**WARNING -- RANT AHEAD**
Today's post is not aimed at any one particular blogger, but at the beauty industry bloggers, in general. I'm an avid reader, and a stickler for grammar, spelling, & internet etiquette. I am *not* perfect, nor have I ever claimed to be, but I am educated and know how to use spell-check as well as read over my blogs before I post them. I *really* wish others cared more about how they come across.
I also am a long-time nail tech, and as such, I really do know what I'm talking about. If a "polish blogger" is reviewing a polish, great. That blog is about how the specific product they're reviewing worked or didn't work for them. Most that I've read are receptive to comments from a nail pro.
If a "beauty blogger" is going to a salon & having a specific service done, then they write an article about it, it drives me close to insane when they try to compare it to other products and have no clue what they're talking about. (No, Shellac is NOT "the same as" Gelish, or Gelicure, or GelColor, or any of the multitude of other gel/polishes! No, acetone does NOT ruin your nails. There are more, but I'll spare you.)
But, apparently *I'm* not supposed to speak up to correct their errors (nicely, of course; this goes back to the etiquette thing). So, let me tell you something: It is dangerous for anyone who is not FULLY educated on a specific subject to claim to know all about it. These bloggers are misleading the public; possibly to the point of serious damage.
I do not claim to know everything about nails; I still, after 8 years in the industry, have a lot to learn. This is part of the reason why I actively network with other nail techs and other people "in the biz". But, after 8 years, I do know A LOT; I especially know a lot about the products I actively use!
I don't care how often someone goes to the salon; multiple visits does not make you a beauty professional. You do not have the knowledge about products that I, and other techs, do. Please don't pretend you do, then spout off your MISinformation. If a person truly loves this industry, as I do, you'll start asking the real professionals for advice & assistance every chance you get. The majority of us are willing & able to help you!
** Side note -- While I'm at it, I'm also very irritated at those on certain beauty industry pages (websites, as well as FB pages) who complain about products, then don't pay attention or dismiss beauty PRO's help & corrections. Stop it. If you do your research, you won't have these problems anymore.
**RANT OVER! I now return you to my regularly scheduled blogs.**
Friday, February 24, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Education Rocks
I really wish I lived in a state that required ongoing education in my industry... but, it doesn't. Hence part of the reason NSS are so prevalent, imo. However, I do not consider myself, and other nail techs of my caliber, "in competition" with these places; I am better than they are.
Just one of many aspects of why I'm better -- I take classes anyway. Just because they aren't required in my state does not mean you shouldn't be taking them. And, just because they are only offered by specific companies whose products you may not use doesn't mean you shouldn't be taking them, as well. ALL efforts to further your education can be beneficial.
With that in mind (plus the fact that I actually *do* use CND products), I took the second of three MASTER classes offered by CND this past Monday. This one was "Master Sculptor" -- all about their Brisa gel line. I've been using the Brisa system since it came out (& since I graduated beauty school) in 2004, but I know I can always improve my skills... and I may even learn something!
Sure enough, I picked up a couple new tricks for laying a nice pink & white, as well as how to do a faster p&w rebalance. I also learned that CND reformulated their bonder; you now must cure it for 10s in your UV lamp. During class, I got to play with different pink "builder" gels (they also have clear, white, and black); some of which can be used as a cover for shorter nail beds, bitten nails, &/or marks of trauma on the nail bed.
We also got a preview of CND's new line of pigment powders... :)
Anyway, two down, one to go!
Just one of many aspects of why I'm better -- I take classes anyway. Just because they aren't required in my state does not mean you shouldn't be taking them. And, just because they are only offered by specific companies whose products you may not use doesn't mean you shouldn't be taking them, as well. ALL efforts to further your education can be beneficial.
With that in mind (plus the fact that I actually *do* use CND products), I took the second of three MASTER classes offered by CND this past Monday. This one was "Master Sculptor" -- all about their Brisa gel line. I've been using the Brisa system since it came out (& since I graduated beauty school) in 2004, but I know I can always improve my skills... and I may even learn something!
