OPI Axxium Gel Nail Extensions

I decided that it was time to get some more practice in with gel nail extensions as I have to get the knack of working with the OPI Axxium sculpture gel. My natural nails have been growing really well, but I have felt that they are dry and bendy, so I wanted to give them a little added length and strength to help them along.


 Ever since I started training, I found that I was a bit heavy handed with the sculpture gel and brush and as a result, it ended up a bit uneven. One of the main services that I will be offering as a nail technician will be extensions, so I am determined to get perfect as soon as I can. 


I started to practice on tips attached to my freaky fake hand and eventually I felt confident enough to have a go on my myself, and here is the result of my first solo attempt (without the supervision of my tutor Emma from Taunton Nail Training).

Shame about the flash on this one, but you get the idea.

I actually feel happier with the right hand which I was surprised with as I am very much a right hander, but maybe the extra concentration paid off after all.

The pictures above were taken 5 days after I carried out the treatment, and they are still staying strong, however I have learnt the following:

• I need to working on practicing my filing and shaping of the extension as some are more oval than others.
• I need to make sure that all nails are the same length as a couple are a little longer than others.
• Until I build up my experience I need to level the finish a little better and they aren't as even as I would like them to be, although they certainly aren't bad for a first attempt.
• I have to practice the 'rock on' tip gluing method a bit more as the ring finger on my left hand has an air bubble, which shows under the gel and could compromise the finish and staying power of that nail.

As always, let me know if you have any improvement suggestions as I want to get really good at this, and constructive feedback is vital.


L xxx

Louboutin Manicure

In my last post I hinted that I have just purchased some new OPI nail polish and had plans for The Thrill of Brazil and Lady in Black, well here it is...the Louboutin.

As you can imagine it was really easy to do, just OPI Lady in Black on the front of the nail and OPI Thrill of Brazil on the underside. Two coast were applied to each side to increase the depth of colour, and I found that  the black on the front showed through on the underside, so a third coat may be require to deepen the red underneath but this depends on the quality of the polish that you choose to use.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to do it on my own nails as I'm a recovering biteaholic, but I'm getting there. I can't remember where I first saw this idea (probably on another blog) but I did a bit of research into getting the right red and I think that the result looks great. Let me know what you think!

L xxx

Introduction

My Nail Wonderlust...


Welcome to my blog...I'm a self confessed nail fanatic and newly qualified gel nail technician using the fabulous OPI Axxium products.


I love to write, have so many creative nail ideas, and love to test and experiment, so I thought that it was definately time to start a blog to share my passion with other nail beauty lovers. 

My wedding day nails 2011

I wasn't always interested in nails; in fact if you had told me this time last year that I would have been a qualified nail technician then I probably would have looked at you blankly. The reason for this is that I have been a nail biter ever since I was 4 years old, and in the past I had suffered from an Essential Benign Tremor (EBT) which at times of stress, was severe to say the least. I have had a handful (excuse the pun) of gel/acrylic nail sets in the past, but these have been for special occasions, and due to my nail biting, have been picked and bitten off within 10 days. This remained the case until the night before my wedding...


I had an inkling that my husband had booked me a nail treat prior to the wedding as it was on my to do list, but our best man said that everywhere within a 10 mile radius was completely booked out for the 3 days before the wedding. Lo and behold, after returning from the venue to do a last minute check, a nail technician was waiting for me and my bridal party in my kitchen. She said that my husband to be had said that he had paid for us all to have whatever we wanted, which I was mighty impressed with, as this lady used possibly the most expensive system and I knew that she didn't come cheap!


I opted for the safe french finish, with extensions as my nails were quite short at that time. I wanted a classic look, and I certainly wasn't disappointed. They not only looked great, but no electric files were used (I had been scarred by a previous traumatising incident in a Chinese nail bar in a Florida Mall 12 years prior) and they lasted a really long time. By the time they were removed, my nails have actually picked up a good amount of growth. I decided to have some coral coloured gels added next which would then look great for my honeymoon in New York, and these lasted equally as well. They allowed me to grow my natural nails longer, however a week after the overlays were removed the temptation was too much - I has a split in one nail and that was that - within 24 hours all of my hard work had been bitten off again.


I was fascinated at the process of application and removal, and had a great respect at how skillful this lady was, however I never thought that it was something that I could be good at because of my EBT which used to be so severe that I couldn't write, type or hold a drink. The other salons that I had been to had left me feeling disappointed and cheated out of between £35 and £55 and as a result I had no real interest in nails. 


After finding out that gel nails didn't have to be a farce, could last beyond a week and could actually be good for natural nails, I started to think about it as a possibility.


One of my traits is that I really love a challenge, and there have been many skills that I never thought that I would be able to do, and I have just gone for it (e.g. cross stitch, knitting, driving a JCB).  


One day I saw an advert for one-to-one gel nail training with a local training provider. As with my other challenges I decided to take a more positive approach and I enrolled. It wasn't cheap and the OPI products are excellent quality, so they are expensive, but it made me even more determined to be a success. I also started to think about the long term possibilities that it could bring me and my family. I currently work full time, and have 3 gorgeous young children; I dream of the day that I can afford to spend more time with them, whilst also feeling like a professional success. Overall I would love to run my own successful full time nail business. 


Last Monday I passed the practical and the theory exam and so here I am - a qualified OPI gel nail technician. Here is my very first overlay that I created alone. Now it's not perfect, but I have to say, I'm pretty damn proud.

So this is only the start of my journey, and I am very interested to hear feedback (both positive and negative) on my ideas, reviews and treatments. After a trial period of gel nail treatments on friends, I do intend to run this as a business, so please contact me if you are interested.


L xxx