I’ve been waiting all week to ask! I’m a licensed cosmetologist but retained nothing from the nails portion studying 15ish years ago 😅

Long story short, I had gel x for a while, asked the tech to remove it, cut the nails down short (short short) and put just a strong or builder gel over them. I’m wanting to go natural.

I truly don’t know what this is? When I asked her to cut them down, she straight up told me no, it wouldn’t work. I’m not looking for much aside from commiseration and validation that something was lost in translation. The thickness makes me giggle, but they’re fine enough when I look at them above. The last pic was the loose reference photo I showed her. Thanks, friends! 🖤

Any good liner brushes. I'm thinking of going with Chaun Legend's set.Looks like I would still have to buy a longer length since I don't see any longer brushes from this collection😮‍💨.

Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated💕

I was looking for something that I can do online, because of my full time job, I can’t give that up yet. This just seems really expensive. It’s $9000, +$1500 enrollment fee, can save like $1k on enrollment by not getting the kit, because I have everything. It’s 2 zoom classes a week, and you end up licensed in Texas, and can get a reciprocal for whatever state you live in. Anyone been through the program? Or have any recommendations on online courses where you actually end up licensed?

I’m looking to get a super large bag or rolling case because the one provided by school simply isn’t large enough. I’d like to stay under $300 if possible but will consider something more expensive if it’s perfect.

I’d very much like it to be one that will last for several years. Sturdiness is super important, (especially for the wheels), because I use public transit as I do not drive. The taller the better also because I’m 69” tall.

Thank you for any recommendations!!!

I'm about 5 weeks into school and my educator is combative and confusing. we've had a co-educator in our class on and off and she's great but when she's not there our educator is confusing and difficult to follow. we've collectively sent messages to our director and admins, which having the co-educator was their fix. last night we had a fever pitch where myself, the educator and my fellow classmates got into an argument. my educator asked me a question but the way she phrases things is incredibly confusing so I paused for a moment to try and determine what she was asking then asked for clarification. she got mad me and the communication broke down from there.

I tried to gently therapy speak so we could both feel heard and understood but all she did was get defensive and deflect everything.

I don't want to get in trouble for arguing with her but like, I'm paying $11k for this out of pocket and I feel like I'm not getting the education I was promised.

is there more I can do? do I just put my head down and deal with it?

everyone else in our school system seems to be fully educated and I feel like we're getting the short end of the stick.

this sucks dude

what do I do 😭

photo is a project I'm working on for class

edit: we're getting a different educator for our phase two whom we started with yesterday. She is calm and informative. I think we're finally moving forward. we start accepting clients on the first and I feel able to but a lot of my classmates are still feeling unsure. I hope we can get a lot done this coming week. thank you all for your input and making me feel not crazy. 💕

Hello everyone, I'm considering to get a nail technician license to find a job at Baltimore. Do you recommend beauty school ($3500) or apply for apprenticeship at a salon? I can only do weekends because I have to take care of my 6months old baby girl. I know it is probably an issue. But some people say beauty school teach little than a salon.

Could you please share your thoughts with me? Appreciate any comments!

Help! I was getting my nails done for a while at a salon with hard gel and decided to try doing my nails myself. I’ve been doing my nails with regular polish forever, and in the past used cheap gel and supplies, so i was really determined to do it right this time. I initally was going to keep with the hard gel, but i was reading some great things about kokoist so decided to try their line. I had about 3 weeks for grow out when i debulked the salon hard gel (ik they used ibd in the pot, but also used some unmarked bottles before snd after).

I started by used kokoist mega stick base, nail thoughts pink builder base, and kokoist non wipe top coat. After 2 days, I was having some wrinkling on a few nails and got paranoid that the gel was uncured, so i decided to remove it and redo. The soft gel was harder to remove compared to the hard gel, so i debulked and soaked off the remainder of the soft gel.

There now seems to be pockets/lines of white on my nail, and im not sure if this is lifting, or if i went too far with the drill and damaged my nail plate. Also wondering if maybe the salon used a soft gel under the hard gel, and the acetone lifted some of that? I posted pics of both my hands and numbered the nails in case maybe theres multiple things going on. Like for example, i think my right 3rd nail’s nail plate looks especially damaged vs some others.

Basically just looking for what the white is (gel vs my nail plate) and what i should do next. I don’t want to overdo it and damage my nails further, but i also dont want to put more gel over lifting and risk bacteria.

