Some days I’m all for a challenge. Bring me a photo of nails you found on Pinterest, bring me a dress you need to match, I’m all over it! The wheels get to turning and I’m like a mad scientist on a mission.

But some days I get presented with a challenge that just makes my brain go numb. Sometimes it’s because it’s something that I know I haven’t figured out, sometimes it’s because it’s something that is going to take three times longer than I have allotted in the schedule, sometimes I know the client sitting in front of me doesn’t understand the process and/or product that went into the nails in the picture well enough to accept that there are going to be differences in the final product.

For instance, I have yet to perfect a good ombre effect with gel-polish. For the life of me, I can’t get those Scotch tape stencil designs that are all the rage on Pinterest/Tumblr/Instagram to work with gel-polish.

Hmmm. I see a pattern emerging: I can do nail art ON gel-polish, but not so much WITH gel-polish. Well, I can do some stuff with gel-polish, but I’m not having luck translating some of the polish bloggers’ most popular DIY designs into gel-polish...yet.

And then there’s today’s request to emulate one of my own designs. Which shouldn’t be an issue, right? I mean, it’s my own design. I’ve done it before.

So what’s the catch? Well, I’ve done it with acrylic and the client who wants it wears gel. Which doesn’t seem like a huge issue, except that the original is a French variation using that deep, deep, dark pink on the nail bed. I simply do not have a corresponding gel color.

It took us a while to come up with a working combination — but, ultimately, she left the salon absolutely in love with the results.