Newly qualified and nervous

[PrettyLittleDigits]

Hi All,
I completed an intense training day course on manicure and gel polish application. I used Artistic as part of the training and was sold at how brilliant Artistic and Gellish is.
Im lacking a bit of confidence and realise this is actually harder than i thought ( i now have highest respect to any beautician and nail tech ). The training only consisted of one hand model and was very full on.
Im only practising on friends at the mo, as i work full time and these are not regular. Im really nervous at advertising and not being good at it. Im comparing the nails ive done to what the pictures posted by others and i fell they just dont have the beautiful professional look as i want them. (friends say they are happy, but they would).
As the income is non existing i cant afford to buy the highest brands. A few friends have suggested Bluesky which i have used and Gellux which ive not heard of before.
Can anyone recommend a gel polish that is professional but not as expensive as Artistic and not as cheap as Bluesky, plus any experienced tips for building confidence would be great! I really want this to work, so I need all the help i can get at the mo.
Thankyou x

 

[BronzeBeauties]

Hi
Don't worry about what other techs are posting, some of us have been doing nails for years! Use the photos for inspiration and what to aim for rather than comparing it's natural to lack confidence in a new treatment just do as many as you can and your confidence will grow!
If you are planning to do this professionally though I would suggest buying professional products. Blue sky is not one of them. You need the right tools for the job and this will set you above the rest! By all means if your friends are happy for you to use it on them for practice that's fine but paying clients I would use a more respectable brand. I use Gelish or shellac and love both.
Good luck in your new venture x

 

[claireyfairy]

Hi I use mainly shellac and gelish but have a few colours of ibd gel polish which I have found to be perfectly fine, it is also on sale at a very reasonable price at my local wholesalers and I think beauty express? Lots of practice builds your confidence, I would advertise at a cheap price and say to clients it's a reduced rate whilst you perfect your skills and timings so they will not expect them to be perfect, you will gain confidence and earn a little towards stock x

 

[PrettyLittleDigits]

Hi
Don't worry about what other techs are posting, some of us have been doing nails for years! Use the photos for inspiration and what to aim for rather than comparing it's natural to lack confidence in a new treatment just do as many as you can and your confidence will grow!
If you are planning to do this professionally though I would suggest buying professional products. Blue sky is not one of them. You need the right tools for the job and this will set you above the rest! By all means if your friends are happy for you to use it on them for practice that's fine but paying clients I would use a more respectable brand. I use Gelish or shellac and love both.
Good luck in your new venture x

Thank you.
Which do you prefer Shellac or Gellish? Ive read so many online reviews and they are very mixed or Is it just a personal preference?

 

[PrettyLittleDigits]

Hi I use mainly shellac and gelish but have a few colours of ibd gel polish which I have found to be perfectly fine, it is also on sale at a very reasonable price at my local wholesalers and I think beauty express? Lots of practice builds your confidence, I would advertise at a cheap price and say to clients it's a reduced rate whilst you perfect your skills and timings so they will not expect them to be perfect, you will gain confidence and earn a little towards stock x

So how many polishes or what colours are a good start? Dont want to buy a colour if its not going to be used........i never realised how expensive everything is x Thanks for your advice by the way xx

 

[BronzeBeauties]

I prefer Gelish. A lot of my clients are young and have been having acrylic nails regularly so nails are very weak, I find Gelish lasts a lot longer on weaker nails so that's my personal preference. Some will disagree though. I do stock both. I prefer shellac as its not as easily available to buy by non qualified nail techs (Gelish can be picked up in Sally's) but all in all its Gelish for me! x

 

[Emm87]

So how many polishes or what colours are a good start? Dont want to buy a colour if its not going to be used........i never realised how expensive everything is x Thanks for your advice by the way xx

Just start off with a few popular colours. I would say you would need a red, a pink, a nude, a dark burgundy/purple colour, a glitter, and two french colours. That would be good as a wee starter collection. After this, you can buy one or two polishes every month and gradually build up your collection. It is expensive starting up but it will be worth it in the long run, again, once you have bought the majority of your main kit, its just a case of buying little bits here and there to keep your stock- or maybe you see a gel colour you have to have!
Like the previous posts said, I would spend the extra money on professional only brands, makes a huge difference on the clients you get and the image they have of you. I also feel if you work from home (like I do), or are mobile, you need to make yourself look extra professional. Some clients (wrongly) think that beauticians, nail techs etc that work from home are probably just doing it as a hobby and aren't really qualified. Another reason for when you do start charging full price to clients, don't undervalue yourself [emoji4]. Oh and I use OPI GelColor and Gelish, both great but Gelish's colour selection is brilliant! Xx

 

[claireyfairy]

So how many polishes or what colours are a good start? Dont want to buy a colour if its not going to be used........i never realised how expensive everything is x Thanks for your advice by the way xx

I still only have a small collection it does take a while to build up because as you say beauty is expensive to start up! Just get one of each colour group then ask your returning clients what colours they like and build up as you go. I still have lots of colours I would like to add but it takes time unless your made of money! Lol x

 

[Misstoniilou]

Ink londons ilac is very reasonably priced and professional only.

