Follow Amie Pollard, nail school student and recipient of the Beauty Changes Lives|CND|Tippi Hedren Scholarship, through her days of school!
August 6, 2014
If you are reading this and have found a way to perfect the French manicure I applaud you. On our 4th week of school we learned different ways to approach a French manicure. I tried every way our teacher showed us and it is nearly impossible to do it without getting white paint on the skin. I find the best way to do a French manicure is to try your best at getting a nice smile like with your brush and to clean it up after with an angled brush and acetone to get a crisp clean line. A lot of people ask us why French costs more, considering you use far less polish. The truth is, a French manicure is a lot more work so that is why there is usually an upcharge throughout the industry.
Our chapter for the week was Chapter 5: Fundamentals of Chemistry. What do we need to know about chemistry? Well, when it comes to artificial nail enhancements, it’s important to know how your products work. I never knew why it was important not to mix monomers (liquids) and polymers (powders) from different products lines; especially those from odor free and non-odor free.
A quick chemistry lesson: An odor free monomer molecule is much larger which makes it evaporate slower and creates less of an odor. This is why an odor free system takes longer to set. When you mix products together from different product lines, the structure of your nail enhancement may be compromised because the products you use are not totally compatible.
As I mentioned in my last post, this week was our first week in the clinic. So after we tested out on Chapter 5 that week (another 100!), we were introduced to the clinic. I had been waiting over a month to get in here and my nerves were killing me! I was so nervous I couldn’t tell if I was excited or about to pass out (or both). We were all on our 15-minute break when the first slips came in to the front desk. Two pedicures, and since I was on a pedi station that night, that meant one for me and one for another classmate. The idea of doing a man’s pedicure had me even more nervous so I was hoping that it was two women. Well, talk about jumping into something to get over your fears because it was a double whammy: a pedicure and it was in fact a man! You know what, it went great! He was very patient and was just there to have a relaxing time with his girlfriend. It actually made it easier because I didn’t have to polish, just a buff and shine! It was kind of funny though because even though I used the tiniest amount of pedi soak, there was an overflow of bubbles because of the type of pedi baths we use. Oops! My teacher inspected my work and I received a 100! Wow, what was I so nervous about? Everything went fine. The only advice I can give to anyone who is nervous about their first experience on the clinic/salon floor when they are in school: just get in there and do it. You can’t avoid it so just give it all you’ve got and give your client the best experience you can. It may turn out better than you think! ‘Till next time! -Amie
