Have you taken the “Who Are You” quiz at cnd.com yet? While it gives you an idea on a nail coating that suits you, it is also a useful tool to help you start the thought process to custom services. Doing custom work is what sets anyone apart from their peers as it is “custom”. One of my favorites is bridal work on brides that want to venture away from the traditional and have something that makes a statement born of their personality and not of “what everyone else does”.

This week in the salon I had the honor of doing a set of bridal toes. She had great wedding colors to work with and knew she wanted something sparkly. After chatting a bit about colors, patterns present in the dresses, and ideas of shapes and textures appearing in the ceremony in some form, I presented her with some colors and mental visions of ideas.

How many of you have done a bride only to have her cringe at the finished result? A great tip to avoid that is to take time in the consultation to do a sample nail of the design you settle on, for this consultation I laid out a rough idea on a Colorpop. While people come in with the idea of doing something fun, what each of you actually visualize in your minds may be two totally different things when the design is verbal. Putting it on a tip helps make sure you are the same page, gives them something to look forward to, and saves you the time of a re-do.

The bride was pretty excited about what we came up with, it is something no one else at the wedding will show up in, and I’m excited to have been a part of her big day in a small way!

— Holly