CNY Appointments

Dear all,

Thank you for your continuous support at I Nail It. My slots for Chinese New Year are all full. As the slots are placed back to back, I kindly seek your cooperation in adhering to your time slots punctually. Do note that appointments will automatically be downgraded without a refund if you are later than 15 minutes. Once again, thank you for your cooperation during this period. See you again next year!

Angel Pro Gelly Polish Tutorial

It has been a fantastic journey ever since I've embarked on gel polish. It's convenient, dries instantly, and fuss free! I've been sticking to Gelish for quite a while now and it has been serving me well. However, I've also begun to realise the fading of certain colours, such as Princess Tiara and the pinks from the Breast Cancer Awareness collection. As such, I began to look around for other reputable brands in the market and that was when I was introduced to Angel Pro Gelly Polish.

 

I made my way down to The Pink Room International Nail Academy, Angel Pro's official nail distributor in Singapore to find out more and was thrilled when I saw the range of colours offered by Angel Pro! Out of curiosity, I got a few bottles to try.

 

I was amazed at the consistency of the polish. It maintained its shine even after 3 weeks and removal was extremely convenient since no filing was required. I made a second trip back to The Pink Room International Nail Academy to purchase more colours. I used Angel Pro through the Christmas season and it was fantastic for nail art.

 

Here's a tutorial for all my readers to show you how easy and fuss free Angel Pro Gelly Polish application can be:



 

Step 1: Apply a layer of Angel Pro Gelly Base on nails after prepping them.
Step 2: Cure nails in a professional UV lamp for 1-2 minutes or 30secs under a LED lamp.
Step 3: Apply a layer of Angel Pro Gelly Polish of your choice.
Step 4: Cure.
Step 5: Apply a second layer of Angel Pro Gelly Polish if required.
Step 6: Cure.
Step 7: Apply a layer of Angel Pro Gelly Shine for long lasting shine. Cure.
Step 8: Clean the nail with cleanser and a lint free cotton pad to remove the sticky residue on the nail surface.

Done! Your nails are ready to last 3 weeks with long lasting shine.

Polishes For Sale

I purchased several polishes previously for a Church Funfair. All proceeds were eventually donated to the Church for a fundraising event. I am putting up the balance for sale here, with which some have already been prepacked into a dual bundle while the rest are sold individually.

 

 

Should you be interested in any of the following, kindly sms/whatsapp me at 94577783. You may opt for a meet up at Clementi MRT or for normal/registered post. Postage charges are not inclusive and will be at an additional cost. Prices indicated are fixed and not for negotiation. Upon confirmation, payment is to be made via POSB/DBS transfer. Thank you.

 

 

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Dual Packs

The dual packs go at $20 per pack and are packaged with either silver or red ribbons with different contents. Here's how it looks:

 

  

1. I Don't Give A Rotterdam! (H57) & Red Shatter (E55)

 

2. Red Lights Ahead... Where? (H61) & Silver Shatter (E62)

 



3. Sparrow Me The Drama (P15) & Silver Shatter (E62)

 

4. Malaga Wine (L87) & Skull & Glossbones (P13)

 

5. The Thrill of Brazil (A16) & O.P.I Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go

 

6. Vamsterdam (H63) &  O.P.I Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go

 

7. Second Honeymoon (R42) & O.P.I Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go

 

8. ChinaGlaze Poinsettia & O.P.I Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go

 

9. Crown Me Already (U02) & La Palm Healing Therapy Massage Lotion

 

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Individual Items

1. ChinaGlaze Poolside Collection ($50 for all 6 polishes)

(Credits: www.temptalia.com) 

Includes: Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, Pool Party, Sun Worshiper, Flip Flop Fantasy, Kiwi Cool-Ada, Towel Boy Toy

 

2. ChinaGlaze Champagne Bubbles ($7)

(Credits: www.scrangie.com) 

 

3. ChinaGlaze Icicle ($7)

 

(Credits: www.scrangie.com)

 

4. ChinaGlaze Twinkle Lights ($7)

(Credits: www.scrangie.com)

 

5. ChinaGlaze Recycle ($7)

(Credits: www.polishmayhem.blogspot.com)

 

6. OPI Nomad's Dream ($10)

(Credits: www.just-nice-things.co.uk)

Customer Basics

Decided to do a post on this after a long hiatus from my blog. Have been still taking in appointments, but can hardly find the time to constantly blog about them. Nevertheless, I find this a rather important issue to address.

