Did You Say Cordless LED Lamp?!?

When I heard that La Palm/Gel II were releasing a new lamp, my initial thought was "Great, more money to buy a new lamp!" But, having received it today, I am super happy and I must admit, I've stroked it a couple of times! Ok, I've stroked it a lot!

So, the big difference with this lamp compared to others currently on the market is that it is CORDLESS and RECHARGEABLE. These 2 qualities blew my mind because all the wires around my station a huge pain because my set up has a gel lamp on both sides to ensure client comfort. It is really lightweight and pleasing on the eye.

As far as I am aware, this is an industry first but I do wonder, where has this been all my life?!

There are several great and "tech considerate" features which are listed on the side of the box as:

• 110 and 220V compatibility
• Acetone proof, durable aluminium housing
• 5 Finger Cure as well as compatible for feet
• Mirrored interior for even light distribution
• Removable bottom tray which makes keeping it clean super easy!
• Carry Handle
• Battery Percentage indicator
• Automatic Stop should the unit overheat
• 60,000 hours bulb life! No more bulb changing!
• One Year warranty

My lamp came and it was already charged which meant I could play with it straight away but, it does advise charging first for 12 hours. It holds an impressive 78 minutes of charge which has been tested on working time, not standby so, from one charge, you can carry out over 50 complete Gel II manicures. I am pretty impressed by that! Would that save me on energy also? I'm not sure but its definitely a thought.

There are 3 timing settings 5 seconds for flash curing, 30 seconds for Gel II color coats and Xtreme shine top coat and 50 seconds for LED curable Enhancement Gels. The motion sensor is pretty cool too. You select the time you need your step to cure for and then, every time your client puts their hand inside the lamp in the correct position for curing, it turns on automatically and then switches off when the time is done.

This will be great for mobile techs and those of you that do various events. This lamp is gonna make my life a whole world easier and it is really affordable at 270US$ when you consider that you won't have to renew the bulbs every few months. It seems that La Palm have really pushed the boat out to accommodate today's busy schedules as well as thinking of our pockets.

So, if you are thinking of investing in a new lamp or two, head over their site because, they are available RIGHT NOW! Here's the link Cordless Lamp

Now I am thinking of all the gel polish freedom I will have now that I am not ruled by the plug sockets in my nail room! I can put my station wherever the heck I like cos there is no limitation with 40G LED Lamp from La Palm Spa Products.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sammi Sparkles xx

Racism and MMA In The Nail Industry

What I have witnessed today has rendered me speechless for pretty much most of the day. Those that know me or have met me will know, this is serious!

I am so shocked that, in this day and age, things like this still exist and I am also thankful that, in my house and within the circles I mix with, this is not even a topic for discussion. However, it is a subject that comes up on a daily basis within the Nail Industry and, quite frankly, I am tired of the lack of acceptance.

I am talking about the link made between Vietnamese Nail Technicians and the use of MMA in salons.

I wanted to use this platform to point a few things out.

I know that, in the US, the use of MMA in Nail Salons is prohibited and I fully agree with this. I have personally seen some awful results of using this product for nails which caused great distress to clients and also myself when I have to treat these poor women. Do I immediately ASSUME that the technician that did these nails was Vietnamese? No, I do not. The truth is, you cannot tell "by a visual" of any products chemical composition any more than you could visually describe the technician behind those nails. It is extremely ignorant to assume that you can and even more ignorant to put that down to a technician of Vietnamese origin. I have witnessed MANY terrible sets of nails done by English speaking techs that just makes me wanna call them up and say "Hey, do you wanna meet up for a Nail chat?". There are so many techs that cry "MMA" and I fear that some use this as a bit of a bargaining tool and an easy way to gain trust with their clients.
I hear all sorts of myths of how to spot a salon that uses MMA and some of them are just ridiculous but, to name a few

• They wear masks
• The cost of your nail service is cheap
• They use efiles
• Their product is in unmarked containers to fool you
• There is normally only one person that speaks English
• You are in and out again in 30 minutes
• You can tell by looking 

None of the points above are unequivocal sure ways to tell if a salon is using MMA. The only ways you will know for sure is to ask to see the original container if you suspect that something isn't quite right or, when you come to soak them off, you will encounter issues as it turns to a glue-like substance that is difficult to remove.

How many techs these days wear masks?

How many of you have an e-file?

How many techs are there that are starting out and charging peanuts to gain experience and cut their time down?

Personally, I have an old metal Monomer container that I decant my liquid into, it doesn't mean that my liquid contains MMA!

