A few days after ISSE Long Beach, Lisa came to our studio to do the nails for this month’s cover.

A few days after ISSE Long Beach, Lisa came to our studio to do the nails for this month’s cover.

Lisa Wong has been a nail tech for more than 20 years and a CND Education Ambassador for just over half that time. She’s made it her mission to teach, guide, and motivate students to become successful in the nail industry. She even went back to school to get her instructor’s license and she’s taught several graduating classes. “There is nothing I enjoy more than teaching students the craft that has been my life’s passion,” says Wong, who lives in Vista, Calif. “This is what encouraged me to receive my instructor’s license and further a career in teaching. My hope is to instill the drive and passion into those I teach as they go out and make a lifelong career.”

Nail tech Lisa Wong instructs trade show attendees in the CND booth — this is where you’ll find her most often.

Nail tech Lisa Wong instructs trade show attendees in the CND booth — this is where you’ll find her most often.

You can often find Lisa at CND’s booth at trade shows all over the country, doing demos and teaching classes on the company’s latest technologies. Her favorite subject to teach? Liquid-and-powder enhancements. When she’s not traveling to shows or teaching classes you can find Lisa at home with her 16-year-old daughter, (which is a “full-time job on its own,” she says), or filling in for instructors at a local cosmetology school. She’s hoping to eventually parlay that into a part-time job.

We asked Lisa to come up with a subtle French Twist design (you know, a spin-off of the traditional pink-and-white look), and we loved this swirling pattern she came up with. (She even sculpted moons!) We think this design could look great on brides and create a more unique pink-and-white feel. 

Here’s how you can do these nails:

1. Prep nails.

2. Apply Performance Tips in natural.

 

3. Mix Soft White and Silver Shimmer for the tip. To achieve the smile line with a twist, use the tip of a size 10 brush to get the detail of the little twist. Sculpt it high enough so that when you apply the pink over the top, you can file down and it won’t file into the white.

 

4. Sculpt the lunula (moon) with the same Soft White mixture.

5. Apply the body of the nail with a mixture of Neutral Opaque, Perfect Pink, Metro Brown, and a hint of Copper and Silver Shimmer over the twist. Do not bring the pink up over the tip of the nail.

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6. File the nails to the desired shape with a Blizzard. Apply Solar Oil and buff with a Boomerang padded board to a high shine.

7. (optional) Apply a small silver bead in the middle of the silver swirl with top coat.

 

SECOND CALLING

You might recognize our makeup artist as nail tech and salon owner Maisie Dunbar. She got her makeup license in 2005 and launched her own line of cosmetics, Bluffa Jo Cosmetics (www.bluffajo.com) last fall. So what does the name mean? “A Bluffa Jo is a local Liberian (West Africa) term that describes a fashion-conscious person who possesses style, class, and exudes confidence,” Maisie says on her website. “She never leaves home without looking her absolute best. A Bluffa Jo constantly invests in items or events that celebrate and embrace her inner and outer beauty.”

For more information on CND products, visit their website at www.cnd.com. For more information on Bluffa Jo products, visit www.bluffajo.com.

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