It is extremely annoying when we receive customers who are late for half an hour or more, some with which do not even bother to notify, or some who don't even turn up in the end. This triggered my thought to implement a deposit system and the condition to cancel the appointment should the customer be late for more than 15 minutes without notification.

This is basic courtesy and respect for me and my services. I don't see why I should set aside time for someone who does not even have respect for my time. Your time may be valuable, but so is mine. The time can be used instead for someone who is keen on my services and is respectful of it.

Gelish: Petite Roses

This has to be one my favourite sets of nail art. Velvry requested for roses. I alternated between Gelish (one of the colours from breast awareness set) & ACG's Tease. All art was done with Gelish except for the leaves as I didn't have a shade of green in Gelish. Love the dainty look!

Gelish: Mixed Roses

Xiao Ting, a first time customer of mine contacted me on Saturday night in hope of booking an appointment for Sunday. She was extremely disppointed when I told her that I was fully booked for the late morning/early afternoon. I informed her that I had slots in the evening only to realise that she actually needs to do her nails for a wedding dinner on Sunday night. A while later, the customer who was originally scheduled for the 12pm slot had something urgent to attend to and had to postpone her appointment. I contacted Xiao Ting immediately to tell her about it and she was thrilled!

She came by the next day and was extremely nice. She was delayed for a little while and made the effort to sms me before that informing me that she'll be late. In actual fact, she was only late for 10 minutes but I really appreciated the fact that she bothered to inform me about it. That makes a responsible customer! Xiao Ting had quite a tough time deciding what to do as she loved my roses and flower designs. After much deliberation, here's what we came out with:

Xiao Ting did half moons on every nail except for the thumbs and the ring fingers. Initially, she was concerned about the growth of her nails over time. That was when I suggested doing half moons to prevent the obvious nail growth.

A final look:

Thank you Xiao Ting. It's customers like you that make the entire manicure experience a fruitful and accomplished one. (:

Candyland Collection by Gelish

After much deliberation and thought, I finally went down to purchase my set of the latest Candyland Collection by Gelish. Swatched it immediately after I came home and there are no regrets! The colours are really lovely!

Pardon the horrible quality of the picture. Boyfriend was eager to see the colours as well so I took it with my handphone. Nevertheless, the colours look really really sweet in real life. (:

Magneto by Gelish

"Explore the laws of Attraction with Gelish Magneto, a collection of EFX Magnetic Gel-Polish and Nail Lacquer that instantly transforms your manicure from natural to extraterrestrial. The metallic particle enriched nail colors fuse with the magnet to create nail art that is truly a force to be reckoned with."

(information above was extracted from http://www.nailharmony.com/products/gelish-gel-polish/magneto.html)

Here are the results:

Jeannette's magneto in "Inseparable Forces"

Wan Xin's magneto in "Electric Metal Lover"

Jeannette's magneto in "Inseparable Forces" 

Wan Xin's magneto in "Electric Metal Lover"

I was shocked when Wan Xin mentioned that Magneto is going for an additional of $25 on top of regular gelish in salons.

But at I Nail It, get to enjoy magneto at only $25 !!

(includes nail shaping, cuticle work, base coat, a choice of one magneto polish, top coat and cuticle oil)

Valid till 29th April only!