Sure enough, I picked up a couple new tricks for laying a nice pink & white, as well as how to do a faster p&w rebalance. I also learned that CND reformulated their bonder; you now must cure it for 10s in your UV lamp. During class, I got to play with different pink "builder" gels (they also have clear, white, and black); some of which can be used as a cover for shorter nail beds, bitten nails, &/or marks of trauma on the nail bed.
We also got a preview of CND's new line of pigment powders... :)
Anyway, two down, one to go!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Multiple Impressions
Just a quick share:
The owner of the salon where I booth rent (Patti) has been a CND Shellac ("Wildfire", to be exact) lover since its release in May, 2010. Her favorite color since she was a child has been cherry red... the color of old Mustangs, and her long-held vision of "glamour". It also helps that this guy she's been seeing LOVES that color on her nails, and owns at least one fancy car in that color.
So, when I brought OPI GelColor into the salon, she balked. It took quite a bit of convincing; I even promised her I would remove the GelColor and apply Shellac if, within a week, she didn't like the GelColor. We chose Big Apple Red, because it's the closest GelColor to Shellac's Wildfire... and still, she was unsure about it when she left my chair that day.
A week later, I asked her thoughts. "It's not rubbery like Shellac..." At the time, I had no idea if that was good or bad; it's true, though. Shellac, being a hybrid, is rubbery. It's meant to bend a little with your natural nail. It won't do that on an enhancement, of course, but she doesn't have enhancements. This bendiness is also one of the reasons why Shellac doesn't do so well on nails that are prone to peeling &/or are super-thin... too much bend will break the Shellac, and it'll come off.
Another week went by and, due some some snow in our area, she had to reschedule her appointment to accomodate some of her clients. By the time I got her back in my chair for her re-do, it was a full 18 days from the day I first did them. Aside from working about 50hrs/week (give or take) as a full-time hairdresser, she also has an active social life... and the morning of her appointment with me, she had unpackaged & assembled two new salon chairs, then broke down the boxes for recycling.
During the box-breakdown, one of her nails' GelColor peeled off. So, she got a good 18 days of wear (Shellac would be peeling one her by day 12 or 13, unless I double-top-coated). After she declared, "I LOVE this stuff!", I also confirmed the color choice. She said, "This is actually closer to my favorite OPI shade - Thrill of Brazil - than the Shellac was." Um, yeah... actually, it's a dead ringer for the regular polish with the same name, but, she's sold!
The owner of the salon where I booth rent (Patti) has been a CND Shellac ("Wildfire", to be exact) lover since its release in May, 2010. Her favorite color since she was a child has been cherry red... the color of old Mustangs, and her long-held vision of "glamour". It also helps that this guy she's been seeing LOVES that color on her nails, and owns at least one fancy car in that color.
So, when I brought OPI GelColor into the salon, she balked. It took quite a bit of convincing; I even promised her I would remove the GelColor and apply Shellac if, within a week, she didn't like the GelColor. We chose Big Apple Red, because it's the closest GelColor to Shellac's Wildfire... and still, she was unsure about it when she left my chair that day.
A week later, I asked her thoughts. "It's not rubbery like Shellac..." At the time, I had no idea if that was good or bad; it's true, though. Shellac, being a hybrid, is rubbery. It's meant to bend a little with your natural nail. It won't do that on an enhancement, of course, but she doesn't have enhancements. This bendiness is also one of the reasons why Shellac doesn't do so well on nails that are prone to peeling &/or are super-thin... too much bend will break the Shellac, and it'll come off.
Another week went by and, due some some snow in our area, she had to reschedule her appointment to accomodate some of her clients. By the time I got her back in my chair for her re-do, it was a full 18 days from the day I first did them. Aside from working about 50hrs/week (give or take) as a full-time hairdresser, she also has an active social life... and the morning of her appointment with me, she had unpackaged & assembled two new salon chairs, then broke down the boxes for recycling.
During the box-breakdown, one of her nails' GelColor peeled off. So, she got a good 18 days of wear (Shellac would be peeling one her by day 12 or 13, unless I double-top-coated). After she declared, "I LOVE this stuff!", I also confirmed the color choice. She said, "This is actually closer to my favorite OPI shade - Thrill of Brazil - than the Shellac was." Um, yeah... actually, it's a dead ringer for the regular polish with the same name, but, she's sold!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Shout Out to Shutterfly
Last year, my beloved Ed Wyse Beauty Supply (sorry, ladies; these stores are only open in Oregon, Washington, & Idaho) gave me an OPI calendar. It was really cool; people had sent in pics, and OPI had chosen some quotes from their fans off of OPI's Facebook page. This year's calendar... boring.
