HERE IS MY NEW LOOK

ROLL OVER ROSES, I'M FED UP WITH FLOWERS !

Time for a new look. As lovely as flowers are, its nice to have a change.

I filed away the existing 3d work and pink glitter gel and did the usual preparation of my nails.

STEP 1.

I apply LeChat Nobility soak off gel in lemon brite, which is actually a zingy lime green colour. Cure 2 minutes. Cleanse and buff the surface with a 180 grit file to remove any bumps.

STEP 2.

Apply clear gel and cure for 2 minutes but do not wipe.

STEP 3.

Using the thick end of my LeChat dotting tool, iIapply spots of copper gel to the surface of the nail.

STEP 4.

Using the fine, angled end of the dotter I drag the tip of the tool through the copper gel, making the colour trail up and down the nail.

Cure for 2 minutes and cleanse.

STEP 5.

I use a little clear gel as adhesive to fix some purple gems onto the nails.

Cure for 2 minutes.

STEP 6.

Now I add dots of green and purple liquid and powder acrylic from the LeChat Nail Architecture collection

STEP 7.

With the dotting tool, I mix some copper bullion beads into a little clear gel.

STEP 8.

Apply the bullion randomly around the green and purple design.

Freeze cure for 30 seconds.

Topcoat the entire nail with clear gel and cure for 2-3 minutes.

Remove the sticky residue and finish the nails with LeChat cuticle oil.

TIME FOR TOES

So, its summertime, and here in Great Britain we can sometimes get a few days sunshine !Its time to get out those sandals and show what your feet are made of.Not everyone has feet to be proud of, and when you think of all the work our feet do its hardly surprising, but there is a lot a good pedicure can do for toes that are below par. I offer pedicures , acrylic toenails, gel toenails and nail art on natural nails so i can usually raise the standards of even the tattiest toes.Sometimes its not just about out and out glamour though, I saw a client recently who had been heavily involved in competitive running and the constant pressure on her toes on the starting blocks had caused repeated infection that had resulted in the surgical removal of one of her toenails. Believing that she would go through life with feet that were less than attractive, she was delighted with the results of the reconstruction of her toenail with acrylic. Now she can paint her toenails and have them all look the same, you can see the results in the before and after photos along with some other foot transformations.

THE FINISHED NAILS with 3D ACRYLIC ROSES

INSTRUCTIONS FOR 3D ACRYLIC ROSES

The design is done on a buffed surface to ensure good adhesion. I have used LeChat Nail Architecture liquid and powder acrylic for the 3d design and LeChat Nobility gel for the base nail.

To acheive the subtle colour shift in the leaves and petals i have double dipped my brush in two colours of powder before applying to the nail. The U.K distributor for LeChat nail products can be found at http://www.lechatnails.co.uk/

STEP 1. Apply leaves.

STEP 2. Place the first bead of product and press out thinly.

STEP 3. Place the second petal and press it out so that it slightly overlaps the first one.

STEP 4. Place a bead of acrylic in the centre, leave to set for a few seconds, then put the point of the brush into the middle of the bead and twirl it round to hollow out the centre of the petal into a shallow bowl shape.

STEP 5. Add another bead of acrylic slightly smaller and do the same as step 4.

STEP 6. Repeat step 4 with a smaller ball of product.

STEP 7. Add additional roses as required.

STEP 8. Do the whole hand and then add a tiny amount of yellow in the centre of each rose.

Gloss the base nail only.

NAILS IN THE U.S.A

photos. 1. me and Vicki Peters 2. me and Joshep Pham 3.me and Greg Salo 4. LeChat Nails USA stand 5.Show floor 6.Interior of the exhibition centre 7. Orange County Exhibition Centre, Orlando, Florida.

June 1st and 2nd saw the anual Premiere Beauty Exhibition at the Orange County Convention Centre in Orlando , Florida, U.S.A.


This prestigious event is amongst the largest of its kind in the whole of America. The show brings together all the leading names in the world of hair, beauty and nails, combining a huge exhibition with live demonstrations and an extensive schedule of educational classes that are housed in meeting rooms above the show floor.

My mission was to research the nail market in the U.S and bring back new information to develop my own nail business. Surprisingly after extensive investigations, i found that there was nothing happening in America that we are not already doing here in the U.K.

Initially I found this a little dissapointing, I am always hungry for new ideas and techniques to keep me bang up to date within the nail world. However, after some consideration, iIrealised that in a way this was actually good news. Its amazing to think that a tiny country like Great Britain can head the way in the ever developing world of nail enhancements when you compare us to the colosal power of the mighty U.S.A.

One thing that did impress me though was the amazing education schedule that was available free of charge to convention attendees.There were all sorts of subjects for nail technecians ranging from natural nail care through application proceedures and finishing techniques. I myself attended 3 classes with industry experts, pink and white acrylic applications with Brenda Schermont from INM, design techniques with Greg Salo from Young Nails and electric filing with industry legend Vicki Peters.

I think in the U.K we draw our influences in nail styling from both the U.S and the rest of europe and have everything that is available in both these continents in our own tiny island.

So where will my research take me next, I'm thinking Russia maybe....or how about Japan?