#NailTechNailedIt - Life After Nail School - Where I'm Working

Happy New Year everyone! Apologies for the lack of posts here on the blog. Hopefully you were entertained through one of my other channels, like Instagram!

Posts have been few and far between due to some big changes in my life, so I thought a wrap-up of my #NailTechNailedIt posts would be perfect to explain the absence. After all, it's all because of last year's decision to become licensed as a nail tech that I am where I am.

Where I Work

After graduating nail school in March 2014, I entered the nail industry right away. I quit my job at a software company, gave it a weekend, and jumped right into my new job and career as a nail tech. Now, you can find me 5 days a week at Boulder's 4-star hotel, St. Julien Hotel & Spa.

Courtesy of St. Julien Spa

It's as beautiful a place to work as it is to stay, with big bright windows looking out on the colorful characters of Boulder strolling by. The facilities are fantastic as well, with full access to the spa amenities provided to every guest I provide services to. That includes access to the pool, fitness room, hot tub, steam room, showers, and sauna. It's a place where people come to relax, and then pop into the salon where I work for awesome pedicures that are accompanied by cocktails and great service. I really love working there, and the benefits are fantastic! And no, I was not paid or coerced into saying any of that! ;)

I began working there in April, and since then, things have only gotten better!

Dreams Do Come True

After working hard to improve my own skills and client experiences for 9 months, I was promoted to lead nail tech at the spa! Part of it was luck, as the previous lead left to go be a full-time mom to her son and soon-to-be daughter, but most of it was pure hard work. The management staff saw my passion. I was interviewed by the Daily Camera (the local Boulder newspaper) about my blog and the Marie Claire "Favorite Nail Blog" award, and both management and potential clients took notice! Several clients have come by seeking out the nail art I've become known for in the salon. Others are converting their classic red manicures into something with a little more pizazz, even if it's just a sparkly tip.

Never in my wildest dreams when I started my foray into nails did I ever think I'd become a nail tech, and never did I think I'd be a lead nail tech at an award-winning spa after less than a year of being there. But, my wildest dreams have become a reality right in front of my eyes, and I leave work happy every day, thrilled I made the switch.

Finally... 

So if you're considering becoming a nail tech like I know some of you are, then do it! Hard work, passion, and drive seriously pays off, especially in this industry!

"But Katy...it's so expensive!" Seek out scholarships if you can't afford it. Sarah, the nail artist at Chalkboard Nails, just started nail school on a full ride from the Tippi Hedren scholarship (read more about that here). OPI offers scholarships as well.

Not sure what kind of school is in your area? Check out Beauty Schools Directory, which compiles a pretty comprehensive list of schools near you that offer both full cosmetology and nail tech-only licenses. That's how I found my school, and, well, the rest is history!

So thanks to those of you who stuck around patiently as almost a month went by before any posts were put up. It's all for great things, and though posts weren't as frequent, plenty is in the works. Here's what's coming down the pipeline in the near future on Nailed It:

• The China Glaze Twinkle collection and nail art
• Some fun nail decal designs from Nail Doodles
• So...many...Zoyas!
• Tutorial updates
• ...and more!

#NailTechNailedIt - How to Nail Your Written Exam - Nail Disorders

If my nail tech career were a Facebook relationship status, we would officially be "In a relationship".

As of March 13, 2014, I am officially licensed as a nail technician in the state of Colorado. *Applause*

Most of you have been with me since the beginning, nearly 8 months ago. (To catch up on the journey, check out the #nailtechnailedit tag.) But now the schooling is over and the tests have been passed. A hilarious recap of the practical exam can be found here.

Last Thursday, I had my written exam. In Colorado, it's a 75 question multiple-choice test, delivered electronically in a testing center. The exam time is 100 minutes. The material on the exam is generally outlined in the candidate bulletin, broken down by percentages into roughly what will be covered (page 35 in the linked PDF).

After reviewing what would be on the test, and seriously procrastinating on studying, I had to break up the hours of study into what I needed to review most. For me, that was definitely "nail conditions that preclude treatment". That's fancy speak for "those terrifyingly similar words for disorders you reviewed ages ago". I struggled on it when we first learned it, and I knew if it was going to be 15-20% of the test, I needed a serious brush-up.

So I made a list of the key words from chapter 9 in the textbook we used. Then, I wrote down the book's definition for them. Finally, I came up with a ridiculous set of memory cues to pull up when test time came and they all started to blend together.

Today, I'm sharing half of that ridiculous list with you. This list served me well on the test, and made me giggle when I thought of some of the memory cues I'd come up with, easing the stress of the test just a little more.

The words and definitions are all key words from the book, but the cues are all my own. I focused on those that I didn't know, or thought I might forget in the heat of the moment. So share it, pin it, do with it what you like. I hope they can help someone else the same way they helped me!

