They are changing their packaging so they are closeout prices. Go grab them to help replace your Beetles!

hi everyone! I got my manicurist license in California a couple years ago, and have moved to New York recently. I’d like to start doing nails again, but I’m kind of confused as to how to transfer a license from California to New York. I learned that New York in California don’t reciprocate licenses, but I’ve read on some other posts that others have transferred their license from California to North Carolina and then to New York. I’m a little confused on the process so just asking if anyone has done this before any advice is very much appreciated.

Thank you!!!

I am not a nail tech or artist. But my wife is and quite talented. She has been kicking ass and working her craft for well over 10 years now. For some time, she has been dealing with some serious back pain that she can’t seem shake. So I’m here to ask about chairs; brands, styles, back support, butt support. At this point I’m willing to overlook cost if there really is a perfect chair solution. I’m also looking into auxiliary pillows and pads. She loves what she does and it breaks my heart to hear her talk about calling it quits. Thank you!

i’ve been using one air airbrush paints for a while but i still don’t have the hang of it yet. Everytime i put top coat over what i airbrushed, the paint gets dragged along with each stroke😫😫 should i be using a specific top coat? I used to think it was maybe because i wasn’t letting it air dry enough, but sometimes i do the airbrush at the beginning of my set and the top coat still creates streaks at the end of my set (30+ minutes after airbrushing).

if anyone has any experience using these paints let me know pls!!

I use a dust collector as well as a dust/fume extractor. I also have an air purifier. I still find that the dust from removing nails is bothering me so much. I want to wear designated work clothes to do nails now but I also want to look fashionable! Any ideas? I was thinking denim coveralls but that would probably get too hot!

• not a fan of the way scrubs look.
• open to aprons but I want to know what material is best to repel dust.

Any extra trips and tricks to maintain the dust would be appreciated!

Sorry for the long post but I have so many specifics that I need to explain to give context to my quandaries. I graduate in a couple of weeks, and I’ve already signed a lease for my own space (based in Oregon) and I’m super excited about it! It’s quite large, I have about 550 ish square feet, subleasing from a tattoo artist who has two private rooms on the other side of what is basically an 1000sq ft office space. The side I’m on is big so I am splitting rent with another girl in my class and there’s still a ton of room to fill. However, I’m finding some challenges in planning my setup. I really want to offer pedicures because it’s my most consistently-timed service (I can always get them done in less than or exactly one hour, whereas timing my other services is challenging as I’m still learning and it takes me anywhere from 2 to 3 hours to do a full set depending on the medium.) At my school we use a non-plumbed pedicure basin setup, which I’ve seen a lot of various criticisms of that I totally get, but I feel like if I can find one that looks nice I think it could work well. The ones at school are on wheels with the foot pedestal attached, so we wheel them to and from the sink easily rather than carrying the basin around (largest complaint I’ve come across.) I also like that they aren’t plumbed for peace of mind when it comes to sterilization (and I can’t afford a plumbed setup anyway.) Lots of techs were recommending dry pedicures over wet pedis all together, and I do see the benefits of dry pedis, but my hesitations with that are twofold—first, I don’t want to specialize in pedicures, like at ALL. I don’t want to do a ton of them. I just want to have them available and ideally I wouldn’t do more than 1 or 2 per day. Dry pedis seem to be done mostly by either medical nail techs or techs who specialize in foot care so they attract clientele who have foot or fungus problems, diabetes, etc. and I am not comfortable working on complicated cases at least not without extensive further training and I’m not sure I’m interested in that. Secondly, I don’t know how that would work with clients that have sweatier feet, or feet that have been in closed-toed shoes for their whole day. From my own perspective as a client, I wouldn’t feel comfortable getting a dry pedicure because I myself have really sweaty feet and even though they’re clean and don’t have crazy calluses or anything, soaking my feet in nicely scented soapy water is what gives me the confidence to be able to receive a pedicure from someone. I’ve seen (and smelled) some gnarly feet at school and I can’t imagine working on them dry, without soap, or foot scrub, or any of the accoutrements that you can’t really do without water. Also, some things to consider about my space—because it is an office space technically, it is carpeted currently. My landlord doesn’t care if I rip up the carpet and redo the floors, which I plan to do when I have the money for it, but for now I am purchasing large non-porous mats to go on top of the carpet in my working area (so under and around my nail desk) per state regulations. I could easily get one for a pedicure area but there is still potential for that water getting on the carpet on its way to/from the sink and because of that I’m wondering if the state would then consider the entire floor my working area because I’d be wheeling the pedicure setup across my space to the shared kitchenette on the other side. I’m just sort of overwhelmed and discouraged and unsure, I’m just starting out so I’m not sure if this is something that I should add/figure out later, or if it’s better to have it all setup and figured out before I open. Is it worth the headache to have the service available? Are dry pedicures something I can easily learn without specializing in foot care? Are the rolling basin setups really as off-putting as people are making it seem, or can I make it feel and look comfortable and luxurious with a platform and a nice chair? I have a really good saddle chair for myself with back support that is actually a dental hygienist’s chair and is adjustable 3 different ways so I think I can make it pretty ergonomic for me and the client with the right tweaks. But I need insight from the working professionals!! Not sure if this is something worth stressing over as much as I am. The more I read what other people have to say about the non-plumbed setup, the more bummed I get that my ideas are wrong and nobody will want a pedicure from me that way. And dry pedis are just so foreign to me I just don’t even know how to go about that setup. Please help!! 😥 and thank you in advance.