A nail tech friend of mine posted some status messages about the nail calendars she was making; selling them to her clients for $12 each. Now, I know I don't have the clientele that warrants selling them, but I do have a Shutterfly account. So, I hemmed & hawed; asking my husband & mom what they thought. Ace, as usual, told me he didn't think my clients would buy them, but to make one for the salon. Mom loved the idea.
I was still on the fence when I got an e-coupon; $20 off my next order (plus, free shipping over $30 is standard right now, and they have prints starting at 9c each). That did it for me. I set about deciding which photos I wanted; pulling a few extras just in case. Then, I figured out which layout I wanted, and how many photos each month. I had a hard time figuring out a couple of months' text, but once that was done, I sent it to my nail tech friend, Cathy to look it over.
She said it looked great, and helped with the last month's quote I couldn't come up with. I deleted all of the religious holidays (I am agnostic, & my clients run the gamut); substituting neutral-sounding ones (ie: Santamas, Leprechaun Day, etc), & added my immediate family's birthdays & my wedding and work anniversaries, then got to work on the prints I wanted. We had my stepson's senior portraits & my stepdaughter's sophomore pics we hadn't printed, yet, as well as some snapshots I wanted to frame for my studio.
So, now, I wait patiently for it to arrive... and my wonderful friend, Cathy, gets my OPI one (since they're limited release, and she didn't get one). I'm already working on next year's, with photos I'm taking now (less of a time consuming process later). As you may remember, one of my goals for this year was to take more pics of my work. So far, so good!
A nail tech friend of mine posted some status messages about the nail calendars she was making; selling them to her clients for $12 each. Now, I know I don't have the clientele that warrants selling them, but I do have a Shutterfly account. So, I hemmed & hawed; asking my husband & mom what they thought. Ace, as usual, told me he didn't think my clients would buy them, but to make one for the salon. Mom loved the idea.
I was still on the fence when I got an e-coupon; $20 off my next order (plus, free shipping over $30 is standard right now, and they have prints starting at 9c each). That did it for me. I set about deciding which photos I wanted; pulling a few extras just in case. Then, I figured out which layout I wanted, and how many photos each month. I had a hard time figuring out a couple of months' text, but once that was done, I sent it to my nail tech friend, Cathy to look it over.
She said it looked great, and helped with the last month's quote I couldn't come up with. I deleted all of the religious holidays (I am agnostic, & my clients run the gamut); substituting neutral-sounding ones (ie: Santamas, Leprechaun Day, etc), & added my immediate family's birthdays & my wedding and work anniversaries, then got to work on the prints I wanted. We had my stepson's senior portraits & my stepdaughter's sophomore pics we hadn't printed, yet, as well as some snapshots I wanted to frame for my studio.
So, now, I wait patiently for it to arrive... and my wonderful friend, Cathy, gets my OPI one (since they're limited release, and she didn't get one). I'm already working on next year's, with photos I'm taking now (less of a time consuming process later). As you may remember, one of my goals for this year was to take more pics of my work. So far, so good!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
New Year; New Goals
I don't make "resolutions"... I believe setting goals & making plans are a better way to work toward achieving success. So, this year, I sat down and made a few plans for this year.
1. Take the remaining two CND certification classes: Master Architect & Master Sculptor.
2. Download the SQUAREUP app so I can finally take credit cards.
3. Take more photos of my work (preferably, *all* of my work).
4. Get my retail up to par, and sell, sell, sell!
5. Attend at least one networking event.
6. Repair the few holes in my walls left from the previous techs, and give my room a fresh coat of blue paint.
7. Get my room fully reorganized (which *will* happen as soon as my husband builds me that corner polish rack I've asked for).
8. Buy a new pedi chair OR a massage/heat pad for the current one.
9. Add at least five more regular clients.
10. By the end of the year, I will need upgraded brochures & business cards -- 2013 brings price increases, and I'll be a "CND Certified Grand Master"!