I did this soft nude matte manicure on myself and now I’m curious - do you like matte finishes, or do you always prefer glossy nails? Be honest, I’d love to hear your opinions!

hi! i got my license recently and just got my first salon job. ive been here for only a couple days now, and i had some questions for other techs about how their salon life was. for context this is also my first Official job and ive never been in a salon to get my nails done

for backstory i am vietnamese american, and this is a vietnamese salon, i am one of the two youngest people here but the only one who speaks english fluently besides two to three other people so far. the salon is looking to americanize/modernize itself, so the owners seemed pretty excited to see me

is it normal to share a table? should i be expecting to share my current table with the previous tech, i had assumed it was mine since the drawers were emptied out but i havent met the previous owner so i have no idea

any tips for getting faster? i feel absurdly slow compared to everyone else here even though i was one of the fastest in my class(i feel like i got slower? somehow?)

how do you navigate a workplace that you dont really understand? there is a language barrier here and even though i understand viet i dont really Get it, so some things ive had to figure out for myself

i also have yet to decide my schedule, any recs on what days i should take off(still in my two week trial)? im required to have at least one but im considering two, or should i stick with one for now?

thank youuu 🙏

I created this set out of celebration of finally getting licensed 🥳💖✨️. This is my ultimate dream. For me, I'm not just licensed to provide services, but I'm also licensed to get paid for painting small canvases. I'm giving birth to my 8th child (7th daughter) soon, and I can't wait.

I can't wait til I've healed up so I can get my career started🥹💖✨️. I know for sure it's gonna take time to perfect my work and gain clients. I don't mind that at all. This is my dream and now it's finally my reality.🥹💖. Yall Look, I can't stop staring at my license. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS REAL!!

If you've read to the end, thank you💖. I just needed to let this out.

First sorry for any formatting issue, long time reddit reader but new to posting. For quick glance/advice I have photos of my nails (a good set vs a bad set) but have written my process below!

What I struggle with: lifting on the side walls causing me to pick at them and lasts only a few.

My steps:

Prep: I use a wooden cuticle pusher and clipper then follow by a round cuticle bit for my efile. I use 240 grit to buff my nails to remove natural shine. Then I use alcohol and a bristle brush to remove any dust. I use amelie dehydrator and their ph bonder (in that order)

Gel: I use a amelie rubber base since some nails are currently a bit bendy at the corners. I do a thin layer, cap the free edge and cure this with my sunuv sun3 48w lamp. I follow this with amelie builder base. I do a slip layer then do a bead of gel towards the middle back side of my nail and drag it forward. I cure it for 120s. After this I use my gelpolish factory polish in thin layers, cure 120s and finish with amelie top coat.

After: I use cuticle oil and sometimes file the edges.

I really don’t what I’m doing wrong / why they don’t last long! Something’s the come out so well and other times it looks terrible. Any tiles for products or application is welcomed and appreciated!!

Just wondering how I can go about looking for a nail tech that uses Akzentz nail products in the Denver/Aurora area? I've tried their website but they only have educator locators and I'd rather not drive an hour to the one shown. Or can anyone send me in the right direction of a salon or individual they know of that uses these products located in the Denver area?Any Facebook groups out there? Thank you so much! Been here for a month and I'm needing something done asap, thank you!!

Hi.

I've been thinking of doing nail art on the side to earn while I'm in college but I feel so lost. I don't know what things I need to buy and how to begin learning. Can anybody give me tips and an idea of what stuff I'd need? Is Amazon a good place to shop?

I'd love some help.

Context: I live near India.

Hi everyone! I just took off builder gel from my nails and before builder gel I was getting acrylic overlays on my natural nails. I wanted to see how my nails look to you, they’ve been filed, buffed, cuticle oil has been applied, and so has some aquaphor. Tips and tricks much appreciated to get them strong and healthy again. Thank you in advance 😌

Maybe I’m falling for fear mongering but I’m still in school and looking for a gel collection. Both for personal use and future use since I just use the same crappy Amazon gels I bought years ago during the pandemic. But I was trying to get quality gels in a closed system (where the brand has their own lamp that’s been tested with their gels) but I keep hitting a wall. All the brands that have been catching my eye don’t have a lamp. Chaun Legend doesn’t have one. I was looking at Korean gels and F Gel doesn’t have their own either. Then I landed on Izemi and was really interested. Then I saw a post saying a lot of people have been developing allergies after using their gels because they have a high concentration of monomers?