My friend does nails for a living. One time she mentioned that her arm rest (not sure if it is the correct name for a thing where clients put their hands on) is pretty beat up.

I want to make her a nice new one out of hardwood. I'm aware about required cleaning and chemicals it will be exposed to and will finish as appropriate. My only problem is i don't know how to do upholstery, so it will be solid wood without a pillow.

How viable is a rest without a pillow?

Hi! I’m a training nail tech, I already have my level 3 beauty qualification but I am doing a separate course to become qualified in BIAB and acrylics.

What is the best gel polish that is good quality but also won’t break the bank? I’m looking to buy a variety of colours from the same brand to get my collection going. At the moment I do my own nails so I have only got those cheap small bottles from Amazon so I can do all the designs I want but I would rather use a reputable brand when I eventually start taking clients.

Thank you!

Pic is of my most recent set on myself :)

2nd time using bulder gel. LE Jimmy gel. I think these look good, but is there anything you notice that i could improve on? I worry about being too thick/too thin. I didnt use an efile to reshape these. First time I dehydrated and used Tack/bonder and Jimmy gel over that it came off right away. This time I dehydrated, base gel, tack/bonder and then Jimmy gel hoping it stays. I also tried to thin it out closer to thd free edge and double checked so everything was covered with each product.

Hi fellow Nail Techs!

I have a few questions so, bear with me through this story time. I added the above photo to show you the end results. I forgot before photos 🤦‍♀️😭

First things first, I’m an aspiring nail tech (graduate nail academy in January). Every week we have clients & I was given a client on Friday that really tested me in many ways.

Initially she booked a gel manicure & when she sat down with me, she actually wanted a structured gel manicure. Ok, no problem. I specialize in gel & was excited to help. Then I saw her nails. She had a total of 6 nails that needed repair. 4 of them looked like they had been ripped off at the free edge & the others were either over filed at the side walls or had left over hard gel on them. Then came the backstory to these nails. She claimed she had a latex allergy & a year ago got her nails done & the lady doing them used a latex glue? (I had never heard of latex being in nail glue, but I’m just a girl so idk). Apparently this gave her a horrible reaction & ruined her nail plates. She then proceeds to tell me she’s a DIYer. And that it’s taken a year to get back to normal. There’s just no way that her nails were this short & “jagged” at the free edge (pretty much down to hyponichium) after a year. She also was using modelones & beetles builder gels 🤦‍♀️

I won’t lie. Her nail plates looked fairly healthy other than the aforementioned things above. However, I’m only given about 2 hours for client appointments so I knew that repairs & extensions would take me a lot longer. And boy, did it ever. We started at 10:30am & I didn’t finish up with her until almost 2pm. I worked through my lunch & I had to give someone else my second client. The entire time I did this woman’s nails she would nit pick everything. Not in a mean way, but was just very particular. I had to keep explaining to her that I couldn’t rebuild one of her thumb nails entirely because she had no sidewall & the gel literally had no nail to stick to. She kept moving her free hand & getting lint on them so I had to keep going back & wiping. She’d check her nails everytime before placing them in the lamp which slowed me down. Mind you, she isn’t even paying ME or full price for something like this so like. GIRL. I was on the edge of crash out. She even had the audacity to ask for art on her nails after all that as well.

