Lesson 4ª

 

 

 

 

 

   

Preparing the nail

Cleaning

The first thing we need to do is to eliminate any residue of nail polish we might find on the nails before we begin the session. If the nail doesn't have any nail polish or any residue, it is always advisable to clean it anyway. This way, we can begin working over a clean surface.

The only thing we need to do to clean the nails is to moisten a small piece of cotton with nail polish remover and rub it on the nails, from bottom to top.

  • Trimming

For the second step, we need to evaluate the size of the nail. As we mentioned previously, it is not always necessary for us to trim it. Basically, trimming should only be done in 2 cases: when the nails are too long and when the tips of the nails are weakened.

In any of both cases, use the nail clipper and make a straight cut. Always avoid cutting the corners. This will help the nail grow properly without resulting in those awful ingrown nails.

In the case of this model (see below), her nails don't need any trimming.

  • Sanding

Once the nails are clean and trimmed, we can move to the third step, which is sanding. On Lesson 1, we indicated which is the best way to sand depending on the type of nail. In order to do this procedure, we suggest you identify the type of nail you are dealing with (in accordance to its similarity to the models presented on Lesson 1). Then, we will proceed to sand it in the correct manner. This model has long and almond-shaped nails, so we sanded giving her nails an oval shape.

Regardless of the shape of the nails, when sanding, we need to move from the base of the nail to the tip, straight over the surface and softly on the corners. We do this to avoid getting irregularities which might bother or get stuck on our clothes.

Now that the nail is clean and has the proper size and shape, we can move to the cuticles and the correction of imperfections.