Contact valerie.gmh@gmail.com to book an appointment now! (:

*If you'd like to see how it's done, you may view the video on my facebook page.*

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! Last week was a terrible week for me. I was down with severe gastric flu and couldn't eat solid food for a week. Things got so bad that I was nearly admitted into the hospital. Spent last week drinking 100 plus as my only source of food. But thankfully, everything's fine now. The bug is in the air so do be careful ya. (:

This week, my mum wanted a set of Easter nails to compliment the spirit of Easter. When I think of Easter, I think of Easter bunnies, easter eggs, Cadbury chocolate eggs! It's funny cause I've been attending Church since I was a baby, and never once were rabbits or bunnies mentioned during Easter. Mum said it was probably "man-made" since bunnies were never really a Christian symbol of Easter. Nevertheless, I thought it'd be fun to replicate that on her nails.

I google-d for inspiration and the bunny was the cutest of what showed up. I didn't save the picture, but basically, I replicated exactly the same way as how the original looked, just that the original was done on fingernails and every nail had that bunny. That was impossible on mum's toes since the other toes (apart from her big toe) are too small and I personally felt it was too overwhelming. Hence, we decided to have what reminds me of easter eggs on the rest. She didn't peep at all while I was doing the design and had a pleasant surprise when she looked at it. (:

May this Easter bring you and your family gratitude and a thankful heart.

Happy Easter! (:

Apologise for the long hiatus. My grandma got admitted to the hospital and I've been busy shuffling back and forth. She's been discharged and transferred to another place for rehab and physio. She requested for me to trim her nails for her this afternoon. This is the very first time I quietly sat with her and trimmed her nails. It definitely stirred much of my emotional feelings.

This was done on my Mum quite some time back. She requested for flowers to match her dress for a wedding dinner. This was what I came up with.

She requested for her usual "big petal flowers". I definitely still have room for improvement, but I'm glad she really liked it. Sadly, the flowers 'bled'  little when I applied the top coat. Probably didn't have the patience to wait for it to dry completely especially since this was done at 10pm.

Nail Art: Sweet Polka

Melissa was pretty sure about having polka dots on her toes, but wasn't too sure what to do on her big toes. I showed her some of my nail art mags and she saw something she liked on one of my Nail Max issues. Forgot to take a picture of it though. Here is my take on it.

This picture was sent to me by Melissa and I edited it. Common mistake for me: Forgetting to take pictures of my customer's nails!

Here's another. (:

Gelish: Purple Roses

Hui Han is a perfect role model for new customers. She was on time and knew what she wanted. She liked my swirled roses and opted for them to be done in a purple colour scheme. Hui Han wanted a light and shimmery base and set her eyes on Gelish Vegas Nights.

The roses were done with dark purple and light purple acrylic paint before painting the leaves in light green.

I love the feminity of roses and how they never go out of trend. (:

Beauty Asia 2012: Haul

BeautyAsia, Asia’s premium beauty trade exhibition continues to prove as a one-stop, regional hub for the beauty and wellness industry. Recognised by the most esteemed industry professionals, BeautyAsia with an accretion of 15 years is the most established beauty extravaganza with the industry’s most cutting-edge products, new trends and leading technologies from around the world.

Last year, I managed to be there on the first day and purchased a substantial amount of polishes. However this year, I was only able to make it on the last day due to my other commitments. Nevertheless, presenting to you my hauls! (:

Purchased 4 more bottles of Gelish and 3 bottles of Artistic Colour Gloss at greatly discounted prices! Wanted to get more colours but didn't find anything that really caught my eye and those that I wanted were out of stock already. Nevertheless, finally managed to get "Tease" after it has been oos at PNC for so long.

Introducing the latest craze from Hand and Nail Harmony - Magneto by Gelish! It's a new release and I've been wanting to get it. Comes in a pack of two - gelish and laquer. The sales lady told me this is to sure that u are able to have magnetic gelish on ur fingers and magnetic lacquer on your toes. Hahaa. Great analogy! I plan to add this to my service menu in March. Will have to try it on myself/someone first!

Tried the Magneto by Gelish at the booth! They only do one finger as a tester, so I chose the blue. The wavy lines that you see are patterns created by the magnet. I have posted the video on my facebook page. You can take a look to see how it works. (:

I've always wanted to try Orly, but never really got down to buying it. Thought the fair was a great chance. Didn't get more cause I'd rather save up to buy more Gelish!

