L&P revival! nails: liquid & powder
Over the years, as in any industry, trends come and go, different treatments experience increased popularity or evolve as need demands. After experiencing bad press and scaremongering from both within and outside the industry, nail techs are reporting a revival in the popularity of Liquid & Powder, or acrylic nail enhancements.
“For me personally, L&P is a salon staple, it's my ‘go to’ for most of my clients,” says EzFlow International Master Artist Educator Jess Marks.
“Luckily I am able to offer a full service of treatments, but I'd say around 80% of my clients still have acrylic L&P over Hard Gel, gel polish or natural nail treatments.”
“Liquid & Powder is one of the oldest systems in the nail industry. It stands to reason that things have improved a lot over the years as technology advances and we understand more about health and safety,” explains CND™
Wallace. “Modern L&P techniques do not cause damage to the natural nail, quite the opposite. A properly applied, high quality L&P Enhancement will give the nail the most protection possible, allowing the natural nail to grow uninterrupted.”
“For some reason, over the years acrylic has gained a reputation for damaging natural nails,” adds Paulina Zdrada, Crystal Nails Absolute Master International Educator.
“The fact is that it's not the product that damages the nails of our clients, but the technician. When applying acrylic nail extensions, we only need to take the shine off gently with a soft file. Many uneducated or inexperienced technicians file the nails too much or use a file that is too strong for this job. We need to remember that the stronger the nail underneath the products, the better the adhesion will be.”
Fee Wallace agrees it’s about caring for the nails: “It is essential that proper home care, regular maintenance and/or professional removal are carried out. It's logical that if you have a coating with such great adhesion to the natural nail, damage will be caused if that coating is removed incorrectly,” she says.
super versatile Education Ambassador, Fee
In fact, it’s L&P’s great adhesive properties which make this the ideal choice for many of your clients and perhaps the most adaptable. “It is super versatile and can be used for overlays on both tips and the natural nails as well as my personal favourite, sculpting,” says Jess. “The treatment can also be quite quick once mastered and means you can do more clients for little outlay meaning more profit so it’s always a ‘win win’ for any salon.”
“L&P is great for use in salons as it can be used to overlay a natural nail for strength, or to create a full sculpted nail or application over tip; it can be used in different ways to create the perfect nail,” explains OPI Educator, Katie Terry. “[This system] is suitable for most nail types because you can
create a different nail in different ways, for example if a client has a brittle/weak nail it can be used to sculpt rather than adding a tip and blending. [It is also] great for a client who bites their nails as they are strong and are very hard to chew off, so hopefully it will break the habit.”
“Liquid & Powder is suitable for anyone really!” says Elise Scholes-Pilkington, Educator at Louella Belle. “I like to use it on clients that are a tad heavy handed in particular as it offers more protection.”
“L&P is suitable for soft and bendy nails as it is the strongest of the enhancement systems and will add the much needed strength to this type of nail,” adds Amanda Graves, Education Emissary for The Creative Beauty Group.
“Liquid & Powder is the perfect option for clients who have less than perfect nails,” explains Jemeila Tourh, Educator at The Creative Beauty Group. “Being a nail professional you will come across all different nail types such as thin, weak nail plates, short nail beds, ski jump nails and so on. All of these nail types are ideal for L&P enhancements.”
Fee agrees: “It is by far the best system for the worst types of nails in the poorest condition. For damaged and badly bitten nails, there is no other system that can both transform the appearance of the client's nail but also be durable enough to get them through a problem free couple of weeks until their following maintenance appointment.”
Paulina adds: “Nowadays clients are a lot more educated and demanding when it comes to nail services and they choose their nail technician very carefully. They expect the best service possible and they want their nails to last weeks before they come back for a maintenance appointment. As a nail technician, it's crucial to offer a wide variety of nail treatments and systems to your clients which make it easier to decide which one will be best suited for them.”
perfecting the mix ratio
“The correct mix of the Liquid & Powder is crucial to the clarity and longevity of the product,” explains Jemeila Tourh, Educator at The Creative Beauty Group. Image courtesy of Denise Wright Nails / Perfect 10.
Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of learning the skill of applying L&P enhancements is perfecting the mix ratio of Liquid (Monomer) and Powder (Polymer). “Creating the correct mix ratio between Liquid and Powder has to be one of the biggest struggles I have witnessed professionals undertake,” says Jemeila.
80 GUILD NEWS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124
