Schedule Changes

My days & times of availability have always changed every season, depending on my family's needs. My clients get that. However, I recently figured out that I was not getting my quality time with my husband, not feeling well-rested after my "weekend", and having a hard time fitting in doc appointments so as to not interfere too much with my regular working hours.

So, I had a long talk with my husband, and decided that I would increase my Saturday by two more hours, stop working Mondays, and increase my Tuesday hours. As of February 2nd, I changed my schedule. My new current schedule is:
Tues -- noon - 8p
Wed - Fri -- 9a - 3p
Sat -- 9a - 2p

I'm hoping, with the exception of our family's summer vacation, that this will be my permanent schedule... at least until Football season starts! I've already got about 10 or 12 clients that have booked out all their appts through August, to make sure they get "their spot" (subject to change for vaca, sick, etc). Hoping to get the rest of my regulars on board soon!

The Come Back

Is it just me, or does it seem the basic "French" (and by that, I mean pink & white) has made a comeback?? I'm not complaining (ok, maybe a little) because I have more clients now than ever, but seriously, I've done more p&w nails in the last six months than I did in the previous six years! And, I have no idea why? It's not wedding season... I just have one request: can you choose a color other than white? Please? Or some glitter? PLEASE?!??!

New Year Goals

I am not a "resolutions" person... I set goals. Sometimes they are accomplished, sometimes they aren't. Last year's list can be seen here; seems I've done all but number four (and instead of "a fresh coat of blue paint", my room got a full redo!).

This year's list:
1. Finish putting my room back together -- mostly I need to put my certificates, etc back up on the walls, put up my new polish racks, and put my new pedi chair together.
2. Find some kind of shelf to hold a small amount of retail items (in such a tiny room, there's just no way I can carry a large amount, but I want to sell oil, lotion, top & base coats, files, etc; small every day stuff that almost everyone could use).
3. Keep up on my Quicken ("balancing my checkbook"). This goes for my personal stuff, too... I'll go months without doing it, then cram to get it done.
4. Hit another nail event.
5. As always, take on more clients. I'm not going to put a number on it like I did last New Year's, but I will say this: Increasing your available hours slowly is the best way to build quality clientelle. Every school year, I update my hours based on my daughter's school & activity calendar. My eventual goal is to work 30-40 hours by the time she's in high school.

Interestingly, I can't think of any other goals I want to set this year. So, I will leave you with this: Going into my ninth year as a professional nail tech, I know I've come a long way. However, I will continue in my pursuit of more education & refining my skills... for as an artist, I am ALWAYS growing.

Santamas Came Early...

In case you haven't been paying attention to my posts on my business page, I recently revamped my print materials (product cards to go in with my gift certificates, completely redone brochures, and business cards with a slight change in contact info). I also opened a business checking account (to separate my personal stuff from my business even more than it is, and so I would feel more comfortable with using the SQUARE credit card device), & cleaned out my nail art supply kit. As I put everything away, I took stock of what I have, and what I want.

Have --
1. Vials of regular glitter.
2. Vials of irridescent glitter.
3. Miscellaneous tiny vials of chunky glitter.
4. Tubes of acrylic craft paints.
5. Ten paint pens.
6. A paint palette that holds 10 colors.
7. A baggie of paintbrushes.
8. A five pack of dotting tools.
9. A plastic case with 25 empty mini vials.
10. A book of easy nail art tutorials.
11. Glitter paints.
12. Many miscellaneous nail stickers & water decals.
13. A piece of mesh with a random pattern.
14. A tiny baggie of transfer/crafting foils.
15. Miscellaneous samples of pigment powders (plain & irridescent).
16. Small vials of colored acrylic powder.

So, I made a list, and went shopping. For the record, there is no "Hobby Lobby" nor any "Craft Warehouse" anywhere near me... I am limited to JoAnn Fabrics & Crafts and Michael's. I also will order stuff online, but only if I know they are a trustworthy site and have good stuff.

I ended up ordering:
1. 125 ft of 1" transfer/crafting foil (25 vials which each hold 1" X 5').

And, I ended up buying in-store:
1. A 12pk of ultra-fine neon glitter (almost as fine as pigment powder, but not quite).
2. Two size 18/0 paintbrushes (for detail work, like snowflakes).
3. A smaller palette (will hold six colors).
4. A 12pk of shimmery pigment powders.
5. A new piece of mesh with a diamond pattern.