Check back later for the other half of the list, the Nail Diseases.

Practical Lesson: The Manicurist Exam

The point of the NailTechNailedIt posts has been to help educate anyone who's thinking of a career in nail technology (teching?) for what's to come in school. The culmination of the whole process comes after graduation - a two-part slog to success.

In Colorado, you need to first pass the practical. For mine, I. Practically. Died.

Ultimately, I felt as prepared as I could be, with a few questions I hoped would be answered. All I needed to do was drive into Denver, sit for the exam, check-in, pass it, and leave. Simple right? How much could go wrong?

The Drive to Denver
Technically, the exam wasn't held in Denver, but a smaller town outside of Denver equally as far to get to. The route to get there is currently under massive construction. The number of lanes and how many barriers are set up along them changes daily, and the number of pot holes and speed bumps is on a slow and steady incline. By the time I arrived, albeit about 45 minutes earlier than when I was supposed to be there, I was still stressed and could feel what I can only imagine was TMJ.

Sit for the Exam
The building the exam was held in was having some difficulties with their AC. The room that the exam was in was at least 100 degrees...which may be an exaggeration. As a desert rat, I was mostly okay with that. However, it meant that the door to the previous exam was left open, so I could see it all go down. Mind you, it was a hairstylist practical, so I wasn't cheating or gaining any valuable information I wouldn't have in normal circumstances. What developed from the situation was just excess perspiration and a little nausea.

Thank GOD there was a wonderful man there to distract me. He ran security on the exams, checking the security cameras for any cheaters, one of which he'd encountered earlier. Someone was trying to cheat for the written manicurist exam! The girl was using the provided scratch paper (strike one...who needs scratch paper for a manicurist exam?!) to hide a separate sheet she'd snuck in (strike two) to write down the exam's questions and presumably share with her friends later (strike three). She was obviously disqualified. I hope she really loved those friends.

Back to the gentleman though. I loved him because he distracted me from my fate with small talk, telling me about his day, the cheater, previous experiences, and anything else that seemed interesting to him. I'll never be able to thank him enough for distracting me, because what was yet to come was the most nerve-wracking thing yet.

Check-In
Check-in was easy. I brought my two forms of ID (I actually brought three...just in case) and sat pleasantly for my photo, beaming with the smile I'd practiced in the mirror days prior. I'm not sure if the AC issues I mentioned earlier had an effect on the computers, but they were technologically not up for the tasks of the day. So the proctor took a quick picture before it malfunctioned...and this was the result.

The photo meant to signify my new career in the beauty industry comes out looking like a convict. Great.

Show Time!
Finally, it's time to take the exam. The hairstylists have come out, cried a little, postulated how they did, and wished me luck on mine. That's when it hit me. This group of 7 or so stylists had just finished their exam, and besides the security guy...I was the only one in the room.

I was literally the only nail tech student there to take the exam for the day! Bricks were shat.

At this point, the beads of sweat on my forehead turned into tiny running streams. But I didn't have much time to think about it as I was beckoned into the exam room.

I tried to make it lighthearted, mostly for myself, but also in a sorry attempt to shmooze the proctors. But it's not easy to shmooze SIX PROCTORS. Six women, monitoring your every...single...move. Six. They assured me that this wasn't routine, and that three of them were actually just there to shadow the others. As if that would make the extra three just disappear from my line of sight and it would be all peaches and god damn rainbows.

Then the test began. I asked my questions, to which they respectfully replied, in their scripted speech, something along the lines of "Sorry, you're shit out of luck and you should have learned this better." (I may be exaggerating the tone a bit.)

Then the test finished. In the blink of an eye, I was done. I'd performed a manicure, tip application, acrylic overlay, and acrylic overlay using a form, in the span of 60 minutes. I don't know how long it actually took, or how frequently I made mistakes, but if the whispers between the three shadows behind me was any indication, it was pretty often.

They excused me, and I melted into a pool of sweat and more sweat in the lobby of the exam area. I waited impatiently there, until the lead proctor emerged with my results. They ask you to leave the lobby before opening it, probably so there aren't any unwelcome bear hugs or desperate pleas for a retake.

I left, unfolded the note, and saw the word we all wait to see when we open our college admissions letters - "Congratulations". I'd passed! Amidst every cosmic attempt to sabotage me, the manicure gods smiled down upon me and gave me a passing grade.

It was at that point that I noticed my picture, and really had nothing left to do but laugh.

Broncos Super Bowl Nails

I grew up with a dad who loved baseball, and a sister and mom who could care less about sports other than Nascar. It's no surprise I knew very little about football.

This year, it's all started to make a lot more sense, and I've started to enjoy watching it more.

And now that my state's team is going to the Super Bowl, of course I'm excited!

