My salon tricks - Little cunnings for salon works from Henrietta Almasi – Part I.

Flexing
The flex of the Nail and artificial Nails serves the beauty of them and makes a perfect static.
This is why it’s worth to apply a little bit of flex while strengthening own nails.
It doesn’t require that much time. Attention! Over flexing can cause pain (not immediately, after 12 hours), and nail plate deformation.
In case you haven’t learned the measure of flexing, I propose the following:
1. In case of Acrylic nails: with half hardened enhancements, flex it by pressing it from the stress point with your thumb and index finger. At first, press it gently, check the measer of the hardening
(if you press it too early, you can press apart the smile line. Then gently, press it in more levels.
If you reached the wanted level of flexing, fix it with a C-curve holder.
2. In case of gels, the flexing happens when the first layer hardened. The timing is very important.
If the tubes are new in the UV lamp, then after 10 seconds, if they’re older, 15 seconds, if they’re very old, then 20 seconds. (You need to change them.)
Flex it toward the free edge with the C-curve bending tweezers.
Then it goes into the UV lamp with the C-curve holder on it.

Aesthetics of color transitions
Whatever color you want to reach the transition with, you have to calculate the color ratio of dark and light colors. For example:
If you would like to make a half purple-half white transition, paint the 80% of the surface white, and only 20% purple on it, because when you shade the purple on the white, the shadow will be purple too. A lighter purple, but purple. This is how you can reach many colors.

Storage and cleaning of brushes
If you protect and take care of your brushes, they will be thankful.
What you have to mind:
1. In case of acrylic brushes: I’m sure you have heard several times: Wipe them off properly!
Well, this is more accurate: Wipe them off with liquid!
If you see some substance leftover on it, don’t push it on a paper towel. Pick up some liquid with your brush, then gently get off the substance on a paper towel.
Always check for substance between the hair.
Substances totally hardened only can be got off with a brush cleaner, don’t pick them with a needle.
2. In case of gel brushes: Always close the brushes with their cap after using them, this way you can avoid the gel hardening on natural UV light (natural air contains UV too).
Don’t wash your brushes with cleanser, it makes the surface of synthetic hair matte, so since then
even more substance will stay in the hair. Use a builder brush, and 3 gel brushes at least (for dark gels, reddish gels, and light gels.)
3. In case of water based paint brushes: wash them with water properly, then clean them out on a surface of a soap. On the surface, you can see clearly, how much pigment stayed in it.
If you don’t use your brush very often, dip the hair in honey, then wipe off the rest from the surface, and close it in a peak. Before you use it again, don’t forget to wash the honey out.

Color transitions with Brilliant gels
 If you make it with a pigment mixed Brilliant gel, it will be easy.
Choose the brighter color first, wipe your brush, then apply it on the surface.
With the darker color, cover half of the empty area.
If the border is visible, you can make it homogeneous with the marble technique.
Cure it. If you want to do it with the traditional Brilliant gels, make the transition with similar matte colors, cure it, then make the transition by the previous steps.
This is how you can reach an optimal thickness of the gel.
We will continue…

Henrietta Almasi – International Elite instructor of Crystal Nails.
manicure-Pedicure, Nail technician, educator, Nailympic Champion, Winner of Winners London 2011.