And now onto the racism! There will be some of you that claim that this is not racism but guess what, blaming someone and using their nationality as a description as to why, that is racism right there!

I have seen some absolutely amazing work done by Asian techs that has completely blown my mind. Sean Phan, the Odyssey Educator, is one who just has me in awe at his work. Maybe it is fear or envy that makes people automatically claim that all poorly applied nails are the work of Asian techs because they are worried they lose clients more artistic techs? Or has this information been drummed into us from trusted industry sources that we completely forgot to use our common sense. Maybe, the wrong terminology is being used? It is completely plausible that these finger pointers are meaning to identify these salons as Non Standard Salons (NSS) but are getting it confused with a whole other conspiracy theory. Even so, not all NSS are filled with Vietnamese.

Can we all start to identify these salons in the correct way? Why can't we accept that there are all varying degrees of capabilities in our industry and that it has absolutely nothing to do with where you came from.

Here's to everlasting equality

Empower Nail Art Review

Empower Nail Art

Please forgive me for the delay in this post, I have been flying by the seat of my pants (almost literally) over the last few weeks and have barely had time to count the sheep BUT, that is a whole other post that is coming soon!

So, living in the UK, you do not have access to most of the bodacious things that you guys have on this side of the pond so, when I moved, one of the first things I did was put an order in for some Empower Nail Art.

For those of you that have not heard of it, I will try to explain what it is and what it can be used for. Empower Nail Art is a film, fabric and foil all at the same time. It comes in a sheet and either a colour or a design. The artistic possibilities are really exciting and, honestly, the only boundary is your imagination! I was impressed by owner, Lucien's, enthusiasm for the product and initially put that down to a sales man tactic BUT since having received it, I can see why he gets so candid when he talks about it.

My Empower Haul

 I chose the Metal Style set which included (from top to bottom) Bronze, Silver, Black Lace, Rainbow, Blue Metal and Rust. They are all gloriously holographic and no photo will ever do them justice! The holo gives them almost a 3D feel.
The smaller pieces at the bottom are half sample sheets which are Sunset (a flat gradient), Blue Metal, Lines (clear, other than the design) and London! How thoughtful! =D
The first thing I did was cut a small piece so I could see what it felt like. It is quite unique in that it is SUPER thin and pliable. When I pulled it apart, it was fairly strong but not indestructible. I was carrying out these tests so that I knew the best way to apply once I started with my nails. If I was to compare it to Minx, for example, it is about a third of the thickness but, it is by no means, an inferior product! The good thing also is, you do not need heat to apply the film so no expensive equipment is needed. In my little tool kit, I had an X-Acto knife, a La Vaque crystal file, a Nail Template (for creating full coverage wraps) and a precision Fiskars blade that turns a full 360 degrees so that curve cutting is so much sleeker and a heck of a lot easier. I love my little tools! On the back of each sheet are lots of different shapes to act as a guide for you to make accents for nails. There are stars, hearts, tear drops, triangles and others which, I thought, was an ingenious idea to draw inspiration from.

This is the first nail that I created. I decided to use the Black Lace design as it really appealed to me. It reminded me of a Burlesque type theme and I just love all things Burlesque! I applied very little pressure to the sheet with my blade and cut a "swoosh" type piece for the tip and another piece for the cuticle end that complimented the other. I laid them on top of a really thin base layer of acrylic that had been buffed so it was smooth and I was really impressed with how powerful the adhesive is. I was careful to leave a small margin around the cuticle so that my product would overlap the film and meet the base layer underneath. Also, the piece on the tip had excess, past the extension edge. I laid product on top of it to encase the film and waited for it to cure. I then buffed down and tailored the extension edge with my crystal file (so the film did not rip) and added some small studs and white dots to define the design and finished with a high shine top coat, making sure that I capped the edge. I was really happy with the outcome!

It says that you can use this with a top coat so, with my next nail, I decided to complete my acrylic application and lay the film on top of a 240 grit buffed surface. Again, I was impressed by the adhesion to the surface and how easy it was to smooth it out. You can see on the top that there is a very slight wrinkle but, what you cant see are the dimensions of my enhancement. I sculpted a fairly high apex and a deep C curve. I have not been satisfied when I have used other wrap systems. I then applied some dots and a top coat. I have to say, both techniques showed how holographic the film was but, it seemed amplified on the thumb. I then continued to complete the rest of my nails using the encasing and layering techniques and here is the finished result!