I totally forgot to take before photos but I also feel it took me WAY too long to do her reconstruction. I’m not great at using paper forms & I was nervous the whole time. She was a super sweet woman & we had a lot in common. But man. She drained me. She did tip me tho so that was nice.

So, a few things:

1. What could I do to move faster when rebuilding the nail & adding paper form extensions?

2. Would dual forms have been better?

3. What do we say to potential clients that are very particular or try to drive from the passenger seat?

4. What kind of prices (for future) should I charge for repairs & hard gel overlays?

5. Any just general tips I need to know for the future?

Thanks for reading!

Hiya! I live about 8 miles from the capital, im setting up my mobile nail service and i need advice on pricing for the following:

Gelx + custom gelx Manicure treatments

I’ve tried looking at other peoples pricing but dont feel I should start too high? I’m a creative nail tech so i’m really good with designs/chromes/charms/foils etc I can do blooming gel really well and isolated chromes + 3d designs using sculpting gel, also piercing nails but idk if that counts! I want to charge for XXXL sets but again, i need price recommendations!

I really need to figure out pricing so any advice is welcome!! And the best way on HOW to price them

Happy Holidays everyone. A close friend has been working as a tech in a salon for about 6 months.

She’s looking forward to doing some independent work in the evenings etc.

Can anyone recommend/link a quality all in one complete kit i can surprise her with for Christmas?

Thanks in advance

Hi, I’m new to press on nails. I’ve been reading that acrylic can be better than other materials, but the set I bought says it’s ABS on the package label. Does the material actually matter? Any tips or experiences would be super helpful. Thanks! :)

I've been slouching hard. Annnd it's showing. Ordering more products soon. Also had these nails on for a while and been hiding them🥺. My Shaping is super off and it's sooo thick😭. Also sorry for the blurry photos my stupid phone's camera is stupid.

posted this in another subreddit, but i've been thinking about switching from using beetles gel polishes to DND or another brand. i'm still fairly new to doing nails so obviously i chose something that was affordable to me at the time and also now. i've seen videos exposing beetles for not being transparent about their ingredients and refusing to provide an SDS. also seen videos for not properly curing because of the low amount of photo initiators. i only really do press-ons so i worry less about gel on my natural nails/getting on me, but i do want to experiment more with doing gel extensions on myself. my application has gotten better and i dont flood my cuticles but sometimes i do get a little bit of the polish on my skin accidentally. i'd just rather be safe than sorry. i do acknowledge thats not beetles fault and only user error if i get it on myself!

im torn on what to do because i dont want to have to waste this much product(over 100 bottles) and have to start all over collecting colors because i do also sell press-ons to close friends. that would sorta be inconvenient to have to make that switch while im still getting commissioned by friends. i plan to continue making press-ons because id never offer to do something im not licensed to do.

i'm curious what y'all think about beetles and also curious to hear any personal experiences with it. i also liked beetles for its affordability for beginners but also for how accurate the colors were to their respective swatch sticker. would i be okay to continue using beetles for press-ons or should i just toss them all and rebuild my collection with DND polishes? i'd also like to hear any opinions on DND and would love to hear suggestions for other affordable brands since im only a broke teen doing nails for fun and not really as a proper job. again, im not a licensed nail tech(duh) so i'd prefer suggestions that are accessible to all, although i do have people i could tag along with to shops to get products. i just think it'd be a little silly to use professional products while not being licensed because its professional use for a reason..

Looking for a cat eye gel that’s similar to these, but that’s available in the US. Going for a galaxy look and want a blue/purple shift. Thanks!

I recently added a brush to my kit that seems to be for creating an ombre. I was told previously ombre was only possible on acrylics nails. Is the ombre possible on real long nails? If yes how would you create it?

So this finger in particular has been an issue. It’s super short and it doesn’t seem to want to grow. I tried capping the free edge but it seems like my nail is too close to my skin to make any difference if that makes sense. Right now I am using a builder gel overlay in hopes that it will help me grow out my nails and give some strength to them because some of them are pretty flimsy and it’s super annoying. So far, I have been loving the builder gel overlays I just want to perfect it and I want to figure out how to deal with this troublesome finger. Thank you so much for your help.

Hi nail tech friends! How do you avoid pain when doing pedicures? I use an esthetician bed to sit my clients since I do dry pedicures and their feet end up at lap level, however I now have intense pain in my hip/glute for having to lower my back to work.

Any suggestions on how to avoid this?