I'm sure I'll add more as I think of them, but this list of ten is a good start!
I'm also curious: What are YOUR goals within your business this year?
1. Take the remaining two CND certification classes: Master Architect & Master Sculptor.
2. Download the SQUAREUP app so I can finally take credit cards.
3. Take more photos of my work (preferably, *all* of my work).
4. Get my retail up to par, and sell, sell, sell!
5. Attend at least one networking event.
6. Repair the few holes in my walls left from the previous techs, and give my room a fresh coat of blue paint.
7. Get my room fully reorganized (which *will* happen as soon as my husband builds me that corner polish rack I've asked for).
8. Buy a new pedi chair OR a massage/heat pad for the current one.
9. Add at least five more regular clients.
10. By the end of the year, I will need upgraded brochures & business cards -- 2013 brings price increases, and I'll be a "CND Certified Grand Master"!
I'm sure I'll add more as I think of them, but this list of ten is a good start!
I'm also curious: What are YOUR goals within your business this year?
Sunday, December 25, 2011
GelColor, Review Part Three
The reviews are in: OPI's GelColor is a great gel polish; very similar to CND's Shellac!
My client, M, who wears gels (Brisa, by CND), has tried Gelac (by ibd; you've read my opinion, and no longer made by the company because of how bad the product was), Shellac, Axxium, & now GelColor over her gels. She has no complaints; says it wears about the same as either Shellac or Axxium. She's excited to have even more color choices for her UV-cured color!
My clientfriend, C, bumped out her appointment a full extra week; I will see how well they held up at that point (in another week).
My client, J, has very beat up nails due to improper removal of acrylics. We keep them short, and originally, she wanted Shellac. When I asked two weeks ago, she decided to try GelColor. Friday, when she came in for a redo, her opinion was, "Seems a bit stronger than Shellac; I like having more color choices, and I don't mind that the removal time is a little longer."
My clientfriend, S, is a mother of three year old twins. As you can imagine, she's very on-the-go & does a LOT of laundry & dishes! Before I found out that I wasn't supposed to be, I was layering Shellac's colors with Axxium's top & base to give her a bit more strength... with GelColor, I don't have to do that. With Shellac (if she wants one of those colors again), I will just double-topcoat her.
I now carry 14 GelColor, 30 Shellac (6 more in March), and 31 Axxium --> all UV-cured! And, as a quick reminder, please do your research, ask questions, make sure your tech's products are in the original containers & that you know what they are, and PLEASE stop going to the cheapy places to get your nails done... they are cheap for a reason!
My client, M, who wears gels (Brisa, by CND), has tried Gelac (by ibd; you've read my opinion, and no longer made by the company because of how bad the product was), Shellac, Axxium, & now GelColor over her gels. She has no complaints; says it wears about the same as either Shellac or Axxium. She's excited to have even more color choices for her UV-cured color!
My clientfriend, C, bumped out her appointment a full extra week; I will see how well they held up at that point (in another week).
My client, J, has very beat up nails due to improper removal of acrylics. We keep them short, and originally, she wanted Shellac. When I asked two weeks ago, she decided to try GelColor. Friday, when she came in for a redo, her opinion was, "Seems a bit stronger than Shellac; I like having more color choices, and I don't mind that the removal time is a little longer."
My clientfriend, S, is a mother of three year old twins. As you can imagine, she's very on-the-go & does a LOT of laundry & dishes! Before I found out that I wasn't supposed to be, I was layering Shellac's colors with Axxium's top & base to give her a bit more strength... with GelColor, I don't have to do that. With Shellac (if she wants one of those colors again), I will just double-topcoat her.
I now carry 14 GelColor, 30 Shellac (6 more in March), and 31 Axxium --> all UV-cured! And, as a quick reminder, please do your research, ask questions, make sure your tech's products are in the original containers & that you know what they are, and PLEASE stop going to the cheapy places to get your nails done... they are cheap for a reason!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
GelColor snippet...
Bought the "Sirens" box set, plus A Grape Fit... Add those to the other seven I already had makes 14 GelColors. Hopefully, that will entice a few more people to give it a try!
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