I had so many comments on these nails which mainly consisted of "wow"'s whilst people grabbed my hand for a closer look! As for longevity of Empower Nail Art, both techniques remained looking perfect until the time came for me to change my nails for my next event!
There are so many things that you can do with this product. You can layer several pieces on top without it effecting the performance and I am pretty sure that another tech said that this lasted 7 DAYS as a full coverage without any coating on top to keep it there! My verdict? This is a definite must have for your nail art arsenal! Link is below!

Thanks for visiting and, until the next time, PEACE!

Sammi xx

http://www.empowernailart.com/products/

The Blonds Show Blew Me Away

I have been so overwhelmed with the latest offerings from The Blonds at New York Fasion Week that it has taken me several days and viewings of the images to fully process how mind blowingly intricate every thing is.

Tweety inspired Nail Art

Normally, when I view a show, there are only a few of the Looks that I am in love with but, The Blonds have wowed me with every look. They are all unique and beautifully eccentric but at the same time, if I had the body, I would wear them all!
Every season, they partner with CND who really take no prisoners and make The Blonds their only runway feature each season so that all resources can be ploughed into making the Nails something that will be talked about, recreated and documented in fashion history. They make this show a "must see" and it comes across as more of a stage show, designed to take your breath away, season after season! They bring glamour, extreme bling and everything is "detailed to the hilt" says Jan Arnold of CND.
Lets start with the inspiration!
The influences for Spring/Summer 14 was iconic Blondes of all time, starting with the super cute Tweety Bird. The outfits that reflect her are undeniably designed with her in mind and add a super charged injection of yellow (my favourite colour!) into the line up. Other icons include Barbarella, The Bionic Woman, Marilyn Monroe and then some! I have to say, I think this might be why this seasons look has appealed to me so much! When I was growing up, my dad idolised most of the woman that have been the muses for this collection. My dad use to run a video rental business from the house and was a DJ so film and music were a big deal for our family! For those that are not familiar, I will quickly run through who these beautiful blonds were, starting with Barbarella!

Barbarella

Rescued by an Angel

Barbarella was a film released in 1968 (re released in 1977 when it as more popular) which starred Jane Fonda as a kick ass special agent. She was assigned by the Government to rescue missing scientist Dr Durand Durand from an unknown part of the Universe, a planet called Tau Ceti. She crash lands onto an ice plane on the planet and is rescued by a super hunk (of course!) who offers to service the aircraft and Barabrella herself. After his attentive, ahem, service and whilst said super hunk is fixing her aircraft, she continues in her search for the scientist. She encounters many dangers and wardrobe changes which were all a little risqué for the era but I remember being insanely jealous of them all and I thought they were the coolest outfits I had ever seen! In my eyes, she was definitely a woman that "Ran the World" and it gave me my first taste of Girl Power!

The Blonds have taken this concept and blown it away

Next up is the Bionic Woman! This was a comic book and then a TV series about a Tennis Pro that suffered a near fatal sky diving accident. She was saved by pioneering medical procedures that replaced an ear, an arm and both legs with bionic ones which, in turn, gave her super powers and strength. She was then recruited by the government as an undercover agent working for the Office of Scientific Investigation where she battled spies, fembots, mad scientists and aliens and generally saved the world on a weekly basis! I found this cool image whist surfing the internet that is pretty fitting, seeing as though she is sat in a salon chair! It appears that even super heroes need to get their nails done!
One of my most favourite blondes in history, is the ever amazing Marilyn Monroe. She was never afraid to do what she felt beautiful doing and I think that is part of the feel behind the Blonds collection. All of these blondes have been no nonsense females that have disregarded the rules and pushed bounderies that were limiting them and the way that they express themselves. Marilyn was the very first Playmate of the month for Playboy Magazine, she was one of histories original Divas who would never settle for someone saying "no honey, that can't be done"! She was an actress, singer, model and one hot mumma of a sex symbol! Who could ever mistake her rendition of "Happy Birthday" for the President! What a fabulous tease!

So, back to the Nail artistry! The team of ridiculously talented Artists, created 36 (!) indiviual masterpieces for the collection so the each models nails were different and complimented their Look. The range that was touched on was just "out of this world" but it all just WORKED! There were reptilian styles, a futuristic feel, intimate nudes adorned with embellishments and textures galore! It was, for me, complete Nail Porn! Some of the nails were crystalised with Swarovski Crystal whilst others had small cogs with little windows which made them look like the inside of Barbarellas spaceship. I have included the link from the CND website which features Jan Arnold talking candidly about the journey of these nails and, luckily for us, we have been given permission to use the many images of the nails and parts of the collection so, thank you CND. I hope that this collection is filtered effectively through to the high street because I can't wait to get my hands on some of the Bionic Woman wear!
In my opinion, The Blonds have totally smashed it with their Collection. I can picture woman from all walks of life being able to pull one of these looks off, not just the blondes! THAT in itself, is a mean feat!

