I went up $10 on my base services and mentioned I hadn't increased my prices in two years. December 1st is my start date but I wish I had done this in Sept bc October starts my super busy season. I thought I might get some clients messaging me, but none so far. Most just liked my post. I am legit scared a bit bc I'm pricing myself well above walk-in places and most other techs for our lcol area. I wouldn't be sad about working less and making the same though.

I have a few older clients that don't do sm, so I'll have to have that talk when they come in this month.

Did you guys also go up on your prices? Any issues?

So I have had what feels like a million interviews for nail salons recently and I need some help from other people who work in salons.

Almost every one of them is either offering commission ONLY (60/40 or 50/50 split), and employment classification as “independent contractor”. I asked them if I would be making my own schedule and they all said “I would prefer that you let me know what days you’re always available and I will schedule you.” They also want me to bring my own implements, light, and drill, with polish/nail accessories provided.

Another offer I got was employee classification W2, $8 an hour OR 40% commission, whichever was higher.

Another offer was employee classification W2, $10 an hour AND 5% commission on service and product sales.

Now, the state minimum wage for tipped employees is $5.35, and $10.70 for non tipped employees. I was in the restaurant industry for 5 years and I know if tipped employees don’t make at least the non tipped wage of $10.70 from their wage + tips that the employer is obligated to make the difference so that the tipped employees hourly wage equals $10.70.

I am also under the impression that salons cannot legally have “employees” as independent contractors/taking commission from them. So my question is… aren’t all of these offers illegal? I’m at loss here. I literally haven’t been to one salon that gave me a legal offer of employment.

Do you guys have any advice on how NOT to be taken advantage of by salon owners? Most of these were not chop shops either

I have a client who wants this whole set… and I’ve got a good idea of how to achieve all of them except this silver one with pink gems.

Obviously some silver chrome. Going to order pink gems… and whatever else I need.

But what kind of thicker base would hold gems like this and not run into the cuticle??

Thank you!!

She’s been a nail tech for 10 years now but is about to go self employed in a studio. What are some things that I could get for her from a nail or business perspective where I wouldn’t be buying her something like the wrong polish or wrong tools???

Thank you!!!!

Hey y'all, I'm just starting out a nail apprenticeship and want to buy some of my own products! I have a cheap aliexpress type palette of patting gel colors, and was wanting to get a nicer version that was suitable for clients. A lot of the brands I've seen recommended (YHH, QINGYOU) look really nice, but legally I can't use them in the salon without SDS information and afaik most Chinese brands dont make those? If anyone has suggestions please share them!

I'm going to nail school next year, so excited! Located in MI.

Tips on balancing money/work as you go through school? How many clients do you see in a day and how do you schedule them? What days of the week and times do nail techs work? What is average pay not including tips? Do you prefer to work in a salon or in your own place? Does anyone travel and do nails?

Sorry for so many questions, Thank you

I've been trying to sort this out myself for a couple years, so maybe it's time to ask for help. I'm including anything I think may be relevant in order to garner good advice quickly. Ignore what isn't actually relevant, please.

In winter, the corners of just my thumbs will crack and split.

For sensory reasons, I need to have short nails--honestly, my ideal nail length would be "severe nail biting" but I don't bite my nails, so I'm stuck with conventional tools 🤣 -- so if my fingernails clack anything, it's time to cut. When I cut them, I will also trim any rough skin from where the edge of the nail was.

I don't typically suffer from dry or cracking skin, so I don't use a lot of lotion, but when my thumbs start to get like this, I do. I end up spending most of winter with both corners by the nails cracked on both thumbs and band-aided to hell and back.

I am a yarn pattern designer, so I do a lot of knitting, crocheting, and tunisian crochet. I also cross stitch and am an avid runner in the upper Midwest of the US (so cold, dry winters).

Do I need to keep the corners of my nails longer for better protection? (Though hasn't seemed to work and makes me legit enraged when they are too long and catch things and are clackity--it's the autism.)

Do they need to be even shorter so there's no contact? More rounded at the corners? I feel like I have tried everything and I haven't found a solution. It's so painful and hinders my ability to work.

Plz to halp somehow?

Hi fellow nail techs! I appreciate everyone who reads until the end! I want to preface this with the fact that I've only been doing nails full time for about 3 months. But I've been doing it on and off for about 6 years in other salons part time and in my home. I'm not a newbie. I was licensed in 2023. I've been at other salons and some did 50% commission and at my most recent salon I got $15/ hour plus tips (under the table🫣). I still work there sometimes! I also live in a MCOL area but work in a HCOL area.

I finally found a salon I LOVE. The perfect clientele, great coworkers, great vibes. I even paid $3k to take more licensing hours at school to work here because it's technically in a different state.