I did these Broncos nails on my friend Bethany tonight, hoping it'll send good vibes to the team out in NY/NJ. It's all freehand, but obviously I looked at pictures when I did them.

I used:

• My Boyfriend Scales Walls (OPI, white)
• OPI...Eurso Euro (OPI, blue)
• Skater Dater (Sation, orange)
• Louise (Zoya, brown)
• Jostle (L.A. Girl, blue glitter)
• Black Onyx (OPI, black details)

Who're you rooting for on Sunday? 

Ampersand Nail Art

This past weekend I did a manicure on my good friend and reoccuring client. She asked for a variety of ampersand symbols on her nails in different fonts. This is the end result, and I'm thrilled with it!

Every one of them was done freehand using a small brush and Black Onyx (OPI). The base is the beautiful 3 Free-dom from Sation.

It's probably the crowning jewel of my nail school career, so it's fitting it's one of my last!

Which ampersand is your favorite?

#NailTechNailedIt - The Darker Side of Nail Tech School

As promised in my last post, this post is going to be about the less than glamorous experiences I've had in nail tech school. I'm finishing up quite quickly, and I've learned a lot, through the good and the bad.

Disclaimer: No one's experience in nail school will be the same as their friend's or the same as mine. Experiences are what you make of them, as an individual. But no matter who you are, you can always learn and grow from them. I certainly have.

Here are some of those experiences.

Weight gain

Our school is surrounded by delicious and easy fast food restaurants, including McDonald's, Little Cesear's Pizza, an assortment of Mexican food joints, and a stand that sells unbelievably tasty bacon-wrapped hot dogs.

It's really no surprise then, that I've packed on some unwanted pounds. Couple that with the lack of time to set aside for exercise, and I've begun to feel like a real tub o' lard.

While it's easy enough to say that I'll pack a lunch, or grab a healthier option instead, it's too easy to fall for these temptations when you're so busy running around, performing services, taking tests, and rushing through lunch time to start on a new client. Sometimes, with the chaos of the salon, girls don't even see food until it's time to go home.

But on those days that I do take the time to blend up a smoothy or fix a chicken salad, I feel more energized and enthusiastic. I know that working in a real salon will only bring bigger challenges, but feeling this way isn't worth it.

#NailTechNailedIt - When Clients Let Me Do Nail Art

It's rare that clients at the school's salon want nail art. Usually just single colors are requested. So I thought I'd celebrate the clients this past Saturday who let me do some fun nail art for them and share it with you all. Both are friends, but hey! I'll take it where I can get it!

 The first is a manicure for my regularly pampered pal, Shayna. She's big into CrossFit and starts a 30-day paleo challenge tomorrow. In honor of this, she asked for a paleo mani, which includes weights, bacon, eggs, avocado and almonds.

The other was a pedicure for a fellow student. She'd been admiring the diamond designs I've done before. You can see examples of my previous diamonds here and here. She picked out two awesome colors and we paired them together with diamonds on her toes.

Toes are definitely harder for nail art than fingernails!

In other #nailtechnailedit news, I'll be finishing up school by the end of this month. If you recall, my original graduation date was expected to be late March.  However, I've been kicking butt and taking services whenever possible, so I could graduate sooner. With only a few more services remaining (mainly pedicures), I'll be done in no time.

I can hardly believe it's almost done, but I'm ready to move on to the real world, and begin learning new things. Even though school's ending, the learning is only just beginning.

The next #NailTechNailedIt post will be one detailing some of the bad parts of nail tech school. I feel it's important to share the good and the bad, so if that's something you're waiting for, it's coming!

Question: What kind of nail art do you like on your big toes? Have you tried anything besides a French manicure on your toes before?

#NailTechNailedIt - Changes in Nail Boards

When nail tech school is complete (which is looking like it won't be April, but rather more like February), in order to get your license to begin working in salons, you must pass the boards.

Dun dun duuuuuuunnnnnnnn!

These boards consist of a two-fold test, taken at separate times.

First, you must pass your practical test. That's the test that puts your skills into practice, and you must perform certain tasks to pass.

The second part of the boards is the written exam, which is a good old fashioned written test.

This year, in at least Colorado (and I'm unsure of other states/countries), the provider for the test has changed. In previous years, it was Pearson Vue. Now, there's a new vendor, PSI, which means the test is slightly different.

One big change is who the services for manicurists is performed on. In December, hopeful nail techs were to have several faux fingers, which we so lovingly call Freddy Fingers.

Image source - Amazon

This hard plastic finger has a well that's not only terrifying, but useful. You can practice applying acrylic nails easily, without needing to soak off each set you do. Just rip out the fake nail from Freddy, and you can start over.

Image source - Amazon

With the new vendor however, we'll only be working on one fake hand, which a few of us have named Hannah the Hand.

