin) as my working name (also, it's what I recognize and answer to,) but for legal reasons-- I am officially Marjorie Hare to the State Board of Cosmetology.


Thursday, January 17, 2019

I Think I'm In Love (with Hybrid Gels)


Polygel extensions sculpted on forms in a variety of colors.
They come in a variety of names: "Polygel," "Acrygel," "Hybrid Nails," and all of the names are a little misleading when it comes to the true chemistry involved with the products.

For Nail Nerds like me-- that can trigger a nervous twitch.

But the companies that are making them call them what they call them and I'm kinda stuck with that.

No matter what they're called-- these high viscosity sculpting gels are my new favorite toy!

I'm still experimenting with the variety of brands and colors available before choosing a favorite, but so far these things have stood up to some abuse.

They can be sculpted very thin-- or not so thin-- to meet your needs.

They're lightweight, more flexible than acrylic and stronger than thinner gel products.

They're also odorless and less dusty to file than other products.

They aren't officially on the service menu yet, since I'm still in testing mode, but if you want to give them a try, shoot me a message (559-640-7319) and let me know!


Text me: (559)640-7319




Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Long Time No Post




In case you've  been wondering what I've been up to since announcing my intention to retire from a 25 year career as a professional nail artist back in 2017...

Well first, I moved to South Lake Tahoe to live in a tiny cottage with a dog that hated me and live my life as a hermit I mean, writer.

As it turns out, I'm not really an introvert who thrives on silence and solitude.

Maybe I should have guessed that from spending 25 years talking my tongue out to every poor soul who dared to let me hold their hands for an hour?

Well, maybe you knew already knew, but it was news to me.

I lost the dog in the dead of winter and the tiny cottage got tinier, colder, and lonelier.

A year after moving to Tahoe, I found myself-- much to my surprise-- back in the central valley spending my days helping a buddy get his calf operation off the ground.

???

Yup, that's what I said. I went from spending my days covered in dust and glitter to spending my days covered in mud and...shall we just say "cow?"

 But baby cows...How could I refuse?

How did I go from one extreme to the other? Swing by for a nail appointment some time and I'll give you the short version. (Lie. It is a well-known fact that I am unable to tell the short version of any story!)

~Magz