One step forward.....then you're pushed down

I had a confrontation with an instructor today.
I was working on a client with a mental disability. She did not want me touching her hands, which is difficult when you are trying to give the person a manicure. Anyway, I had just earned her trust enough that she would let me just touch her hands for a moment before she pulled away, when my instructor walked up and started talking quite loudly startling my client. I was then aggressively instructed to just "grab her hands and hold them". I simply asked if my instructor had been working with this client for the past 20 minutes to earn her trust or if she had ever worked with these clients before. I have plenty of experience working with challenged clients and told her so. I probably could have worded it a little better, but at that point I was frustrated with the fact that she thought she knew better after only seeing the client for 3 seconds.
I was the better woman and apologized for how I said what I did, but I did NOT apologize for WHY I said it. I have said this before, and this incident is a prime example. When someone is DESTRUCTIVE instead of CONSTRUCTIVE, then that person should NOT BE TEACHING OTHERS!!!!!!

Finally.....

learned how to apply acrylic nails today. Not that I hadn't tried it on my own first. Here is what I have so far.

The plumbers house always has a leaky faucet

And my nails always need to be painted! I never get around to doing it during the week. I am always so busy with other things. Manicures, pedicures and the nail art for other people make it hard to find the time to pamper myself. Not pamper even, just paint! So last night while I was watching T.V. I finally painted my nails. I used the Designer series Mystery. It's not as purple as I would have liked it to be, but it is still a nice fit for my hands. I do like the dark colors, and it has just enough shimmer to make it look classy and not too "teenage goth". Don't get me wrong I love the new Goth line as well, but I am in my 30's and have tried to step away from the plain old glossy black. Maybe this weekend I can find a few minutes to get my toenails painted too!

Test scores and tummy trouble

90% on the Diseases and disorders of the nail! I was worried and I hardly had time to study, turns out I'm super smart!


Now onto the tummy trouble, Coop (our dog) was up half the night with an upset tummy. He was sooo sick today that I left school at lunchtime to take care of him. I feel so bad for the guy :( He's sleeping now, I hope it's nothing serious. If it keeps up any longer I will have to take him to the vet.

11 hour day

One of the longest days I have had in a while. I clocked in at 8am and got home around 7:30pm. My plan was to study nail diseases tonight for my test tomorrow, but that didn't happen. I did get to the grocery store, then stopped at Subway to pick up some supper. It's now 9:20pm and I should be sleeping. The morning comes way too fast these days. Okay, off to wash my face and brush my teeth before my head hits the pillow.

The yuckness

Today we studied nail diseases and disorders. It was disgusting, to say the least. Honestly, most of these things can be avoided by simply taking care of yourself and practicing basic hygiene. I can not believe that some of these things get to such a degree. Please, if you have questions about your nail care, or what you should do if you notice something out of the ordinary. Do not hesitate to ask. Feeling a little discomfort or embarrassment now is worth it when you don't have to have your nail surgically removed later!

Nail art & manicures/pedicures I have done in the past week

Most of my days are eventful, full of manicures and pedicures from other students who want me to do some sort of nail art for them. I don't mind at all, I'm actually really flattered when they ask me. I love to do it, and I get my numbers in for my practical sheets. Here are a few more pictures of what I have been doing.

Some of my work so far

Leopard print on fingernails.

Leopard print on tonails.

Grapes

Jack and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas. Sally was a tutorial.

Marble technique close up.

Marble technique on ring fingers.

The face is from last months tutorial on NailPro.

Strawberry thumbs!

Just testing mobile posting ability.

Starting school

I finally started nail technician classes. I can not believe everything that we have learned so far. When I first started thinking about becoming a manicurist I had a very small inkling that it would be so elaborate. I never really grasped how in depth it would actually go. I'm glad that it is though, knowledge is power! I have emmersed myself in everything nails. I search forums and websites for more and more information. I browse Youtube for new tutorials. I subscribed to NailPro, and I even have the OPI App for my iPod. I'm just this side of obbsessed...okay I've crossed the line, but I'm really okay with that.

A beginning point

This is where I will share ideas, advice and opinions about nail care, polish colors, nail art techniques and anything else regarding manicures & pedicures.