This hand still has wells to shove tips in. The new vendor requires you to have all five fingers already set up with 5 tips, to imitate the hand's natural nail. Oddly, you're also required to have one fingernail painted, so you can show them you know how to remove polish. (Yep...we're tested on that!)

The range of services a nail tech must perform isn't very big, but it is bigger than what a cosmetologist is asked to do. The services include:

• Sanitaion
• Manicure
• Tip application
• Acrylic overlay on a tip
• Acrylic overlay on a natural nail
• Acrylic overlay using a form

What's most exciting about the new vendor is how clearly they tell you what you'll be doing. Each nail tech will be given a their test from one of 3 forms, which just shuffles the order of services a bit. They lay everything out clearly and easily, which eases a little of the pressure off of test day.

It's still intimidating, but with test day fast approaching, I'm eager to get the practice in so I can be ready for it all.

Catch up with all the rest of the #NailTechNailedIt posts here!

#NailTechNailedIt - Recent Designs

My social media's been blowing up with these pictures, but I wanted to officially share some of my most recent nail art done on clients in nail tech school.

Snowflakes have been particularly popular, and rightly so. It's currently 1 degree Fahrenheit here in Boulder with crunchy snow covering everything.

Sorry this one's a little blurry.

I also had an adventurous young client who let me do whatever I wanted on her. Since she chose such a Bora Bora sea blue, I chose seashells!

And finally, Rachel was escaping the cold for climates where flipflops weren't a ridiculous idea, so she wanted a matching mani/pedi.

And tonight, even though I had no clients, I got a lot of work done on my holiday menu for designs. Here's just part of it.

Here's hoping someone wants something!

#NailTechNailedIt: Weeks 13 & 14

Class is done! We've learned all the lessons from the book we can, so now we're prepping for our baby boards. As I've mentioned, these are practice practical board exams. We'll also be allowed to take tests called "The Hundreds", which are tests of 100 or so questions based off the real exam. We're allowed to take as many of these as we'd like in order to prep for the exams.

While we gear up for that, we're continuing practicing on real clients. Last week, I had three full sets of acrylics on real clients (not students or friends).

The first set here is a set I did on a 16-year-old client. She was a walk in Thursday night, and I accepted the challenge. Her sister was getting married on Saturday, and she was the maid of honor. She wanted a full set of a basic French, and wanted them short and manageable. As you can see in her "before", she had really short nails to begin with, so keeping them relatively short was essential to a normal look.

BEFORE

See her "after" following the jump!

Soft Tribal Gel Quickie

This past Saturday, clients were flowing in, but with so many new nail tech students, most were being assigned to their services. So I had the pleasure to do a Gelish mani on one of my fellow students.

She let me have free reign over her colors and design, so I decided to do a tribal look using my tribal tutorial, which you can try out yourself here!

Apologies for the somewhat blurry picture.

I love the way it turned out, and she told me she's been receiving lots of compliments on it.

Have you tried nail art with gel polishes before? Do you have a favorite gel to work with?

#NailTechNailedIt: Weeks 11 & 12

In my last #NailTechNailedIt post, I showed two Halloween manis, and my most recent post was a menu of Halloween looks I'm hoping clients will want to try on their manis or pedis. While I didn't have much luck getting real, paying clients to try the looks yet, I was able to practice one on another student, and I did some acrylic claws/rounded off stilettos on my friend last night. She will be going as a scary goth girl.

To get you in the spirit of tomorrow's holiday, here are those two looks!

What will you be dressing as this year? I'll be Duff Man (from the TV show The Simpsons). I think beer nails will be appropriate for the look.

Do you have any plans to incorporate your nails into your costume?

#NailTechNailedIt: Weeks 8 through 11

A candid shot of me doing Rachel's nail art (at the bottom of this post).

The 14 weeks of nail tech classes is starting to feel attainable. The long road of classes has been a whirlwind though. It doesn't feel like it's been 11 weeks of classes! I've learned so much I never dreamed of. Here's a recap of what weeks 8-11 had in store for me:

• Acrylic enhancements, including;
• Odorless product
• Traditional monomer/polymer powder products
• Brush technique
• Enhancements on tips
• Enhancements on forms
• Electric files
• Hair removal

I've really been enjoying learning acrylics. I never dipped into that aspect of nails prior to classes, so it feels like starting from scratch. It's admittedly frustrating to be so adept in one aspect of nails, and so clueless in another.

There are so many factors to consider when working with acrylics, which is the generic term for nail enhancements that use monomer liquid and polymer powder.

First, if your client wants to elongate their nails (as most do), should you do the service with a tip, or with a form? If you use a form, do they want the two-color method (forming a white tip with white powder) or the one-color method (where you can choose to only use pink powder)? Whether their nails be constantly painted is a big determinant for this decision.

