Yesterday I attended a NailGrafx seminar at Gellipop in Redondo Beach, Calif. Gellipop offers seminars for nail professionals and is also a distributor for NailGrafx and Akzentz.

After an appearance at ISSE on Sunday, NailGrafx began conducting seminars all around Southern California in which the company demonstrated how its hair-thin micro-film decals can be placed on nails. NailGrafx is for professional use only and works with gel and acrylic products. The images are precisely cut and there are as many as 90 graphics available on a sheet. Each sheet is made in Japan and checked for quality individually. Decals are a limited quantity and don’t yellow or curl. UV inks in the decal work with the gel, so that when set to cure the colors really pop. With thousands of designs to choose from and a quick application time, NailGrafx are an easy upsell.

It takes only seven steps to apply NailGrafx. Nail technician Mami Griffin demonstrated the product in front of a small class. Griffin was able to fit four of the decals on one nail in very little time while making the design look fresh and clear. After she applied the NailGrafx, Griffin shared additional tips and techniques, which is another perk of attending a NailGrafx seminar. Seminar attendees also can preview designs before they go public and buy exclusive editions.

Both Griffin and Gellipop owner Yuriko Hoshina became familiar with NailGrafx (known as Sha-Nail in Asia) while living in Japan. NailGrafx is finally making its way into the United States and Canada, something salon owners and nail art lovers are excited about. Professionals who wish to purchase NailGrafx can head over to their website or to a distributor. For ideas and inspiration, check out facebook/nailgrafx and tumblr.nailgrafx.

—Beth