Then, today, I spent an hour custom-blending pigments, and filling up all my empty tiny vials with pigments & glitters. A friend of mine is sending me a larger, heavier-duty piece of diamond-shaped mesh (so I'll have three choices for patterns), and another friend of mine is sending me some holiday-themed decals (I was running low).

I added a crafting rolling cart to my Amazon wish list (my current plastic kit is just to small now), and am very much looking forward to blinging up some nails!

Update...

... via Nails Magazine, online.

First, here's the online article from August's issue (also in hard copy):
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Second, here's the update (online only) after Sree contacted me to ask about inspiration for my makeover for an upcoming article:
UPDATE ARTICLE

I will post photos on my Facebook page when I finally get everything back up/organized BUSINESS PAGE.

Losing & Gaining Clients

I don't play the "it's the economy" card... but for some of my clients, it really is. I lost two clients this week simply because they couldn't afford to get their nails done right now. I get it; it's the holidays and people are using their measly paychecks for things like gifts for their families and property taxes (thankfully, WE can afford to pay ours in one chunk; not everyone is so lucky).

On the other hand, I have two newbies coming in within the next week. Both have been sent to me by other nail techs. One has moved from Iowa (the infamous -- at least in my nail world -- Holly Schippers', aka: FINGERNAILFIXER, client), and the other is from southern Oregon. Both are relocating to Portland, and both are devout CND Shellac users.

I love all my gel polishes (adding more to my collection every month), and the majority of my clients are gel polish clients. However, I am an artist, and CND Shellac is the best medium for nail art of the gel polishes I've tried... so I nudge my clients to step outside their "one color" (even if it changes every appointment) mantra, and try something more.

I offer layering, engraving, glitter (a little or a lot), nail apps, hand-painted artwork, pigments, transfer/crafting foils, and so much more. Art isn't JUST painting a flower... it's creating a look customized for you, for the season, to match an outfit or an accessory, or to be an accessory all on its own.

I am sad to see the two lost clients go (& truly hope they come back as finances allow), but am thankful that the ones filling their spots. These two want me to push my artistic boundaries... and I am really looking forward to it!

Note to my current & future clients -- Feel free to "Follow" me on Pinterest: nailartistry04. I repin designs I want to try, as well as nails I've actually done (among other things like yummy food and funny sayings).

I Love Experimenting!

You all should know that about me by now, right?

Ok, here are my two most recent experiments -- (1) Which gel polish base & top coat (if any) will work with ibd's Just Gel gel polish? (2) Will OPI's Nail Apps work over gel enhancements?

(1) GelColor, by OPI, is the winner... but not by much. I had two ladies (Jessica and Nicole) who let me do my thing. On Jessica -- right hand was Gelish top & base, left hand was Shellac top & base, with Just Gel in "Tickled Pink". On Nicole -- right hand GelColor top & base, left hand Gelish, with Just Gel in "Turtle Bay". Now, I was hoping these would be full-coverage in two coats, but they're not. Both of these colors (and, I assume, the third one I bought -- "Solar Rays") need three coats for full coverage. BUT, those three bottles cost me the same as one bottle of GelColor, so it was worth it for this experiment.

Jessica had one Shellac'd nail (pinky) peel off at 12 days, but she admitted to not using her Solar Oil (bad girl!!). All nine other nails looked perfect, but for grow-out. The Shellac'd hand looked shinier at her two-week appt. Just as I properly prepped according to which base & top coat I used, I also soaked off properly. Shellac'd nails got CND Shellac Remover & CND wraps. Gelish got OPI's "Expert Touch" because I like it better than pure acetone.

Nicole had one Gelish nail (thumb) chip at the tip at 9 days, however she *did* use her Solar Oil. All nine other nails looked perfect, but for grow-out. The GelColor'd hand looked shinier at her two-week removal appt. Just as I properly prepped according to which base & top coat I used, I also soaked off properly. Both sets here got OPI's "Expert Touch" remover & OPI wraps.

As predicted from past use -- Shellac came off in 8 minutes (CND says 10m, but if your hands are warm, it comes off faster), GelColor came off in 12m (again, warm hands), and Gelish came off in 17m.

The reason behind this experiment is because (a) I've had bad experience with ibd in the past. Their previous gel polish, Gelac, was crap. It cured in the bottle, and I lost a ton of money when they wouldn't allow returns... and (b) I didn't want to invest in a new system, so was hoping that at least one, if not all, of these tops/bases would be compatible. Since they are, if I can't find certain colors I want in the three lines I currently carry, I'd be okay buying it in this line.


(2) Stay tuned to find out; I just did this on a client today. :)