Second, which product works best for you and your client? Some products are odorless. If you've been around a salon that was performing an acrylic service, you've probably smelled the products. I don't think it's a bad smell necessarily, but it is pungent, so a sensitive client who understands the products may insist on an odorless combination. (It's not actually odorless, it's just less odor.) Unfortunately, whether you want to or not, you need to be skilled in using odorless, because Colorado's state board requires the use of odorless products. I'm still undecided about which I prefer. One thing that I did quickly realize is that odorless products dry more slowly. So to learn, they are a great medium, as you have more time to sculpt and work the product to look like you want.

Acrylic application is actually a lot about the size brush you use. The brush sizes vary, usually in increments of 2. So 2, 4, 6, 8, 24! I've never seen a size 24 brush in person, but searching online has revealed that they do exist. Has anyone used that size? I'd love to get some nail tech chatter going about the preferred size, manufacturer, and shape of brush to apply acrylics!

Mastering acrylics hasn't come to me yet. I imagine it will take lots of practice! I have laid a set on a friend in the salon though, and so far, they're holding up! It's been about a week. Here's what they looked like after application and polishing was complete:

The polish did a nice job of covering up some of the flaws, but you can see edges that aren't completely clean, and I worry that they will lift. After a week though, they're still on, and the gal wearing them is a hair student, whose hands are constantly in water.

This week, we started learning about the electric file. I feel like Rosie Riveter when I use power tools like that, and I can't wait to use it to smooth out enhancements and edges! Hopefully that will make my acrylics more beautiful than anything!

Using the file is really an art form. There's a dance between speed and pressure required to use the drill comfortably for yourself and your client. Too much of one or the other will result in pain, heat, or what is unfortunately called "Ring of Fire". (No...not the feeling after a fiery burrito, or an after-birth effect. Gross guys.)

Electric files have become much more strictly monitored in salons. In previous years, salons would run out to Home Depot and buy dremels to use on their clients. This led to all kinds of problems, so an agency called AEFM (Association of Electric File Manufacturers) stepped up and started providing education on the proper use of electric files. It's now a recognized seal, and if you want to be electric file certified, you want to attend classes with that seal of approval. At the end of our classes, we will be certified in that manner.

One final big thing I picked up in class is hair removal. As a nail tech, I'm allowed to wax clients from their toes to their knees, and from their fingers to their elbows. Not gonna lie...it's not really a service I love, but, it's something I can say I know how to do, and would bolster my resume when it comes time to look for a job in the industry. One problem I foresee is that I learned on a very specific kind of waxing technique. It's not the wax that hardens, it actually stays warm as you apply it to the leg, and melts more if you rub it on the leg. Or arm. Or toe. Yeah...waxing toes is something I've now done. o_o

With Halloween just around the corner, I'm hoping with all hope that clients will want some fun nail art this weekend! Luckily, last night during class, a client came in, and the student who was scheduled to perform her manicure was not in. So I did an emergency manicurotomy and stepped up. The client was a blast to talk to, and she had brought stickers to doll up her nails! I recommended we do something more unique, and offered to do some nail art on her. She agreed, and here's what we did:

Cute! We did this on regular polish (a bright orange-red from OPI called My Chihuahua Bites!). 

After her, Rachel (my classmate), also wanted some subtle nail art. We did her's with Gelish, and spooked it up with some bats flying past moons:

So my questions for you nail techs are as follows:

• What's your favorite size brush for applying acrylics?
• Is there a brand you recommend buying?
• Which shape of brush do you like?

#NailTechNailedIt Weeks 5 through 7

Weeks after the first few start to blend together in Beauty School, especially with a pretty catastrophic flood breaking everything up. In total, I missed four days of class because of the flooding events, but we're back now, and slowly getting back into the swing of things.

Before the flood all began Wednesday night, I performed my first set of gel enhancements, again on my wonderful model Clare. It took forever...I think we racked up three hours. Ultimately, neither Rachel or I were very happy with the final results:

Chunksville USA!

When we returned to school almost a week later, we talked about it with Concha. She identified some of our key problems, which included placing the tips (the white parts of her nail you see there) too far down near our clients' cuticles. If you place them too far down, there's more tip that's required to adhere to the natural nail, and that leaves more room for lifting.

I also hate the way they're leaning toward being duck feet. I was forcing the tips onto her nails, even though they were too small, so they splayed out too wide and I didn't file them evenly along the side walls.

Finally, the chunky, uneven bumps you see on most of them is a major result of a) not removing the ridge between tip and natural nail and b) not removing the ridges after finishing the service.

I wanted to see how a pro did it, on a real nail, so Concha did a few of my nails. She took her time and showed us how to properly glue, and also how to size the tips. Her technique made much more sense, and I easily saw what I did wrong.

Fast forward to yesterday. I did another service (on my friend Chloe this time) keeping all of these things in mind. I'm still unsure how the longevity of the service has improved (Clare's popped off in a few days) because Chloe didn't want to keep hers. But check out how much smoother, shallower, and more even they are!