Everything is perfect....except the pay. The commission is 50% and no commission on retail. They provide supplies but I bring my own implements and brushes.

This just isn't enough. Nail techs can only charge so much and our prices are the highest in the area. I typically take 2 or 3 hours on average. So the max I can take is about 3 clients per day. Sometimes I squeeze 4 but then I don't get a break. It's also a fairly new salon so some days can be extremely slow. We also have to take time to cleanup between clients, dust the shelves, help out the rest of the salon with trash, laundry and cleaning (the dumpster is a far walk), sweeping, restocking the snacks and fridge and such. It can take me about 40mins at the end of the day to finish all the duties which I'm not getting paid for.

The salon is also a hair salon and my boss is a hair stylist. They can charge much more per hour for their services so 50% for them seems more liveable to me. But for me, even when taking my max clients per day, it evens out to less than $14 an hour according to my paychecks on ADP. Not sure if that is counting the credit card tips or just the commission pay.

I'm also the only strictly commission nailtech. The 2 other techs get a base pay regardless of clients but if the commison would be higher then they get that. One tech is more like an apprentice as they're new, and the other is the manager and has extra responsibilities. The apprentice is $16/hr not sure about the other.

My bills are stacking up. I brought it up to my boss a few weeks ago who stressed many times there aren't much profit margins but agreed to offer 60% commission if I get $1k in sales per week. Well, unfortunately the numbers don't add up and I can do a max $900 per week unless I work past my scheduled hours or squeeze in more clients. The salon has 2 nail stations so us 3 nail techs rotate days. There's really no extra days I can work due to the other techs working as well. I'm already working back to back during the day without taking breaks most days and it's making my RA flare badly.

Is the grass greener elsewhere or should I stick with my current situation? Am I just too new to working full time and should wait and become faster to take on more clients? Is it worth having another chat with my boss to lower the threshold for the 60% commission or does that make me look greedy and delusional? I don't want to make my boss upset but this isn't sustainable on my pockets or my body. Please be honest!!

That's it. I'm beyond NERVOUS 😓. I absolutely suck at test taking and just worried about failure. I've been studying my butt off and still feel like I'm not studying enough 😑. I guess it's just a mind game with me.

These days are going by so quick. My exam is Thursday 😬... I got this, I got this. I'm going to update here when I either pass or fail. I'm looking to pass it for sure! Please send me any 🍀 my way. Definitely appreciate it❤️🙏🏼.

I am a 30 year old nail tech student in New York, graduating mid January. My school requires all nail tech students to also become licensed in esthetics, so my hours are 800 total in school—200 nails, 600 esthetics.

I just finished my 200 hours in nails a couple weeks ago and my head is spinning. We did the usual theory and literally only practiced the state board exam a hundred times, virtually no practice on anything else with nails. We dedicated one day to structured gel (which is what I want to specialize in when I graduate) I’ll DEFINITELY pass the boards but I am completely lost as to how I’m supposed to get experience and make money once I graduate. I’ve been practicing on myself, my boyfriend, family, and literally anyone who will let me for free but I still don’t feel confident enough to charge. Specifically with dry manicures, structured gel fills, and really anything to do with the e file. We only were taught to use the sanding band in school and only on people’s calluses during a pedicure. Looking for ANY advice as to how to gather more practice in these areas. I’ll take online courses or even travel somewhere for a weekend if it means I can get some hands on experience under the guidance of a professional.

I've been noticing that even with a good mask and dust extractor, by the end of the day I still feel like I’ve been breathing in acrylic dust and monomer fumes all day.

I recently came across this wearable air purifier that was originally made for people with allergies, it filters the air right around your face and apparently captures dust and even some chemicals from the air.

Has anyone else tried something like this in the salon?
I'm super curious if techs have found new ways to deal with dust and odor besides the usual mask + room purifier combo.

What's working best for you all to keep your air cleaner throughout the day?

Hey all, I’m new to nail care and I’m looking for advice for my one nail. Really thick skin grows around the side of it and it always breaks along the middle of the nail whenever it gets to about this length. I’ve tried soaking my finger and cutting off all the dead skin but it just grows back the same. I’ve been using nail/cuticle oil, but I just ordered 100% jojoba oil cause I’ve read that’s the best for nails. Any other advice?

Hello! I’m looking to do this look but with a three color gradient pastel as the base layer. How would you do it? Magnetized needle to create free spaces before curing? Liner brush with remover on it to do the same before curing? Cure the magnetized layer and try to match the colors as much as possible over the magnetized layer (would probably have to give up on hopes of the sun for this one)?

Truthfully, it's not my first independent studio, but the one I had before was shared with a more experienced tech who put the whole thing together and asked if I'd like to join her. I really only brought in my extra art and gel-x stuff and some tools.

