Pure Pigments - Step by Steps

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BEAUTY UK - STAND K21

“Be Inspired at Beauty UK” with Sam Biddle & Rebecca Orme who have joined forces to bring you a completely new and exciting experience at their stand K21 at the Beauty UK show this May at the NEC.

“We both love design, and we both started in this industry playing on our own nails and practising day and night, like I know many nail technicians do”

Rebecca Orme runs a massive on line Nail art store; Creative ten providing her visitors with a wealth of different and unique items for nail design.  Sam Biddle created Be Inspired to help nail technicians develop their inner creativity. Together they are bringing their skills and know how round the UK with their CREATING INSPIRATION TOGETHER ROADSHOW, and the Beauty UK will be launching the next leg of their tour.

 We want to show nail technicians how to work with design and colour, it's important that when you visit the stand, you will leave with ideas on how to develop skills and use some of the amazing products, tips and ideas and yes….trade secrets, to benefit their your business,  We won’t be showing you how good we are, we will be showing you how good you can be, I am so excited with the concept of our stand, it is very different from anything anyone else has done and I am sure it will be an enormous success.

So please come and say hello...

BRAND NEW

These are pure colour pigments and can be mixed in with your acrylics, gels, top coats and water to create a beautiful finish to your design. This set includes three primary colours , one secondary colour and a black and white to lighten or darken your colours. It will enable you to mix up some new colours or enhance your existing  collections, create a water wash colour, or a thicker paste to use directly within your design, as these are pure pigments a little will go a very long way.

How to use

To create a water colour; add pigment to water. To create a paste or a thicker paint add; water to pigment sparingly until the correct consistency has been achieved. To colour gel; using either clear or white, add a small amount of pigment to beads of gel and fold. This will change the viscosity of the gel, and make it thicker to work with. To tint acrylic add a small amount to the powder. You can add to colour, white or clear. Make sure you mix very well. To apply the pigment direct onto your design, dip your brush into monomer and then pick up the pigment and apply. Alternatively use a paste made with a small amount of water. 

NOTE If you are adding pigment to your gel or acrylic make sure it is just for design.  The pigment should be added over the top of an enhancement, so first create a base layer and do not add directly onto nail plate as this will stain it. By including pigment within your products you may alter the way your acrylic or gel applies, so it is important to cap your design to give structure and strength.

Visit http://www.sambiddle.co.uk/main/be-colourful to get your kit. 

Come Together

Educating the UK in 13 days of nail know how, I take my BE INSPIRED workshops on the road, and cover the breadth of the nail nation. 

Bringing the power of education combined with inspiration to a location near you, Rebecca Orme and I have taken to the road on a mission to motivate and excite nail professionals across the nation. 

Promising to be a seriously inspirational, creative experience on 13 dates from Truro to Aberdeen. Working closely with Rebecca Orme who owns Creative Ten; an on line  nail art store and who is a sub distributor and International educator for Ez Flow nail systems, this duo have come up with a great way to bring nail technicians around the UK something that little bit different. Devising an educational event that bring  fresh ideas to nail techs around the UK who are keen to glean something new that they can take straight from the class into the salon. 

“I love working with Sam” says Rebecca “she really is inspiring and being able to give other technicians the opportunity to attend her workshops, and help them develop their salon designs is the reason why we have both decided to work together”.  These two nail design gurus work within their own strengths “Rebecca is perfect to run this road show, I am always on the road, and it makes organizing bookings and venues hard, Rebecca is amazing in the office, running three business”

The workshops run for a full day and cover both gel and acrylic. “These classes are for everyone” insists Sam, serious about bringing design into the salon “ I think the more it is seen by the clients the more the customers talk about it, and the industry comes to the fore front” 

I get that not every client will walk out the door with elaborate nail art, but she does feel that through the workshops, each design she teaches has at least 2 techniques which could be used on a salon viable design. “we need to make nail technicians on the high street successful, we have to help them grow their business and set them apart from their competition.”  Covering a range of application techniques I will show you different ways of working with your gel and acrylic, and promises that you will  learn some great design nails your clients will love as well as walking away with some amazing tips, tricks and trade secrets!  I have developed 4 different nails which include 2-3 applications, breaking the nails down so you can pick and choose what you want to use within your own ideas. As well as creating texture with acrylic, you will Embellish, make some  quick flowers which are very simple, Seduce your clients with gold and you will be using the Arabella forms to save money and increase turnover, Sam also says she will be putting the fun into a French too. “Be prepared to leave with a wealth of ideas which you can combine with your own style and produce some fabulous nails in the salon, nails you thought you could never create” says Rebecca.

Certainly an opportunity worth embracing, this 'be inspired' mobile nail school offer a wealth of valuable design and business building ideas......So do you want to be part of the ‘be inspired generation’?  Sam and Rebecca are giving you an opportunity to win a place on one of these workshops, 13 lucky nail technicians have an opportunity to win a free place at their nearest venue. “its really simply, all you have to do to enter is submit 1 nail which has been done on the Arabella forms, it must be a design nail, but the rest is up to you” says Sam.  Take a photo of the tip and upload it to the ‘creating inspiration together’ page on face book. You must tag yourself in the photo and in the comments state what inspired you to come up with this design and the nearest workshop to you. For example; I was inspired by a Greek Salad. BRISTOL

Before each workshop a winner will be chosen from the entries from that area and they will be given £95 on the day. The 12 semi-finalists will be entered into another competition for a prize worth £300. 

