SPRING FLING

Everyone has been looking for something new and fresh this week.

We're all hopeful that the new season will bring some much needed good weather and bring the feelgood factor back to our lives.

My favourite nails of the week are the glittering yellow tips.

TRAINING IN LONDON WITH GEORGIE SMEDLEY AND SAM BIDDLE 2oth/21st APRIL

I've been updating my training again, this is something I have a passion for.

I believe you never stop learning and in such a fast paced industry as nails there is always something more to learn. Techniques change and grow and so do products and styles.

The technician that believes they can churn out the same old thing for their whole career is going to be unsuccessful. With more places offering nails these days I have found my clientelle becoming more and more demanding in terms of nail art and styles that stand out from the other nail salons in town.

Obviously, neither competition or fantasy nails are designed for daily wear, but the technician who can produce these nails is someone who has skill and imagination and an eye for detail and this in turn is reflected in their day to day work. We see this happening in fashion too, the big name designers produce their collections and the styles are then modified for the high street and every day wear.

Day one of my training was in competition style pink and whites with master competition winner Georgie Smedley.

This nail bears similarities to the permanent acrylic french manicured nail that all good technicians should be able to produce, but the requirements are much more stringent.

It needs to be straighter, longer, thinner, more arched, stronger smile and much more consistent than a salon nail. Today was all about precision.

Day two was for fantasy nails taught by Sam Biddle, fantasy competion veteran and judge, and this was all about imagination and vision as well as the techniques of the 3d style.

A COMPLETE CHANGE

Alittle before and after shot to show how versatile nails can be.

Marie has gone from raunchy leopardskin nails to demure girly pink with delicate 3d blooms in just 1 1/2 hours.

TRADEMARK NAILS

Ive been thinking about how people have their signature look. Many of my clients have a theme that is their own and they continually reinvent the look by varying the nails a little each time they visit me. I can confidently say I can recognise my clients from just a photograph of their hands.

MY N.E.C NAILS 3D GEL

Heres a shot of my own nails that I did for the N.E.C show.

They are done with LeChat Nobility soak off gel over my natural nails and have 3d decorations made of LeChat colour gel.

The decorations are formed by placing droplets of gel on non stick paper and curing and then placing them into uncured gel to form flowers and then finally curing to secure the pattern formed.

A WHIRLWIND WEEKEND

Last weekend I was priviledged to be part of the team manning the stand for LeChat nails U.K at the Beauty U.K ehibition at the N.E.C in Birmingham.

It was an extremely busy weekend for us all. Saturday consisted of traveling to the venue and setting up the stand . On Sunday and Monday all day, I was demonstrating the LeChat gel products on all the interested parties. And my goodness, were there a lot of interested parties !

Our stand was absolutely mobbed and people were very impressed with the range of products.

We are seeing a lot of new LeChat technicians as the trade discover the benifits of the brand for themselves.

NAILS FOR A BRIDE

I was working with a model today to produce a set of images with a bridal theme.

the look called for a very natural set of nails that would appear elegant and graceful.

I used the LeChat powder gel system to produce the set. Natural tips were applied and blended and baby pink and white from the LeChat colour gel collection was used. A little bit of twinkle was added with LeChats stardust powder gel and after a little refinement the nails were finished with a pink tinted topcoat.

The shoot took place in the grounds of a Jacobean manor house in Northamptonshire. The model retained her composure throughout although there was snow on the ground and she was wearing a skimpy strapless wedding gown.

FROM NATURAL TO WILD AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

My work is always so varied, as I have such a variety of clients, ranging from those aged 15 to ladies in their 70's. Nails seem to appeal to every age and personality, and with the huge variety of products and designs available there really is something to suit everybody. I've captured some of the different looks that I've done this week.

You'll see that I've been doing very soft natural looking permanent french manicured nails, some clients have wanted bright white tips, then theres those who like a white tip but want to stand out from the crowd by customising the french look with glitter or 3d acrylic work and handpainted designs and even those with the confidence to go all out with 2 tone glitter and added nailart.

There are many places in my area that adopt a " one style fits all " aproach to nail extensions and one client comes out looking pretty much like a clone of the last where nails are concerned. I much prefer to offer a bespoke aproach to nail enhancements , customising the look every time and I like to think I can offer something for everyone.