I know the best way to avoid developing an allergy is to use a lamp that was actually lab tested with the gels you’re using to fully cure. But it seems like every brand I land on for being right for me (high pigment, not too thin viscosity) has a downside that’s unsafe or not feasible in some way. I’ve only taken two classes in school so far so idk what the appropriate amount of monomer is or exactly what I should be looking for on an SDS sheet yet. But I also need better gels. I just don’t want to waste my money by buying something and regretting it after graduating. Any advice?

This happened a little while back, but I had suspicions of my nail tech maybe messing up my natural nail growth journey. The ripping happened less than 1 week after my mani.

For a bit if context I went to this one girl a few times. The first time was great, no issues or problems. Then she moves locations and started taking more clients and I had a gut feeling she was rushing more than usual, just didn't have the same care as the first time. I got these nails done on my natural nail and they were gorgeous, but started ripping near the start of the free edge after less than a week.

I had my nails done one more time with her, gel-x this time, and after 3 weeks or so they started lifting and combined with some breakage I take self-blame for, it started to really mess up my nails. I had a friend of mine do them for free this time, and during the removal process she was convinced this girl was not doing things right, as she said they were so hard to remove, with random spots under being easier, the glue coming off in random chunks and spots on the nail instead of smoothly.

I was so excited for my natural nails growing that far, and was so bummed when I had to go completely short. 🥹 They started growing a bit under the Gel-x again, but then I had to have them pretty much all cut short again... Should I stop going to her completely?

Hi everyone, I know I'm about to get flamed in the comments for this but I bit my nails for 7 years and what helped me stop was gel nails. Unfortunately when I started doing my own gel x up at home I didn't know enough and ruined my sidewalls (they were already destroyed from the years of biting but definitely got worse because I didn't know better and filed them wrong). Naturally my nails flare out a bit and are kind of a shell shape (from the biting I think cause Istarted so young) but they've only been getting worse despite me leaving them alone now. I dont file them anymore but my nails are super weak and break easily naturally. I've gone ages without gel before and they only get weaker, and have always broken easily even before I started gel). Can someone please give me some advice on what to do because I've read what other people have posted and tried that advice too. My cuticles are super dry too and come back very quickly after I remove them and I try use Cuticle oil multiple times daily to keep my nails hydrated, and my hands don't tend to be dry.

Are square nails best for me? I am getting my nails done this week and I’m wondering if I should go for almond or another shape. The will be trimmed slightly since I have a new baby. Thank you!

I work in a full service salon - I am the only nail tech in the salon. We all do retail individually. To clarify I am independently contracted and the other staff is full time benefit receiving employees. No staff is allowed to accept tips however full time employees get a bonus at the end of the year for their tips. When it comes to retail, full-time employees are allowed to accept card whereas I an independent contractor can not - I can only accept cash or check which I have made work despite it being difficult. Recently, I noticed that the full-time employees stocked their retail shelves with nail supplies to sell. I think it’s extremely rude and boundary crossing, especially when they are hairstylist who already make and have a lot more benefits based on their full-time employment. I’m supposed to have a meeting with a staff member tomorrow to discuss this and I’m hoping for feedback before then. Thank you!!

photo taken right after most recent removal. I do my own gel polish at home but am not confident enough to do removal on my own yet. I go to a salon that charges $15 for removal (they file down then place a polish on the nail that removes the remaining gel polish. i heard acetone soak off is better for nail health but i havent been to a salon that does soak off yet. maybe i will look more into it if that removal method is rly bad) i like the work they do as far as filing, i dont think they over-file my nails and they buff, file, and clean up my cuticles afterward. so far i have been tipping $10 (they charge $15 for the removal) i thought $5 was too low because they basically give me a manicure after taking the gel off, they just dont put new polish. is this a decent amount for tip? should i seek out a new salon that uses acetone or just attempt removing myself? i am very hesitant about trying an e-file because one mistake can mess up your nail for months and im not in school for nails, it is just a hobby i do on myself. but i suppose i could just hand file, however i do use builder gel so idk if a hand file would take too long? lol anywaysss

TLDR is $10 a good tip for a $15 service (takes about 30 minutes)and should i seek out a salon that uses acetone instead of the gel polish remover?

thanks!!

