NEW DATES - Book today...limted places

I thought I would pop this list of my workshop dates for September, October and November. Places are limited, so if you haven't yet, please book today by emailing me on info@sambiddle.co.uk.

• London- I only have three places left on this class, and I will need your confirmations by the end of the week, please email me for more information.
• Leeds & Sheffield - these two dates are very popular, and since it is my first time so far North, I didn't want you to miss out on booking your seat. Next workshops in this area are likely to be in October 2010
• Stockport - is officially full, but I could squeeze one more in, as I won't be returning till 2010
• Peterborough - back by popular demand, this advanced design class is a perfect way to take a leap up the 'nail ladder', and make your business stand out.
• Cornwall - I know you have all been waiting for some decent dates, I am putting one two fantastic classes, please don't delay, and confirm your place today.
• Scotland - has not been forgotten, working with Affiniti nails and beauty, we are providing you with a Christmas workshop you will remember

My Brush top ten tips!

Just take a moment right now…and think…..do you know where your brush is?

As you close your eyes do you see it safe and sound or does it lie neglected. If you have ever had me in your class room you will know what I am like when it comes to brush care, Oh yes……I can get all hot and bothered when I see crimes against brushes, especially when I see bristles bound and gagged with chunks of dried acrylic.

This little guide is for you…… not to learn something new…. but to remind you of what you already know. If this list doesn’t apply to you and you deserve a gold star from me then pass it on to your students, or colleagues at work,

I give you my 10 commandments to treat your brush with respect, you never know it might just pay dividends later.

· Acrylic sticks to acrylic they are drawn together like ships in the night, so make sure that your brush doesn’t have a speck of acrylic on it, even during the application.

· Don’t touch your brush; the oil from your finger tips isn’t helpful.

· When applying your bead, make sure you have enough monomer in your bristles, it is no good starting your car journey without a full tank, think of the liquid as your fuel during application.

· Before you put the brush away, and at this stage it should be before your spread file dust all over it, make sure you clean it, with monomer, and leave enough monomer in the bristles to keep it conditioned. You are looking at repeating the same cleaning process when you re start your next acrylic application.

· If you find you have any product within the bristles don’t pick then out with tools or cut them with scissors, dissolve them in monomer first and then a brush cleaner if this doesn’t work.

· Your brush is the most important part of your kit; you will never be able to create a good set without a good brush. Invest in one which will make your job easier.

· Use the correct brush for the correct job. If you’re looking at producing a clean sharp smile line or delicate flowers it is better to use an oval brush with a point, rather than a flat or round end.

· Don’t be afraid to use the barrel of your brush the thickest part in the middle of the bristles, to press your acrylic out. The tip is too flexible, and the pressure is more evenly distributed through the barrel of your brush, also you will find it will make a more even application.

· When applying an acrylic bead, twist it off the brush, in other words twist the brush to leave a bead on the surface of the nail, remove any excess acrylic left on the bristles and then start pressing it out. Don’t wipe too much monomer from your brush; remember you need this as fuel.

· If you find that the acrylic is too sticky, your brush has either acrylic on it or it is too wet. Dab it a little on your bed roll.

Ten Top Tips for Gel!

If you could give your gel application a score from 1-10, where 1 is a disaster and 10 is remarkably good, what score would you give yourself? If you gave yourself a 9 or a 10, don’t read this post.

These are ten of my own top tips to make your gel application great.

If you have any questions you can email me on info@sambiddle.co.uk or if you wuld like me to email you a PDF copy.

1. Preparation is the key, make sure that the natural nails are completely dehydrated. All the non living tissue is removed and you have a rough surface to apply your gel to.

2. If you are using a tip, you need to take off the shiny surface, otherwise the gel will not be able to cling to the tip, and this will leave you with little shiny mirror pockets. This applies to white tips and clear or natural ones.

3. To prevent lifting; When you apply gel for the first time, apply a very very thin layer over the whole surface of your nail, ‘rub’ or ‘brush’ this into the surface of your nail.. when I say thin I am talking thinner than polish…..then you will need to freeze cure this for a few seconds, this first layer will shrink onto the nail and leave you with a tight hold, now continue to apply your gel as normal.

4. Have you got the correct strength lamp bulbs, remember the bulbs have a shelf life, and if they are old they won’t be as effective. You won’t get your gel to cure at the right speed, and this may cause lifting.

5. Be gentle with gel, you have to guide it…not shove it with your brush, you should be able to apply gel using just a tooth pick……use your brush to ‘show your gel the way’. Your gel (assuming it is a god quality, self levelling building gel) is intelligent enough to do most of your job for you….let it!

6. The more you play with your gel, the thinner the viscosity….in other words it will get runnier and less controllable.

7. After applying your final gel layer, place the finger into the lamp up side down for the first few seconds, gel will ‘relax’ when it goes under the light, and by drawing it down, it won’t settle on either side of the nails…making the nails look heavy and fat.

8. When doing pink and whites, or creating detail with colour, it is easier if you have a second clean gel brush. Wipe along the applied gel to give you a clean sharp line. It sometimes helps to dip this brush in some cleaner.

9. Apply the brakes! If you don’t want your gel to go in a certain place on the nail, for example; the free edge if creating a reverse smile line, then don’t apply that first thin layer in this area. The rough surface, will act like a natural stop sign for the gel.

10. You can add anything to gel to colour it, bling it up or even tint it, from polish, pigments, acrylics, glass paints, glitter and foils. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Are you incomparably unique?

Do you find yourself comparing your skills and talents with others around you, as technicians we find this habit very hard to break, looking at what other people are doing and judging their talents against our own.