Much better! Still not perfect by any means, but much better! Check out that pinky! I'm least happy with the hand on the right's ring finger, but I know exactly why. From the beginning, I sized it to be too small, which meant I had to put it farther down her cuticle to get it to stick. So the end result is a too-big white part, and more bumps to fight with.

Smoothing it all out was also much easier, as I found my niche in a buffer. Previously, I used a buffer that was too flexible, with too strong a grit. This time, I used the flip side of a file, which gave me more control, and a finer attention to detail.

Am I totally comfortable with UV gel enhancements? No, not by any stretch. But I am excited to see progress and improvement.

Theory-wise, we didn't do anything too exciting. We spent an ungodly amount of time on two chapters (anatomy and skin diseases), which I'm sure all you Milady textbook readers can attest to loathing as much as I do. Anatomy, while interesting, is extensive to an unnecessary degree. I understand that I need to learn more about the integumentary system, but what could I possibly need to know from the excretory system?

The best part of these past weeks was Saturday, when Chloe and Shayna came in for NAIL ART! I got to spend all day dolling them up in neons for an event we were all going to later. Here's the final looks they chose (though my camera was less than cooperative in capturing the real appeal).

Chloe's are actually a neon pink and neon yellow gradient, much brighter than shown.

Shayna's are a mishmash of neon colors with black, bold lines and studs. I gained inspiration for these from ChrissyAi's look.

What do you think so far of nail tech school? We're just about half way through the class portion of it all, and just have a few more chapters to go, and a few more services to learn, including the all-exciting acrylics and waxing (elbow to fingers and knee to feet).

#NailTechNailedIt Weeks 3 and 4

As I'm entering my 5th week of school, I realize I've shorted you all two weeks worth of posts on nail tech school! It's taking over my life...but I couldn't be happier about it. The two weeks sort of blend together at this point, but I'll cover the basics for you. Stay tuned till the end to see some pictures I know will excite you!

And while I've got you, please please please go vote for me as the Most Inspiring Manicure! You can vote as many times as you want just by refreshing the page, and I need all the votes I can get to beat the current leader, MissJenFabulous from YouTube. If you like my original tutorials, please show your support, you have until Sunday the 15th at 11:59 pm ET. Vote here!

In weeks 3 and 4, we really ramped up our learning. Here's what we covered in-class:

• Pedicures
• Gel enhancements
• Wraps
• Basic chemistry

This rapid fire learning of new stuff was a lot to remember, especially since it's all so new to me. This is the time in school where I know I need to focus to get everything down I need without getting overwhelmed.

Pedicures are a whole different kind of monster compared to their fingertip counterparts. I've given several pedicures since testing out of them. At this point, upon graduation, I don't think I'll continue giving them if I can avoid them. Feet are just not something I enjoy, no matter how well someone takes care of them. There's a lot of questions when it comes to feet, and the answers aren't necessarily provided. Not everyone knows if they have cuts or fungus on their feet, and it's a fine line to draw. To avoid any kind of discomfort, I've chosen to wear gloves if I'm even remotely unsure about a client's feet. Additionally, our instructors made it perfectly clear to us that we need to have them check the client's feet if we're unsure.

Pedicures also take a major toll on my back. It's inevitable that I'll bend my back at least a little to complete the service. Right now, I know I'm bending over much too far, and I feel it at the end of the day. It's also tiring on my arms, as I hold clients' legs up to file the feet. Legs are heavy!

One thing I do like about pedicures is the before and after. I'll spare you those pictures, but it's pretty impressive how drastic some transformations are. Some toenails reach epic lengths, so trimming them down, softening up the skin, and slapping on a neat polish job makes a huge difference! Clients really love leaving the salon with fresh feet!


We also started in on the nail enhancements part of the course, starting with nail wraps.

Wraps are any type of enhancement that uses fabric. "Fabric" is a term that includes fiberglass, linen, silk, and paper. Hardly anyone uses paper in modern salons anymore. Fiberglass is generally the preferred type of wrap. Linen wraps are the thickest. In our class, we're using the OPI fiberglass wrap system.

Wraps use a combination of adhesive and adhesive accelerator to dry. It's a rapid drying technique that requires no special light to dry. Because it's so rapid, you need to take major precautions not to let the adhesive dry on the skin. If it does, you'll have discomfort from the contact dermatitis (skin contact).

The layers of tips, resin, fabric, and accelerator build the foundation for wraps. Then filing and shaping is done to achieve a smooth finish. Wraps aren't really pretty on their own, so polish is usually added after completing the enhancement.

In addition to wraps, we learned about gel enhancements. Gel enhancements are different than gel polish. The enhancements build structure and thicken the nail dramatically. Gel polish doesn't add a foundational structure to the nail.

