Nails 101: A Student Blog

Week 5: Acrylic World

by NAILS Magazine | February 4, 2011 | Bookmark +
This week I could feel the pressure of taking on more and more work. I now have theory plus the three services a day, and I’m also now taking acrylics. Monday was a day of sitting in class and reading my Milady textbook on acrylics and doing the workbook. The workbook helps you remember the information. It was a long day and I did two services that day. My instructor liked how my nails looked so I did her nails.

Tuesday was an interesting and long day. I had my first interview at a spa. I was getting nervous as the time was approaching. When I got there, I filled out a worksheet on my personality and interviewed with the owner of the spa. She showed me where my station would be and I fell in love with the pedicure throne. It was so pretty! I go back next Monday for the practical. I will be doing a pedicure, so I hope I make a slam dunk with it. If I get the job I would start when I take the state boards. It would be great to already have a job once I complete school. There are so many different spas to work for and different offerings. I know I will have to think about what I really want before accepting a job offer. I left class for the interview and returned to class because today was a hands-on work day. I had done acrylics before but not on a professional level.

We learned how to do sculpted acrylic. I thought it would be hard but after learning how to file the acrylic, it looked so pretty at the end. I love doing acrylic. I learned my lesson not to blow the dust. It is unsanitary and it will also blow all over the place. It ended up blowing into my eyes. For the remainder of the day, my eyes felt like grains of sand were in them. I have an eye doctor appointment for Wednesday so I can get glasses. Working with the acrylics and having contacts affects my eyes. I do not want to have bloodshot eyes when I am doing a client’s nails in the future.  After the hands-on lesson, we were given the assignment of doing a set of sculpted acrylics. It was my first set of sculpted acrylics and I think they came out okay. But they weren’t thick enough. I like them more on the thin side, at least on a personal level. But I was taught in order to keep them from breaking they must be a certain thickness. So, I will work on the thickness.


On Wednesday, I spent the morning doing a set of tips. I am pretty amazed because it only takes me an hour to do acrylics with buffing and filing by hand. I like that. I enclosed a photo of the set of acrylic tips I did on my fake fingers. The fingers are creepy and funny looking. I wonder what others students have used in the past. After my full set of acrylics was done I did a pedicure with an art design.


This day was hard. I realized when people warned me about cosmetology schools what they were talking about. This is my advice (I learned this the hard way): There are many girls from all different walks of life. You are not going to get along with most of them. Some will become lifelong friends and others you just hope to never see again. Do not become a “victim of coincidence.” I learned that saying from one of the other students. It’s important to be civil and nice, but I don’t have to get into a detailed conversation with people about my personal life. The lesson I learned is to just get through this boot camp and realize everyone is different. You have to be open-minded and be able to accept everyone as they are. No one is better and we are all here to accomplish the same thing. I ended up leaving early Wednesday because of my eye appointment. It didn’t go so well. Since starting the nail program, my eyes have become inflamed and red all the time. The doctor told me it was because of the fumes and chemicals that I am working with. So, I got some glasses to work with while I am doing acrylics. I have never worn glasses in public but I have to start now.

We started talking about the beauty show that is being held in Chicago in March. I am trying to get a group of girls to go with me and hopefully when it is here I will have completed the nail program. It is this mecca of supplies, information, other techs and so much more packed into a weekend. This will be my first beauty show and I am excited.  Some of the students who are senior will be trying to enter their nail art into the contest.

Thursday I ended up working on sculpted acrylics and pedicures for the day. I studied for my test that we are taking on Friday. It has been a long week — it feels like boot camp. Thursday was a very stressful day for me but the instructors were there for me with my tough day.

I am glad this week is over and I am ready to move on to a better week next week. I love acrylics and I love how my work can make someone look amazing!

— Susan

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