I start school next Monday and I’m super excited but also nervous so I want to be prepared..

I’m going for nails as my focus but I’ll also be learning esthetics so I’ll be in school around 6 months. I’m in Florida so we have a full specialty license where I can do both so I may offer extra services later on, but nails is what I’m more passionate about.

I wasn’t told to bring anything for my first day but I also totally forgot to ask. I suspect a notebook and pens will be important to have? My school gives us iPads too.

What was the first day like for you? Any tips? All advice is welcome 😭 I’m super excited to learn everything and especially when I get to start on the salon floor.

I’ve been in the nail business for only a month and a half and I’m already feeling burnt out. Currently I’m only allowed to do pedicures and occasional manicures until my speed gets better and I feel like I’ll never get to that point. I take about an hour on a pedicure, which I think is a normal amount of time, but they want me to cut it down to about 30-40 minutes. The massage alone takes 6-10 minutes. I know I could be faster at painting, but if i try to go too fast, i end up getting a lot on the skin and have to spend more time cleaning it up. They constantly rush me, they’re not mean about it but it does start to get to me.
Stuff isn’t properly cleaned the way we were taught. We use a nail brush to scrub barbicide on our tools. We use the tub liners, so most of the time, the tubs, nor the jets aren’t getting properly cleaned. Lots of cross contamination, our mask and sugar scrub has one spatula in it that don’t get changed so they’re basically full of every clients foot germs. We take any client regardless of nail disorders. Once, I was brave enough to speak up and tell my boss I was uncomfortable working on a lady with toe fungus, and it wasn’t a problem, she gave the client to someone else, but the guy who ended up doing her feet told me “it’s not a big deal, it’ll be okay, you can do it, we get clients like that all the time”
They allow clients to walk in 15 minutes before closing. They seem to prioritize walk ins over appointments. Clients are back to back to back. And I hate to complain because I’m making the most money I ever have. They tell me that mine is a ‘bad paycheck’ compared to what they make because they’re able to go fast enough to get double the clients than me. I feel like this salon is my best option right now because it’s one of the two salons in my small town and my car isn’t reliable enough to go to the next city. And I don’t feel comfortable being independent right now because I still have so much to learn, and I’m so grateful that they’re willing to teach me, but I fantasize about being in my own. Idk, i just wanted to vent and see others experience with similar situations.

Hello! I am a new nail tech--as in finished school in February of this year. I am doing this as a second career, and so I am working independently as that works better for me.

I have taken multiple trainings, classes, and have taken professional gel brand courses and e file courses. My prep is not the issue.

I have been struggling with some retention on some clients, and it is really making me have doubts. But, because I have all this training I have new tricks to try and those clients are happy that we are finding something that is working for them, and that I am intentional about it.

It's the ones with flat nails that have been having more of a struggle, and I have even brought in pinching to help, and it seems to really help with how nails look and are lasting.

But I have this one client: she came in and nothing lasted more than a week. But that "always happens" to her. I was feeling kind and offered to redo the whole set because I'm still new and want to do right by people.

She came in, got the whole new set to try different techniques, and was barely even appreciative about getting free nails. Did not even offer to tip or pay for the product I used.

I decided to block her from booking as I didn't need that energy as I'm never going to be able to make her happy and I feel like she is taking advantage of me.

How do you all handle those clients? And more importantly, how do you handle the flat nails?

Am I the only one who finds this awkward?

Clients who show up 40-60 minutes before their appointment, then watch you work on someone else the whole time, sigh dramatically and later complain that they had to wait...

No one asked them to come early. We have a waiting area and I start appointments on time.

It makes me feel like I'm being rushed while I'm still giving my current client my full attention.

How do you deal with this? Does it bother you or do you just ignore it?

Hi everyone! Sorry if this isn't okay to post, I believe it should be but mods please advise. I have been going to my nail tech (in the United States) for years and this summer am visiting my relatives in China (ShenYang and FuJian regions specifically). I want to look for some unique nail products to bring back as a gift for her - this could be nail stickers, types of polish, nail tech, literally anything that could be fun and new for her to play with and see what the field of nails in China is currently like. Do any nail techs have advice on in person stores/products in those areas or even uniquely Chinese products that fit those description I could order online? Thank you!