We just have to face it there is always going to be someone else more talented than you, it might be that they seem to be creative than you feel, or display a unique talent that you covet. But equally there will always be those who are less than you in all these ways.

The way to find out who you are is not by comparing yourself with others, but by looking at fulfilling your own potential the best way you know how.

Greetings from Greece

Last Month, I was invited to Greece, working with AME, I wanted to bring you a taste of what I got up to.....I am not sure why I have an affinity with Greece perhaps it is because I was born in Cyprus and can connection with their laid back easy nature, their friendliness and willingness to help is refreshing. Perhaps it was because I met my husband under the Greek sun or is it the food which I have fond memories of eating, spending most of my teenage years eating maze’s, and pita’s filled with Greek salads and humus. Whatever it is, I am always thrilled to be invited back to Greece, and help Anna Almbanis, one of Greece’s top nail technicians and her team at AME. This was my third visit and this time at the beginning of the summer, so I certainly experienced a little of how hot it can get in Athens.

Booked to demonstrate at Athens beauty show, I spent the first two days working on the impressive Ez Flow booth. Anna and Angelo Almbanis of AME are the distributors for Ez Flow, Jessica and a whole host of other products in Greece, along with running an extremely successful franchise of Nyxi Nyxi salons. This dynamic husband and wife team, have superb offices in the best part of town, with a shop and training rooms.

But this is not where my journey starts, early on Saturday morning, Anna and I head off to the Television studios, where we are scheduled to appear on their version of GMT. After waiting for make up and hair, and meeting a

whole host of exciting ‘names’ in the green room we finally were live on air, Anna showed off the new Minx wraps, while I did some 3D lilies on her finger tips.

The show in Athens is a one which includes nails and beauty, hair and makeup.

Packed together there is a range of different booths both large and small, zig zagging down the aisles. As the visitors make their way down the hall, rising up in front of them is the large and very shiny Ez Flow stand. With an imposing magenta wall at one end, the booth housed polishes from the Jessica range, shelves and shelves jammed packed with Ez flow colours and products, on a back drop of mat and gloss white. Large white shiny tiles lined the floor with its clean lines giving this stand a polished and professional feel.

There were three plasma screens all showing my Pure fantasy and new Pure design DVD’s, and a long one wall, a long white table for me to demonstrate. Wow!

Saturday I concentrated on design nails, showing visitors to the stand, just how far we could push the acrylic, and give them some inspiration and ideas of what they could achieve in the salon and on their clients. I even produced some pink and whites, but renowned now for my fantasy nails, was asked time and again to make something elaborate on the end of their finger tips. Sunday was a fun day, completely dedicated to fantasy. Nothing was held back producing, parrots and peacocks, lilies and roses, butterflies and bling, from the abstract to the bizarre, I spent the day producing Fantasy creations to show nail technicians just what can be achieved with acrylic and gel.

I have met some amazing people at the show, and had the opportunity to work alongside Aggelikh Sidiropoulou from Urkraine, one of Anna’s educators, she produced some sublime Russian inspired designs over the weekend, adding her own particular brand of style to long and pointed stilettos.

I didn’t attend the show on Monday as we had two exciting seminars planned. With only 20 places available on each, we ran both workshop until 9.00 at night. The idea was to show a range of idea’s using both coloured acrylic and gel which can be used within the salon. I showed 2 gel nails, incorporating the brand new celestial bodies range from Ez Flow, and another utilizing three different application techniques using a Varity of colours. These design are exclusive ‘Sam Biddle’ designs available only through ‘Be inspired’ workshops, where I have the freedom to push the bounders and show something unique to nail technicians all over the globe. Using acrylic, we covered a range of different application skills including the now very popular stiletto shape, finally finishing the day with a fantasy rose. Everyone had an opportunity to try out these new application techniques and work on some of their own nails.

Another very early start on Tuesday morning, when I took a flight up to the north part of Greece, and visited the sub distributor in Thessaloniki; Elena Tapra. She had also organized another two seminars, where I worked with both gel and acrylic, to present some new ideas and designs for their salons and customers to enjoy, and showing them how best to market these and increase business. Making a mad dash back to the airport, I was to fly back to Athens, and my hotel, with a few hours sleep and with only a few hours before I was to catch a flight home to the UK with plans to return in November, I was able to catch a well earned rest on plane.

Last chance for June offer!

I wanted to let you know about the fantastic offer we have running.

For only £55 you can attend a “Be Inspired” workshop. The London class is now fully booked, and we only have one more date left at this special June price.

Come and join us in Coventry at Ellison’s for this great class which won’t fail to help you bring something different to your business and show your clients an alternative look to their nails.

Using both Gel and Acrylic, we are working on design application only and not structure…giving those of you not used to working with coloured gel or acrylic an ideal opportunity to dip your toes into an alternative for your service menu.

How can you let this opportunity slip through your fingers. With only a few days left and places limited. Email me on info@sambiddle.co.uk

CHANGES!

I am thrilled to announce some changes within my business and a new working relationship with Grafton’s international. Until recently I have predominantly been working with just the EzFlow Nail Systems and their education team, but in my new independent relationship, I will be working with all of the Grafton brands including Ez Flow and IBD which allow me to provide an all round Education experience for Nail Technicians wishing to take the next step into colour and design. It gives me the freedom to build on the un bias workshops and classes provided by ‘be inspired’, as well as working within the whole of the industry independently.

I started the ‘be inspired’ classes in 2008 because of the growing demand for advanced Education. It is not a replacement for Education with the larger Nail companies, brands and through college, but it is a tool that will complement the training that is currently offered and to further enrich the students and Nail Technicians learning. Building on their skills and showing them new areas to develop.