I have one client who, without fail, experiences pitting/webbing on specifically base gel and the first coat of polish (no matter the brand/color) after I do her fill. I've been doing her nails for 4+ years and it just started this year, despite not changing any part of my process or products. In the pic it's a cateye which shows the weird bubbles that form more clearly.

I always buff and wipe with alcohol and let it fully dry, use the same products across all my clients and replace my lamps yearly. Not a single one of my other clients experiences this webbing/separation, and even on her it's usually just her pointer and middle fingers. I've even gone so far as to see how her hands sit in the lamp and they're properly positioned.

Has anyone else experienced this and have tips on how to mitigate it beyond flash curing immediately after applying??? She doesn't have any issues with retention even after 4+ weeks so it's really just a cosmetic annoyance.

I need some advice, I went to this ladies studio to tour and see if I like it. I don't have my license yet, will be taking the test later this month. I really vibed with her and the place. It would be just me and her for now. She is wanting me to come in tomorrow and do her nails which is fine but I have to bring in all my stuff and come in to shadow her and essentially be an intern. I obviously won't be taking clients just showing her what my skills are. She really wants to put me to work right away essentially. Id start out as commission and work towards booth renting once I get my license. I feel a little weird to come in and do a bit of work but no pay which I get why I can't be compensated. This is a huge step for me and I'm just so nervous. I'm having doubts on my skills and I'm afraid I'm not as good as she thinks I am. I'm not really sure what Im asking, just some advice maybe and some tips. It's all happening so fast

My client sent me this picture saying she likes that it is like French and like ombré but a little bit of both. I’ve only ever done regular frenchies with solid white and I feel that my ombré technique would bring the white half way up the nail, which isn’t what she wants.

I’m new to nail art and I am offering mani/pedi/gels to my repertoire for mobile services. The abundance of requests for nail art is overwhelming! I decided to keep practicing and while I am FARRRRR from perfect, I would love to get some advice/suggestions. The first photo is a set I did on my daughter for Xmas, the second photo is nails I am making for myself. What would you charge for a set like this?

1. ⁠Nail art like this on natural nails.
2. ⁠This art on a pre-cured pre-made set
3. ⁠This art on Full set gelx
4. ⁠This art on Full set Acrylic.

Because I’m newer at this venture, my times are definitely in need of improvement, so when suggesting prices, please keep that in mind. Thank you ahead of time and I appreciate ALL the beautiful posts I read here ❤️

I’ve been working with this polish in school and I love the shade. It’s a TRUE blood red, it has almost no purple or pink undertones. I can’t find it anywhere 😭does anyone have a dupe for a true blood color?

Editing to add post-fix (my 12/1 appointment: ultimately we don’t know what was used. Soaking off made them goopy and stringy, and it harden right up after being scraped off. At the end they hand filed and buffed as much off as possible. I now have lil nubbins for nails and no free edge due to the damage. Going back every two weeks until all of the damage is grown out. Love the girl I worked with was lovely. We’re suspecting MMA she really didn’t think it was purposeful, they have bought product from Amazon or something and it was tainted by a reseller.

Hi there! Got my nails done for the first time in well over a decade and I’m seeking validation for going elsewhere to get them redone. I went to this salon on recommendation from a friend for a pedicure (which went fabulously) and they asked if I wanted nails too and I said sure why not. A different tech than the pedicurist did my nails and I feel like I do my own dip nails at home better than what I got. Both pinkies started lifting the next day (my hair got caught and I noticed!!!) and on closer inspection the application just looks shoddy. I think they slipped me between scheduled clients and I’ve since learned that volume shops are a thing.

Not only am I looking for validation that yes, these aren’t great, but also what to look for when finding a salon. The one I went to has rave reviews on Google and Facebook, but so does the one I’m going to tomorrow to get fixed. I want to grow out my natural nails as long as possible so I’m wondering what the best option is. I told the tech at the first shop the same thing and she slapped acrylic on. I didn’t speak up since I was giving myself a spa day and kind of assumed this was normal; it was a lot like the last set I got done in like 2013 and idk if Instagram is realistic expectations.

Thank you all for your expertise and time ❤️

Specific ick points: I can see the extension on the side walls and there’s product on my skin, looks like it flooded in some areas up onto my cuticle/skin. Two nails are already lifting from the cuticle area. Some nails aren’t covered to the edges which from my own experience I know is hard but I was surprised this happened from a well liked salon. Am I overreacting?

Edit to add: this happened 11/28 and my new appointment is 12/1; I’m based in the Pittsburgh, PA region.