Gel enhancements are sometimes used in place of acrylic enhancements, however, Concha told us they don't hold up well in dry environments like Colorado. They're more popular in areas of California and Florida (think Miami and Long Beach). If your salon offers these and acrylics, you might consider these, as they don't put off such noxious fumes, they harden quickly, and they're really shiny. We use the OPI Axxium system for our gels.

This week we started learning a little about acrylics, and played with some 3D acrylic nail art! That part was a blast to me, and I'll share more about it later. 

To close up this long-ish post...I finally got my kit! The pictures and description is all under the cut.

#NailTechNailedIt: Week 2

Second week of nail tech school has come and gone already. 14 more weeks of classes then several more of practical skill practice (is that redundant?) to go!

Last Saturday wasn't much to write about. Because I'd only had one week of instruction, I wasn't yet qualified to give manicures to real clients, so I spent the day keeping up with laundry needs of the salon and studying my notes.

It paid off this week on Tuesday and Wednesday though. Tuesday was a test day, and I took three chapters' tests. I passed them all (one took two tries because of tricky wording) and then Rachel practiced manicuring on me. I feel bad, because I try to eliminate cuticles and ugly nail shapes myself for this blog, so I didn't leave her much to practice with. Wait'll we get to toes...she'll have plenty to work with.

Wednesday was our first practical test, where we practiced what we'd learned on paper and each other, on real people. My model was my lovely friend Clare. She came in and sat, just as a real client would, and I went from start to finish for a basic mani. Start being greeting her at the desk, and finish being handing her off at the front desk again and thanking her for everything. Of course, there was a full mani in between (shaping, removing cuticles, massage, polish). She was a wonderful model, and Concha signed me off as ready to do manis on actual clients. Here's her final result:

The color is Decoded from ORLY

So this Saturday was much more lively! I was officially on the books and tested out of a basic manicure, a paraffin manicure, a hot oil manicure, and shellac (which is actually gel at our school).

This week, I learned (and probably should have known beforehand), that gel and Shellac are used interchangeably now. Shellac is a CND-only name. Sort of like how everyone calls bandages "Band-aids". I think the formula is slightly different between that and gel, but the principle is the same. The gel needs to be cured under UV light to dry. It dries quickly under the light, and is supposed to last longer than regular lacquer. In my school, though the service is advertised as "Shellac", it's not technically Shellac because we use the Gelish brand, which, as you may have guessed, is a gel. I performed a gel manicure on one 'client', but more on that later.

As a courtesy to the clients I do not personally know, I will not be using anyone's name that I don't personally know. My first client was a new-to-me older woman who came in for a basic manicure with no color. It was nice to start the whole experience off with a stranger, so I could seriously practice my interpersonal skills. It's obviously much less easy to talk to someone when all you have is small talk to jump off with.

By the end of her manicure, we were both very comfortable with each other and had exchanged stories and laughs. She also asked that I give her my name and number so she could book future appointments specifically with me, which really touched me. I took time to educate her on what I was using, and how she could help deal with her main concern, which was dry cuticles. In Colorado, that's always an uphill battle, so I gave her tips and some products to work with to keep them in good shape post-service. She was lovely.

My second client was my dear friend Chloe, who received a paraffin treatment. (She's been on Nailed It before here and here.) We had a grand ole time, and the paraffin wax was a nice touch for her since she's been using her hands regularly lately for some intramural rowing. Here's the picture of her final look (which I didn't snap a picture of in proper lighting):

I finished up the day by practicing gels on our school's receptionist, Sarah. She had some trouble with the removal of her old gel polish, so I focused on getting her nails in good shape for the new treatment. She's always in the salon, and interfaces with everyone that comes through, so it was nice to chat privately and get to know each other better. I didn't snap a picture of her final look.

So that's the second week, which flew by now that I have more than laundry to do! Besides the distinction between gel and shellac, I picked up some valuable lessons. First, I need to manage and keep an eye on the time much more closely. I'll be adding a small desk clock to my kit to place in plain sight during procedures. It's not necessary, but it's something I know will keep me focused on that pitfall in my skills.

Second, paraffin treatments do not need a lot of wax to be effective. In fact, too much can be harmful to the final result. Chloe's right hand was overly-buttered, so I had to do some extra working in to get them mixed in.

I'm also going to look into those creepy finger condoms that you can roll over one finger. Why? During my first service, I had a bandaid over my thumb, which was red and sore from a hangnail removal. It was not pleasant to look at, so I decided to cover it for the service. This wound up being too difficult to manage, especially during the massage, as the lotion simply slid the bandaid off. I consulted with my client, to see if she was comfortable with me removing the bandage, and she was. If I'd had a finger condom on, I could've simply covered it.