A full on Tweety representation!

Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend










A beautiful corset, complete with Tweety Tutu!

Hot brights and tonnes of layered textures, finished off with crystal and glitter!

Cool, edgy and completely wearable!











Is that Barbarella I see?! The shoes for this look rock my world!

The green and blue foil give these nails an icy and galactic feel 

I would be smiling too!

https://www.cnd.com/fwdigitalhq/editorial-the-blonds.php

"CND is to work with, EVERY season! Jan is amazing, her team is amazing and the nails are just incredible!" - Phillipe Blond

I would love to hear your opinions on The Blonds latest Collection asside from my gushing, you can post in the comments below. If you enjoyed this review, please click "follow" or "subscribe" so that you never miss an update!

Bye for now!

Sammi

Be Paid What You Are Worth

Hello again!

I know that I only posted yesterday but, a problem has been niggling me and I think it needs addressing, especially in the financially hard times that we find ourselves in. The problem is UNDER CHARGING for your Nail Services. In fact, you can apply this to any profession as the link below shows. I strongly believe that under charging is bad for business. I know that you want to be busy and you think that by matching or under cutting other salons will ensure this but, this couldn't be further from the truth. How do you think the saying "you get what you pay for" ever came about?

Check out the video. Even though he talks about a different industry, it can be applied to ours x http://socialtriggers.com/prevent-hagglers/

Almost every day I hear of people charging minimal amounts for top end services such as CND Shellac and it is one of my bug bears. Quite recently I heard that:

"Its to keep up with the competition in my area" and
"I am mobile so I have to under cut the salons"

Are you crazy??

I have been a Nail Professional for over 10 years. In that time I have worked from home, rented spaces in salons, been mobile, session styled, been employed and I have owned my own salons. I would say that I have sampled most methods of being a Nail Pro and I am proud to say that, whatever my method, I have always been successful in gaining a large and loyal client base. In my experience, when you are mobile, you are not a lot different (financially) from a salon. Each one has pro's and cons for Techs. These are ones that spring to mind

Salon
Pros
Footfall past the door enabling walk ins
A constant place for clients to come
Station set always
You can fit plenty of clients in
Places to store products
Opportunities to retail
You can create the atmosphere you want
No interruption when a delivery comes
The building/windows are constant visual adverts
Cons
Rent
Bills
High amount of stock
Furnishings
Possible annoying neighbouring shops
Keeping the place in tip top condition for first impressions
Staff
Having to be open on the days advertised

Mobile
Pros
Clients are likely to be referals
No Rent to pay
Only out lay is product
Freedom to take a day off if you wish
No lavish furniture
Only having to worry about your own appearance
Bringing convenience to your clients
Cons
Fuel prices
Repairs to car
Tax
Having to set up and clean at each client
Lots of down time in between clients due to travelling from one to the other
Limited time to retail
More "leg work" to advertise yourself

These are only some but, hopefully, you will see that they balance each other out. Money-wise, it is not a lot different being mobile to being in a salon so you have no need to under cut a salon. If you are providing the same service, you should be charging at least the same to perform the treatment.

I think the main reason for my loyal client base is that, I research the current area (just for comparison), calculate the cost per treatment (this includes running costs like rent/hr and electric), decide what I want to be paid and add them all together. I do not want to be constantly seeking clients that are only willing to pay discounted prices, I have invested a lot of time and money into my craft and I only want clients that will respect that. Does it matter to me what walk of life these clients come from? Heck no! The more diverse, the better! It does matter to me that I don't feel guilty asking to be paid what I believe is fair.

Something people do not take into consideration when they are setting their prices, and that is the amount of hours you put into finding new products, being at the forefront with new products and the investment that these require. This is mainly because you love what you do and it doesn't seem like a chore because, when something new comes out, you are like a kid at Christmas! You are excited about the possibilities that these new things have in store for you and your clients but then, you are willing to settle for next to no money because of what so and so is doing round the corner. Really?!

Then there is the matter of imitation or "me too" products that are on the market. I can not tell you the amount of new clients I have had for a Shellac manicure that have been to other salons before, and they say "Oh, yeah, I had my Shellac done, can you redo?"  and then it takes, what seems a life time,to get the stuff off. After inquiring as to what shade a new client had on, one lady said,

"I asked for Shellac and the girl said, we don't do CND Shellac but this Gel Polish is exactly the same"

No love, it is not! Why would someone tell you that a product is like another? Because they long for a great client base that those who ARE using CND Shellac are getting and they are using the reputation of another product so you have their crappy imitation. Gel polishes are not the same. Is the application process the same? No. Do you get the same results? No. Do you have clients that have to "have a break" because their nail plate is thinner than a hair on their head? No. So then, it is therefore completely different and should be charged for completely different.

