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For All Your Professional Nail Products Click Here
Filing TechniqueFiling
Technique
is Everything
when it comes to
Beautiful Nails To
make acrylic nails natural looking you need to keep in mind
what qualities
natural nails have; they
have side walls that come straight out
and
don't flair
the way the nails shown below (photos "A" and "B"). There should be a natural and subtle curve in the arch, from the cuticle to the free edge. All this can be created with a consistent filing technique - no matter what kind of mess you have in front of you! Anatomy of the Nail  ............................................ Re-Shaping A. 
B.
 These
nails are way too thick. If I were to
re-shape for these ladies I would first; laying my file completely
horizontal,
file
the
underneath of the sidewall to make it come straight out from
the nail
fold.
Then, with the file completely vertical and flush against the side wall, file a straight line until it looks as if it had grown out naturally on it's own. This doesn't mean make it paper thin though. There can still be some thickness but the shape will be more natural. I'd then thin at the cuticle, shape the arch for proper placement ("B" shows thumb with arch over the free edge instead of the center of nail) and make sure the free edges all had the same shape and length. 
horizontal
veritical
C
The
shape of images "C"
and "D" are
great examples of the results of a good D  filing technique. Do you see the difference? With "C", the pinkie shows that it has a natural looking arch placement and the free edge shapes are are even and consistent. Both come straight out from the nail fold (where the skin and nail meet on the sides) like the nail would naturally grow. I've noticed that "inexperienced" nail tech’s use only about 1/8th of the file with short aimless strokes. That not only is a waste of time but also keeps you from getting a full, consistent stroke to achieve the angle and even shape desired. Practice using larger strokes using more of the file. Try These Filing Technique Steps 1.
Do each step in order and for each nail. Before you start to file make
sure
you gently loosen any dried acrylic
attached to
skin using your nail or side
of your finger.
 3.
Next, holding the file completely vertical
against the sidewall file until it looks straight. Then, blend into the
body of the nail using
large,
consistent strokes
toward
the center, giving a
natural appearance.
 * Do
not
file
too much acrylic away, thin sidewalls lead to cracking. I realize
it's hard
to
know how much to file before it becomes too thin and that's
something
that,
with experience, you'll learn to see for
yourself. It's a very hard
thing
to
explain and show. You'll get to
where you just can tell after a while.
Don't be hard on yourself for mistakes. We've ALL gone through that phase. I thought I could never be good, but I did and so can you. *Be patient and kind to
yourself. Remind yourself,
"The way to become an expert at something is by learning from mistakes (yours or others')." How
do you
think I can tell you, "Be sure you never..." or
"Don't let this happen"? Yeah, I screwed up. A lot! 4.
Then, file the free edge, first,
straight across to get
the length right. For
a
non
sharp square shape, lay the file
flat with a slight tilt to bevel the
underside. To have a more rounded
shape,
angle file even more (as shown below) and
bevel
the
corners away. Leave the detailed work for later when you're
buffing
and checking for
consistency.
 5.
With the 180 grit side. file
the cuticle area by laying the file mostly flat
and with a gentle
swooping motion sweep
along
the curve of the cuticle
(with
out touching cuticle, of course) using up to
˝ the file surface in each
stroke (or use
a nail drill to be more precise).  6. Keeping the file flat, starting near the cuticle area, sweep straight down toward the free edge in one direction blending everything together to a natural shape. 7. Lift the hand straight up with the palm facing away from you and you'll see if the free edges are crooked or uneven (it's amazing what a different angle can show you). Make all nails consistent in length and shape, this is where you can tell a pro from an amature. 8.
Use
a block buffer
to take
out the scratches, smooth the edges and refine
the shape
even
more.
I
also recommend using a nail
drill to bevel the cuticle area so
there
is not
a visible line. Use finer grit files to get a smooth finish.
* Please take care to never file the on natural nail. The cuticle area tends to get hit the worst because we want it to blend so seamlessly. It not only hurts but leaves a permanent red line from the damage to the nail bed. Keep the file flat and use one stroke across at a time when getting close to the natural nail. That will not only keep the nail from getting hot but keep the nail in tact. Nothing should ever have to hurt, regardless of what you've heard or experienced! *** The best finish you can
get is
with a gel "top coat" that you brush on (avoiding
the cuticle and nail fold of course) and cover the tip of the free edge to seal it from chipping, then cure it under a gel light for 3 minutes. It saves time from buffing and the finish is better than any buffer could ever do. My
favorite is from
IBDŽ called Intense Seal. It is the best I've ever used. It leaves a
glass like finish
and there is no sticky reside to take
off.
Just
cure and go.
"click"
here to
learn How to Apply
Acrylic
Polish Like a Pro "click" here Types
of Files
 For filing acrylic or gel I use a 100/180 grit cushioned file. The smaller the number the more coarse it is, so, 180 is finer than 100. I use the 100 side to shorten and file down any big lumps, the, flip the file over and do the rest of my shaping with the 180. Important Note! * When using a brand new file ALWAYS “season” it first, meaning, take another file (that you don’t mind getting ruined) and file the sharp edges off on all sides. New file edges are like razor blades and will slice into skin. Buffers also have different grits and shapes. Block buffers can have different grits on each side to get acrylic to a scratchless shine (which is very important for "pink and white" also known as "french manicure" acrylics). Other types are shaped like a regular file and have a few different surfaces. Try them all to see what you like best. A lot of tech's filing technique include using only a fine block buffer at the end, then polish. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as the end result are glossy natural looking nails, it's all good! "Click" here to learn more about top coats and polishes This site was built by using:   |