Now my questions for you:

• Have you had any experience with gel vs. Shellac? Do you have a favorite?
• What's your favorite part of a hand and forearm massage?
• What does your manicurist do for you that you find special among other manicurists?

As always, feel free to grill me, and I'll try my best to answer.

#NailTechNailedIt: Week 1

As you may or may not know, I'm now a nail tech student, working toward a certification as a licensed nail tech. What I'll do with that isn't quite clear yet, but the plans I have for it are wildly racing around in my head.

I enrolled in Long's Peak Academy, a beauty school offering esthetician, cosmetologist, hair stylist, and nail technology degrees in Longmont, Colorado. As I'm not interested in any other aspects of a cosmetologist career, I chose the solo nail track, but you can do all three for a full cosmetology degree if you want.

The school seems nice so far. I've only been around at night, when it's pretty empty, but it seems fine. Except when it comes to polish. My goodness is the polish color selection sad! For being an OPI-sponsored school, it seems OPI has forgotten to send out polish resupplies. There's plenty of reds and pinks, and some random colors here and there, but it's nowhere near what I was expecting. Maybe I'll send a shoutout to OPI, in the hopes they'll donate a few of their newer collections to the education cause. 

I also still haven't gotten my kit (with all the tools I need) or my books (to study for tests), so I've been borrowing supplies from the school. These shared supplies could certainly use a little TLC.

The program I chose works wonderfully for me. It's the last time this school is offering night classes since the enrollment numbers at night are low. I'm lucky enough to be one of the last to be on that track, along with my nail classmate, Rachel.

We're learning the ins and outs of all things nails through our textbook and the instruction of our teacher, Concha. We meet every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night from 5:30 to 9:30 to work on practical and factual skills. Works wonderfully with my 9-5 job!

Even though we're only in week one, Rachel and I have already learned nail structure, health-related issues, and the basic manicure. Last night, I practiced the basic mani routine on Rachel with oversight from Concha. Here are the results (courtesy of Rachel):

I didn't use my usual angled paint brush cleanup, and didn't do much cleanup at all for that matter. It takes much longer than an at-home mani because there's soaking, massage, clipping, cuticle-pushing, and everything in between. Certainly more to it than I ever imagined!

It's so exciting for me. Since it's the only track I care about, I can really throw myself into it. Concha and Rachel are probably sick to death of my constant questions and furious note-taking.

You may think it'd be boring and tedious, but it's really insightful. Sure, I can paint nails and do designs, but what do I know about the proper procedure that is actually given on the state board exam in both practical skills and knowledge tests? Honestly...less than I thought.

One thing I'm going to have to un-learn from my years of blogging is how to properly file the nail. Apparently, the one direction technique you always hear about in the blogosphere is technically incorrect. In fact, our textbook instructs us to file from corners to center. So one side of your nail will be filed one way, and an invisible, vertical line down the middle divides the other side of your nail, where you'll file the other way. Who knew?

Well, I suppose everyone who's ever read the textbook knew.

Tomorrow will be my first full day of clinic duty. No scalpels or surgery though. The 'clinic' is what the school calls the client floor, where clients and students receive services from students. The floor is made up of plenty of hair stations, a few mani tables, a few pedi seats, and a place for facials and waxing in the back. I'll obviously be focused on a very select part of the clinic.

If you're within traveling distance of Longmont, please feel free to stop by, and ask for Katy. The more practice in the clinic we get, the better, and there needs to be a LOT of practice to meet the criteria for graduation.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have, I'm happy to answer them!

Journey to a Nail Tech...It Begins

Two years of blogging and talking about nails and polish and nail art and cuticles and all that jazz that accompanies it has finally driven me to start toward a license as a nail technician.

I'm excited, a little nervous, and ready to start learning. There's so much I don't know, and so much I want to learn. It's all the beginning to what I dream to one day have...my own nail business.

I've decided to try and make this journey a learning experience for others as well, and I hope to have weekly updates on the experience. It's a long experience though (6-8 months for the program I decided on), so we'll see where the road travels.

I'll be taking night classes, so I can continue to work full time and raise the funds necessary to attend. It's a pricey school, but everything sounds worth it. The total cost of tuition is $7235. That'll sound outrageous to some of you, as I've heard of schools costing a mere $500. Long's Peak Academy seems like the best fit for me right now though, and I've worked out my finances to ensure I can attend without going under.

There are some sacrifices to make (Saturdays begin with 8.5 hours of school now and skiing may be out of the question this season), both for me and my loved ones, but I've gotten nothing but support so far.

Read up on my experiences as they go with my new tag, #nailtechnailedit on Twitter and Instagram. All the posts here at Nailed It will be tagged the same.

I welcome any questions, advice, or support you have to offer! Maybe I'll set up a fund raiser event to really kick it off properly too.

Thank you all for your support and love, and for making this whole thing happen!