CND spent years (can't quite remember if it was 5 or 6!) developing the CND Shellac system so that it performs like dream, so it is comparable to none other on the market and most importantly, so it sets you apart from other salons and Nail Pros. I will give you a comparison that is not nail related as an example.

Butlins is a holiday resort in the UK. You pay X amount of money to go there for either a long weekend or a week. They are not the cheapest holiday resort, in fact, I think they are the most expensive but, do you think you can just turn up in the summer and say "hey, can you fit me in?". No, you can't. This is a great example of you get what you pay for. At Butlins, you get an experience. There is customer service, there are activities for you and your kids to do, it is a brand, there is merchandise, etc, etc. But despite the price tag, people buy into it year after year because it is an experience that imprints on the mind. It is not the "bargain holiday shack" down the road that is in the same are but no where near in the same league. It is a full package of holiday awesomeness that the kids will go back to school saying "I had the best holiday ever! No-one will mention the price because, the experience was totally worth the price tag.

It is illegal in the UK for a company to stipulate that you must charge X amount per treatment but that doesn't mean the product is worthless! I know it seems like it is hard in today's financial crisis but our industry is going from strength to strength, year after year. Maybe because people are taking less holidays, it frees up a little cash for an hour or 2 escape from the mad house some ladies call home. Do not be tempted to lower your prices so that you don't lose clients. Even the ones that are "gonna do my own nails for a bit to save money" will be back because YOU are the professional and they love the service and feeling that a visit to or from you gives them.

Come on Ladies and Gents! If you want minimum wage, you can get a job at a coffee shop!

Here's hoping that I haven't rambled too much!

Sammi xx

A Whole New World

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to my blog, as promised!

For those of you that don't know me, hello! My name is Sammi Sparkles and I am a passionate Master Nail Tech, originally from Reading in the UK. I am a 4 times CND Master Tech in Liquid and Powder (acrylic) and CND Shellac Power Polish. I am also qualified in Gel, BrisaLite, Minx, SpaManicure and SpaPedicure. With a Graphic Design background, I just love Nail Art and what it brings to each individual set of nails and ultimately, what it brings to our clients! There is no better feeling than a client looking at a finished set of nails with that "I'm in love" look on their face! Priceless!

I hope to keep you updated on my escapades with this blog and I hope to start reviewing some new nail innovations for you to have a look at. My first will be Empower Nail Art which is described as a thin foil fabric and appears to have endless possibilities which sounds perfect for todays glorious nail art journeys! I have been waiting a long time to be able to have  a play with this stuff so keep checking back!

So, last week, my family and I relocated to Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada! It was a huge decision to make but, so far, we are loving it!

The air is clean and fresh and the people are super friendly! They all love our accent but we are occasionally mistaken for being Australian. I'm not sure why because, the Ozzies have a very distinct accent compared to ours, I think. There was also the day that we opened a bank account and the lady at the service counter mistook my husband as my son! I must have looked exhausted on that day! Ha ha!

Because we have moved, I have had to give up my lovely base of clients back in the UK. These women have been the reason I get up in the morning when times are hard so I am missing them a lot! It does mean, that there are new opportunities for me to meet new people and add more strings to my friendship bow. The wonder of Facebook enables us to stay in touch with people in the click of a mouse so even though there are thousands of miles between us, I still feel pretty close to them!

It seems that networking is a big thing on this side of the pond and I've been overwhelmed with the kindness of the Techs here. They genuinely want to offer help and go out of their way to make things easier for you. In particular, Victoria Hunter and Laura Merzetti have gone above and beyond and I just wanted to say, thank you so much!

The transition from Salon Owner to Housewife is not easy. I am already itching to get back to creating some masterpieces but I am pleased to have a little more time on my hands. Anyone that owns a business or works for themselves will know that it is a constant 24 hour a day 7 days a week job! You can only be successful if you have the passion in your belly because it is what drives you forward on the days where a lot of ordinary people would throw in the towel! I am planning on so "How To" video tutorials, pictorials and hopefully, in the future, a chat room/forum for like minded professionals. If there is something you wish to see or a specific nail art technique that you are desperate to "nail", comment and let me know!

I'm signing off for now, thank you for reading my blog and hit subscribe so you don't miss out on Empower Nail Art!

Sammi Sparkles xx