For more information visit www.sambiddle.co.uk or email creatinginspirationtogether@gmail.com

Call Rebecca at 01299841009 cost £95

10TH  APRIL—LONDON

11TH APRIL—CARDIFF

22ND MAY—   GLASGOW

19TH JUNE—  TRURO

21TH JUNE—  BOURNEMOUTH

27TH JUNE—  BRIGHTON

3RD  JULY___  NEWCASTLE

  4TH JULY—   PETERBOROUGH

              5TH JULY—     MANCHESTER

     26TH JULY ___ DUBLIN

      

          11ST SEPTEMBER—COLCHESTER

         12TH SEPTEMBER—BIRMINGHAM

           25TH SEPTEMBER—ABERDEEN

The Magic Manicure part 2

In February I discussed the features of various gel polish brands, so moving on I would like to now look at the effects this hybrid polish has on the natural nail. 

Overwhelmingly I have had feedback from my clients and nail technicians worldwide that their own natural nails have gone from strength to strength. Samantha Sweet and Gigi Rouse also tell me Shellac has done wonders for their natural nails.  Although I have to say it is possible that because the natural nails are wrapped and protected by the durability of the product they seem to grow long and strong rather than any additional additives and straighteners being present.  There are plenty of ways to make these gel polishes work for you. Gigi Rouse says “Shellac freed me from the commitment of nail enhancements and the maintenance of them. I have not worn enhancements since last February, I always needed some extra strength for my natural nails, and Shellac gives me that ‘in-between’ level of strength and flexibility. Claire Hughes a mobile nail technician and beauty therapist told me “The best feedback I have had was from one of my clients Mrs Pollock; she was having manicures for years because her nails have never been in a great condition, since she has had the Gelish she has told me she noticed that her nails look and feel better and seem to actually grow faster. For the first time ever I had to shorten her nails on the last appointment”

To conclude, I have to say they are all a similar product, some are thicker than others, some cure faster than others, some have a more polish like application and some last slightly longer.  But ultimately they do their job, they all last longer than a polish on natural nails and what is unanimous throughout all my clients is their nails have never felt or looked better. Marion Newman agrees “each brand has its own character, for example Shellac is pure quality and Gelish has a vast range of colours and the added advantage of an LED lamp. Geleration has the Jessica name and the devoted followers”.  It is hard to come up with a definitive winner, so I invite you to look at the information and try out the ones you like the look of for yourself. 

 So you have decided on your brand and now you have to ‘sell’ it. Here 10 top tips on how to launch your new ‘magic manicure’

1. Visit your local offices and ask them for a small area where you can set up a desk. You could perform 2 or 3 treatments over a lunch period. Bringing this service to the client can increase the footfall in your salon, as the word spreads.
2.  Today I took my kit to my hairdressers, while my colour was taking we sat out the back and I did her nails. By the time I had left I could have done 3 of the other girls. These are the places who can advertise this cool new application which lasts! Take out a day and visit your local Hair salons, apply for free and leave plenty of cards. It is an investment, but word of mouth is the best form of advertising.
3.   Most brands offer great marketing material, CND has a video geared towards the clients which can be played on a loop in the salon. Ask your supplier to give you a support pack which could include a range of window stickers and posters. 
4.   Another great way to create a buzz around this new line is to contact your local magazine; Jeni Smith contacted the beauty editor to come and have a treatment in return for a write up. Since this was published she tells me the phone hasn’t stopped ringing.
5. Wearing the colours and inviting friends and family to try it out and shout about it. I was stopped in my town and asked about this “new permanent polish”, it had been written about in our Waitrose magazine. Of course I was quick to tell them I had a large range of colours and how fantastic the effects on the natural nails were.
6. 6.        Holly L. Schippers,   CND Education Ambassador in the USA,  did a photo comparison of a client who had polish on one hand and Shellac on the other, she says ‘this photo does all the work for me’
7. Linda Butler thinks polishes like Geleration are the future of the industry, ‘once tried everyone loves it, I think these systems open up the market and offers a newer option for enhancement wearers looking for a more natural look. Perfectly pitched for busy women, look at targeting markets which haven’t visited your salon before.
8.   With the general feedback from clients that they love the fact that it is dry straight away, and that there is “no chipping, no smudging, no kidding” according to IBD’s Gelac.  This Unique selling points (USP’s) need to be shared with your new customers, using tag lines like this will help customers remember your services.
9.  Special offers! To start with offer the new service to your clients for the same price as a standard polish, let them try it and see the effects for themselves and of course don’t forget word of mouth advertisements. Then offer the second or even third polish at a special rate.
10.   Keiko Venner noticed a drastic improvement turning her £10 file and polish appointments into £35 express semi-permanent manicures. She managed to increase her turnover in the same amount of time by £25 per appointment.

Nail art and Design

What I love about these polishes is that you can still incorporate nail art, hand painting, decals and glitters to the colour and then applying the finishing top coat to protect the work, and of course it will last just as long. Linda Butler goes one but further “I have one client who has to have a natural look for work, so I apply the softer pinks and whites and give her pretty French, once I have cured the top coat and removed the inhibition layer, I  paint normal varnish in bold bright colours over this, adding nail art too. On Sunday evening before work she removes the whacky colours and has a perfect French polish underneath, a two for one treatment” Holly Schippers has a blog called Finger Nail Fixer which has a host of information and different designs using Shellac.