Some extra decorative items that I got. Satisfied with my haul! Can't wait for Beauty Asia 2013 already. =D

Gelish: Glitter Tips

Glitter tips seems to be the trend for many! I've had countless requests for glitter tips, so much so that I'm gonna combine some into this post. Probably because Gelish lasts 2-3 weeks, most opt for a design that is wearable and not too loud.

After painting a Gelish colour of their choice, I sponged on Gelish Waterfield on the tips. Some prefer it to stay on the french tip, while some prefer a gradient. Many of my customers were pretty amazed to see that I sponge on the polish instead of painting it on. Well, I've tried both ways and realised that sponging it give a more subtle and softer look with a gradual gradient. Since then, I've always used the sponging method when it comes to glitter tips.

Charmaine's Gitter Tips

Gelish Make A Difference

Jeanette's Glitter Tips

Gelish Hot Rod Red

Lynn's Glitter Tips

Gelish Make A Difference

Samantha's Glitter Tips

Artistic Colour Gloss Fierce

Wan Xin's Glitter Tips

Gelish Night Reflection

Gelish: Slanted French

Lynn came over for a Gelish removal (glitter tips) and opted for a slanted french. She requested for a light and shimmery colour for the base so that the growth will not be too obvious. We settled for Gelish Vegas Nights as the base with Gelish Queen Of Hearts for the slanted french. She initially wanted a french manicure, but decided against it after realising that her nails were too short. I suggested doing a slanted french or a half-moon instead.

I lined the slanted french with my Art Club's silver glitter striper. Lynn suggested adding 3 swarovski crystals in the center of the thumbs and a crystal on alternate fingers.

My first try doing slanted french with Gelish wasn't too bad. (:

Gelish: Bridal Roses

Angelia was pretty sure of the nail art she wanted after looking at my nail art wheel. The original design was done with OPI Passion as the base and OPI Black Onyx as the french tip with the roses lining on the french line. Angelia twisted the colour scheme to the opposite of the original and was done in white instead. It gave off a very different feeling - it very much portrayed a set of bridal nails instead of the original mysterious look. Interesting!

With the diamond ring and Angelia's slim fingers, she is definitely ready to be a model for a bridal shoot. =p

I used Gelish Waterfield for the base with Gelish Sheek White for the french tips. Somehow, I find it easier to work on french manicures with Gelish. Gelish is a lot more forgiving as compared to normal polishes. The french tip was lined with solid silver acrylic paint before swirling bouquets of roses of each individual nail.

Angelia also requested for Swarovski crystals on both her thumbs (beside the roses). Looking at the pictures, I feel that the crystals were too big and I should have used something smaller. It's no wonder they say that every set of manicure you do is a new lesson learnt. (:

Here's a final look. Definitely a wearable set of nail art while bringing out Angelia's sleek fingers.

As these were her nails for Chinese New Year, she was so sweet to send me a picture compilation that she did. It'll be great to work with such wonderful customers all the time. However, the reality is such that we don't meet such understanding customers who are always willing to go the extra mile. In fact, some of them are always late for appointments, don't bother to inform when they're not coming for their appointment, and the list goes on. That's what happens in the service industry I guess. Makes me quite skeptical about taking in new customers sometimes.

Here's Angelia's gelish manicure after 2 weeks! Still looks as good as new except for the signicant nail growth. I was really happy that the nail art stayed on as good as new. Previously, I used to have challenges with making the nail art stay on Gelish, especially when the nail art is done with acrylic paint. But this set of Gelish manicure has proven that nail art is able to stay for 2 whole weeks! Wendy's Gelish manicure stayed on well too! Read more here

A close-up. So to all customers who have spoken to me about their worries about nail art's ability to stay on Gelish, I hope this is able to reassure you that you can integrate pretty nails into your daily life. Angelia and Wendy are perfect examples who have held on to their nail art for 2 whole weeks and have been using their fingers for "tough work" too such as housework, regular work etc. If they can, you can do it too. (: