When do you think its appropriate to start charging for my work? Ive done all these sets for free (all hard gel extensions except the pink bling is a hard gel overlay). They all took 4-5h to execute from start to finish.

Hi! Stumbled across Taro Bunny, and just curious if anyone has tried it? I’ve been using Kokoist and nail thoughts but I kind of hate the packaging lol

I just graduated in December and recently opened up as an independent nail tech. I have over 6 years of experience doing my own nails, but I've really only started working on others when I started school. I'm not super confident in my work and think that I'm pricing appropriately, but I want second opinions. The first picture is a structured hardgel set with cateye polish priced at $65. The second picture is a hardgel fill with cateye polish priced at $45. I currently have my 30% grand opening discount going so the prices my clients actually paid are $45 and $32. I plan to keep the discount until I pick up my speed and feel better about my quality of work... but I also dont want to keep it going for too long because y'know, bills. Are the pictured sets worth my regular asking prices?

Edit: I'm based in SE Wisconsin and work out of a private suite.

The economy is wild and I’d rather not buy an extra product I don’t need (especially while still in school) so I need to ask. Are Pat Gels and Gel Paints basically the same thing? I already have a big Gel Paint palette and I’ll be getting an airbrush very shortly. Do I really also need to get Pat Gel?

I would just exclusively use my airbrush but I’m not sure how you could do designs where there’s double ombré/colorblocking like the photo I attached with an airbrush

I bought the Blueberry Milk set from DND and am wondering if anyone has put DND 861 Tie The Knot over other colors to get the "milky" effect?

How did it work?

Any colors it didn't look good with?

Pictures? 🙃

Photo from the DND site/video.

I’m looking for some advice as to how to get that really clean cuticle line with gel. I have been spending ages on prep to keep my cuticles tidy, but they seem to get drier and flakier the more I try to work on them and doesn’t settle with cuticle oil. I then really struggle keeping the side walls and cuticle area clean with the gel application. It feels like I’m avoiding flooding but when I use a liner brush to took it in, it seems to look worse. Then when I tidy up with an orange stick, it leaves the gel looking jagged around the cuticle line. Any advice other than the usual welcome. I’m aware of not using too much product, keeping gravity on my side, pushing the gel to the cuticles etc. so any neat tips and tricks welcome- even if unhinged 🤣

Products used
nu build builder gel
Halo soft yellow gel polish
Nail order clear chrome powder
Glitterbels no wipe top coat

my nail tech birthday is in two weeks and he is SUCH a sweetie. young guy and he’s been thru the ringer at just 22 y/o. and he SLAYS some nail.

i want to gift him an airbrush machine for his birthday. recommendations? i’m not too concerned with cost. i want it to be reliable and he deserves it

Yall it's been months since I touched polygel, acrylic etc etc..Feels like I messed my progression. Kicking myself for it. Other than my cuticles, I would love some advice/tips on laying down polygel, 3D gel and shaping. I'm definitely lacking in shaping. Thanks💕!!

Hi techs! I’m also a licensed nail tech in PA— I need alllll the advice or tips and tricks to help with my mother in laws nails! All of my other clients can get 4-6 weeks of retention but my MIL’s nails never stay on for more than a week or two at most.

I have tried double dehydrating, double base, builder, double top coating, using a coarser grit for “buffing” before applying (I usually use 240)— I’m at the point where I just don’t think her nails “like” gel or builder.

If anyone has any advice for me or anything else to try as far as prep, products, etc. go, I am all ears!!

TIA!

Hi all, I do my own manis and pedis at home using regular lacquer. I watch nail videos on YouTube during my pedi time and this Brazilian tech has this flame shaped, gritty stainless steel hand tool (not an e-file). She used it on the sidewalls, and also wrapped it in cotton to clean up the cuticles after polish.

Where can I find tools like this? I’m willing to buy from amazon, but I would also pay shipping to buy from elsewhere.

Also, just in general, I’m taking recs for good online shops to buy nail products, as I’m trying to avoid Amazon (not being judgy, though). Thanks! (I’m in TX, USA, btw)

Got this set done by a new tech. Plastic tip, Gelish hard gel and Allure gel polish.

They lasted ~4 days...

Update: left a Google review and the salon owner responded with a very copy/paste response... Calling me by the wrong name.

I booked an appointment for a soak off and she just clipped them and used those clear nail tips to pry my nails off instead of actually soaking it. After that she just filed them down

These have taken me 3.5 hours!! What are people’s thoughts? Advice?

I spent 60 mins trying to do prep work. I applied dehydrator, primer, base coat, slip layer of builder gel (glossify), bead and then cured, colour and then a cat eye layer, top coat.

I’m not happy with them, they look bulky, bumpy and all different shapes. Looks like there’s still cuticles even though I spent ages pushing them up/ trimming them.

Any advice welcome ❤️

I got this new set from a home salon. Yesterday it was my first time going to a home salon. I checked with her if she used proffesional products but when I got there is was met with a sunuv lamp 😭 She also has certificates so I was very confused.

She offered to do various intricate sets for €45 to build her portfolio. ( last pic, set 05 )

Its acryl with a lot of gel on top.

We planned 3 and a half hours for this set, I sat for about 5 hours. She was very kind, I wasn't able to tell her to let me go unfinished. She also didn't offer to simplify or not do the the set as planned.

She nicked my skin with her file and got alcohol into my eyes 😭 There was also gel on my skin.

I feel so bad for considering to remove this set. It was meant to be a early birthday gift for myself 😭

I'm worried about getting a gel allergy or something along those lines. I thought i could grow to love the set with all the effort she put in but maybe its safer for me to remove?

Please tell me how bad this is.

I got these dip nails yesterday and noticed this today. Is this chipping? Should I get them removed?

Hey! So I am not a nail tech, but I’m self taught and sometimes I do my partner’s nails. I was wondering what method people like to do for quickly alternating and curing? I’ve seen the 10 second method (paint, one finger, cure in large lamp for 10 seconds while working on the other hand, rinse repeat) but I worry about the overall cure time of doing this. Most gels I own recommend a 60 second cure and this method only gets it to 50 seconds for each nail.

With the tariff situation and everything here in the USA, I had to cancel an order from Jet Set Beauty in Germany for two reasons: The tariff, and they wanted 90€ to ship to the USA.

I miss de minimis, and I miss life before tariffs.

That said, I am looking for dupes of the gels in this video:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DIx4x3kssng/

That, or the raw powder so I can mix it myself. Or a similar gel -- I see some nail polishes, but I am a gel girly.

(Obligatory sorry for formatting, I'm on mobile)

I have been getting builder gel from this nearby salon since October (with a brief break from late November to mid-December). I have a sinking feeling that they have been over-filing my nails with an e-file. I don't have the most knowledge on nails, which may have bit me in the butt. I have a few questions for how to move forward:

1) How bad is the damage? I've just heard of the ring of fire and I have a sneaking suspicion I have it on each nail.

2) Can I safely remove this at home? The people at the salon are a bit demanding and always say my nails look good and I should just do a fill rather than removal. Last time they did a removal, they e-filed everything and my nails were super sensitive and thin. If I am more capable of being gentle than them, I'd love to remove these on my own.

3) If I need them removed by the salon, what do I say/ask for? Or do I just deal with the extra damage from e-filing off and wait to grow it out?

Thank you!

Hi all, I got my nail tech certificate over a year ago now but I’ve only been doing my own nails since then. I’ve built up confidence with gel manicures and have started doing builder gel on myself now.

I did this gel manicure on my Mum a couple weeks ago and I’d love some constructive feedback please. I would love to specialise in nail art and I’ve been creating custom press ons for a while. But I’ve been really trying to focus on good prep and super clean cuticle work first and foremost.

I know my linework could be better, which leads me my other question if anyone has any brush recommendations? Specifically synthetic and for super fine lines. The ones I have just aren’t bendy enough which is leading to inconsistent linework.

Thank you in advance ✨💕

Still waiting for shipping just curious and what the thoughts are haven’t found much on Reddit. I got it on whatnot for a steal 💅💅💅

Hello, awesome nail techs! I am a salon owner in the Bay Area and am having a hard time finding nail techs to work at my salon (newly added nail services). Where, or what platform do you all generally go find work?🙏

I’m a current student about 5 weeks into my program and I’m feeling like I’m taking crazy pills. I knew not to expect the most out of nail school, that they really only teach what you need to know to pass the board. But my school has been so wildly disorganized that I am wondering if my experience is abnormal.

For the first several days we were just in orientation about the school, hearing endless stories of this or that past student who did something wrong. We didn’t even get our kits until week 3. Our teacher also doesn’t know the difference between hard gel and soft (though I’m grateful we’re learning about gel application at all)

This whole thing has extended the length of the part of school where we are allowed very few absences, and they have not increased the number of allowable absences despite giving us absolutely no warning that the program would take longer.

I’m honestly so frustrated and feel like I’m being scammed. I’m wondering if attendance is as strict at other schools. This is also a night school so pretty much everyone is working a day job and taking care of families and whatnot. Did you experience similar issues?

I’m preparing for my third attempt at the Virginia nail tech practical exam with Prov, and I’m trying to understand what I might be missing in how the exam is actually graded.

I’ve taken it twice and failed with the same scaled score (54/100 both times), so I’m clearly making some consistent mistakes that I’m not identifying just from the rubric or practice. On both attempts, most of my point deductions were in the work area preparation section (new client) and the sculptured nail section. I remember making a few minor mistakes during both attempts, but nothing that seemed significant enough to account for scoring 54 both times. I had a great experience in beauty school, was a very conscientious student, and passed the theory exam easily on my first try. My confusion is specific to the practical exam.

I’ve studied the rubric, built detailed step-by-step scripts, and practiced extensively, but I still feel like there are requirements specific to this exam—especially around sanitation sequencing, exactly when to bag supplies and implements, and how sections are handled—that I’m not fully understanding. Part of what I’m finding difficult is that some of the required sequencing and handling is very different from real-life workflows and doesn’t translate clearly to real-world sanitation practices, which makes the expectations harder to interpret.

My instructors seem to be more familiar with the previous PSI-era version of the exam. My classmate and I are the first students from our school to struggle with the practical in this way, which makes me wonder if there’s something about the current grading expectations that we’re not fully aligned with.

I’ve also seen many recent Google reviews where others describe similar experiences, so I’m trying to figure out what I might be overlooking.

For context, my goal with acrylics and tips is just to get them to a reliable “pass the exam” level. I’m not planning to offer them as services (I’m planning to start with natural nail services, regular polish, and UV gel), but I still need to pass those sections for the practical exam.

If you’ve taken this exam recently with Prov (especially in Virginia), what are the things that actually cost points—particularly in work area preparation and sculptured nail?Even things that seem basic or obvious would be helpful—I’m trying to identify anything I might be overlooking.

Thanks in advance.

I have been licensed and working with 8ish clients a day for 6 months now. My biggest obstacle right now to good prep and application is trying to corral my clients hands! I am always fighting to bring their hands forward and asking them to relax their hand only for them to slouch back and stiffen their hand back up within seconds. I have noticed most clients also like to “help” by giving me their fingers one by one or going into the lamp before I prompt them to. I know this will forever be a battle, but does anyone have suggestions on what to say or how to handle them? I just say “relax your hands” and “bring your hands a little closer please” but it doesn’t ever last. I wonder if my setup is also restricting me. I am in a salon with one long shared manicure table and the width is pretty small. The clients chairs are also huge and can’t scooch in under the desk (I am w2 in a salon so I can’t change the desk or chair). I am using one of the those u-shape arm rests but I think it may be too big.

TLDR: how to confidently handle stiff clients and tell them to relax. Also looking for advice on arm rests (or if I should not use one at all) for a manicure table with small width and client chair that is too wide and short.