 

[LeilaM]

I agree about ink london, i've bought a couple of their ilac's and they're brill. Cost wise is a fair bit cheaper and im getting a good two weeks out of mine on my nails, and my nails are terribly thin. They also have some lovely colours too. I only passed in July my gel polish & mani and im still practicing on family and friends but I do charge £10 to cover the cost of products and time. It's really just lots practice even on yourself xx

Sent from my GT-I9505 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[Paulamaula]

Just start off with a few popular colours. I would say you would need a red, a pink, a nude, a dark burgundy/purple colour, a glitter, and two french colours. That would be good as a wee starter collection. After this, you can buy one or two polishes every month and gradually build up your collection. It is expensive starting up but it will be worth it in the long run, again, once you have bought the majority of your main kit, its just a case of buying little bits here and there to keep your stock- or maybe you see a gel colour you have to have!
Like the previous posts said, I would spend the extra money on professional only brands, makes a huge difference on the clients you get and the image they have of you. I also feel if you work from home (like I do), or are mobile, you need to make yourself look extra professional. Some clients (wrongly) think that beauticians, nail techs etc that work from home are probably just doing it as a hobby and aren't really qualified. Another reason for when you do start charging full price to clients, don't undervalue yourself [emoji4]. Oh and I use OPI GelColor and Gelish, both great but Gelish's colour selection is brilliant! Xx

Enma, would you recommend any tools specifically? I have ordered my products but i have very little tools for prep x

 

[Cindy2021]

Hi! Once you have a few real clients under your belt it gets much easier practice as much as you can, I use a brush to tidy around the cuticle if necessary to keep the polish looking perfect. I also bought the NSI tool kit and they are fab. So much better than the ones I trained with.
I decided to use Cuccio Veneers after reading lots on here and love them. When you decide upon a brand keep your eyes open for offers, vat free days etc and stock up then if you can.
Good luck xx

 

[PrettyLittleDigits]

Hi! Once you have a few real clients under your belt it gets much easier practice as much as you can, I use a brush to tidy around the cuticle if necessary to keep the polish looking perfect. I also bought the NSI tool kit and they are fab. So much better than the ones I trained with.
I decided to use Cuccio Veneers after reading lots on here and love them. When you decide upon a brand keep your eyes open for offers, vat free days etc and stock up then if you can.
Good luck xx

Ahhh thank you this is so over whelming, i now have 4 brands to look into. Thanks

 

[Emm87]

Enma, would you recommend any tools specifically? I have ordered my products but i have very little tools for prep x

Cuticle pusher, I use the OPI one and its double ended, one end cuticle pusher and other end is a dexterity tool. A low abrasive padded 220/280 buffer, NAS 99 or any other sort of nail plate cleanser and nail plate dehydrator primer. PH bond from Nail Harmony or Bond Aid from OPI are both good ones [emoji106] x

 

[Cindy2021]

Ahhh thank you this is so over whelming, i now have 4 brands to look into. Thanks

Whatever brand you choose they'll have their own full system from start to finish. I found it really difficult to choose initially but eventually just went for it and my clients love it. I was worried they'd ask for a specific brand and I'd lose business but it hasn't happened yet xx

 

[Paulamaula]

Cuticle pusher, I use the OPI one and its double ended, one end cuticle pusher and other end is a dexterity tool. A low abrasive padded 220/280 buffer, NAS 99 or any other sort of nail plate cleanser and nail plate dehydrator primer. PH bond from Nail Harmony or Bond Aid from OPI are both good ones [emoji106] x

Do you buff with Gelish system ?

 

[Emm87]

Do you buff with Gelish system ?

I just do a really really light buff, just to take the shine off the nail plate. I find it helps the Gelish last longer x

 

[Paulamaula]

I just do a really really light buff, just to take the shine off the nail plate. I find it helps the Gelish last longer x

Thankyou xx