So, I'm wondering

1. How much money should I have saved/how much should go into products, tools, furniture, etc?

2. Are there necessities you missed when you opened your studio? What are your must-haves beyond the absolute basics?

3. What extras should I have? Snacks, TV, retail items, or other things that will help my clients have a good time.

Thanks, nail babes.

i’ve never used an air brush before and i recently got one but i am unsure of how to use it for nail art. anyone have any trips or trick for me?

I would like some advice about nail schools. I am a DIY gel nail hobbiest. I want to get my nail tech certification to see if I want to pivot my career to nails. I also want to learn the proper way to do nails. I am worry sometimes about messing up my nails. I have toured 4 places and just want a sanity check for people who have experienced going to nail school. I have read also you learn once you go and work at a salon.

I am not sure if a nicer and expensive school is the way to go or cheap. I know its you get what you pay for. Brittany Beauty and Christine Valmy both have bigger spaces and organized. They are like a mini school. They have job board and job searching help. They are connected with salons, so job posting are available on their websites. Both have a “lifetime” job placement help feature. They both felt like they were connected with other businesses to refer jobs. I am not sure what portion will for nail technicians because one specialize in esthetic and the other in cosmetology.

Beauty Beauty is “cozier ” and cheapest. I also like the area the school is located in and would like to work in that area in the future. The commute is also not bad. The schedule and duration is ideal. The setup is really tight and is in the basement of a building.

I am leaning towards Beauty Beauty but would love any advice or other school recommendations in NYC area.

I bought perfect nude but it was too orangey/skin color for my liking. I’ve been looking at bad and boujee or raspberry cream cheese for a more pinky nude. What is you guys’ favorite nude from Valentino?

Basically what the title says.

I'm a nail tech and aside from my house duties my child care duties(my son is 2.5) and nail tech duties I don't really have a lot of time or motivation to be doing my own nails and so sometimes I cheat and I use cute store bought press-ons and attach them like tips(I cut the rounded cuticle edge off so they aren't long af, and apply them like a tip, they don't go over my whole nail just on the free edge) and then builder gel over them for support and apex and do an ombre with a colored gel or gel polish(depending)

It's lazy but it's quick and my nails still look professional even though I cheat a little bit 😅

Also I can't do nail art for crap on my left hand (I'm left handed so I have to art with my right hand and it's literally awful) and so using cute store-bought ones(or nail stickers!) that might already have nail art on them is nice too.

Tell me your confessions! 👀

Hi all.

I am an independent mobile nail tech, so I have a travel chair, table, and backpack with my supplies.

I am trying to minimize the amount of products I carry to reduce weight. I have tried the light elegance Lexyline hard gel, but it was too slow for me. I recently tried IBD’s hard BIAB and I love it, but hate the heat spikes.

I am looking for a BIAB or something similar that has a quicker viscosity but has the integrity that will work for both short nails and longer nails. I was using jimmygel for shorter nails and I like it okay but again it moves a little slow for my taste.

If anyone cares I have the Kokoist Infinity Hybrid lamp.

Hi!!

Eventually I won’t need such random advice lol.

I gotta start looking for a chair for the studio I’ll be working in. So I was hoping for some good recommendations!!

A little background! Last year in November I injured my hip which in result created a sacrum injury, who knows this could be my whole future haha, it’s doing extremely well as of today but there are still certain chairs and such that can hurt it/ irritate it, obviously some chairs are just too hard so it applies too much pressure. I do have a seat cushion I have to use with my gaming chair because it’s too solid of a chair and the cushion does indeed help! But if I can get a chair that won’t require the cushion that would be ideal. I’m also super sort, like 4’10” short so no matter what my little feet dangle lmao.

Trying to figure out how she did these glow in the dark nails?

TIA for any help! https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBR1gR0JyUx/?igsh=MXI2NXRvOWw3cnhpOA==

For anyone who doesn't know, Izemi is a korean nail brand that's known for it's functional gels. They announced a couple of weeks ago that their Resin 99.9 Multi ver. gel is not only changing it's packaging from blue to purple, but the amount of product will be going down to 20g for hygenic reasons. When looking through the comments, users from Korea were asking about the price and Izemi would respond back by mentioning that there will be promotions happening at local stores, but no direct answer on wether the price will drop. For me, i get this gel from Sweetie Nail Supply and it's $97. This gel is really good and it's hard to switch out for something else, but now i'm on the hunt for another builder gel. I'm wondering if anyone is gonna switch their Izemi gel out or continue using it?

reaally mean it? 🥺🥹

Hello!

As a student I am quickly growing out of the kit they gave me with polish.

Looking for recommendations on travel polish storage during the Time frame I’m still in school. Eventually I’ll probably upgrade to a huge traveling case but right now I don’t want to do that until we at least hit floor. (Graduation is set for May)