For licensed nail technicians it's hard work to come up with amazing acrylic nail designs day after day. Sometimes, it gets to the point where you feel like you've seen and done it all a thousand times. However, as a professional nail tech it's your job to think and work fast which can be difficult when what you do involves a creative process. One of the most challenging aspects to this business is new nails aren't new for long. Clients get tired of looking at their nails quickly.

There's another aspect to creating killer nail designs and that's time. Working with acrylic takes time and there's no way around that.

It's common to create an amazing nail design and have that client come back in for a fill after only a couple of weeks. Now What? She is tired of the blue and purple design and wants to have pink and whites. UMMM omg! You mean you want me to remove all this acrylic and start over? In an hour?! Of course she does, she doesn't know how much time that requires.

So now what? Try a compromise where instead of removing all of the product you can do a transition. A transition is a process, or a journey back to pink and whites over time. Explain to your client that you can bring her to pink and whites over the course of 2-3 fills or you can remove her nails now and reschedule her for a new full set. Most clients will appreciate the option, especially when a transition fill is going to run about $22-$40 and a removal plus a new set runs $45-$75. More than likely she will take you up on the transition idea.

I've seen way too many Nail Technician "Professionals"' who are afraid to offer a transition as an option because they are afraid that they will lose a client by not giving them whatever they ask for. It's your job to offer solutions, but you can't forget that your time is valuable and must be billed for. Take it from me, you will end up with major burn out, Carpal Tunnel and Tendonitis! So do yourself a favor and get really good at transitioning nail designs!

So, how do you transition a nail design?

First, use an electric file with a coarse bit or coarse grit hand file to remove loose acrylic product from around the cuticle line. Then rough-up the remaining acrylic until the shine is gone. Acrylic will bond to acrylic if it is rough.

Second, thin out the smile line growth ONLY with coarse file.

Third, fill in the cuticle area with the same acrylic you used before.

Fourth, place a ball of clear acrylic and iridescent glitters in the valley you created. Feather both sides of the acrylic mix into the nail bed color and over what is left over of the blue colored acrylic creating a fade effect. Placing a mix of clear acrylic and chucky glitters between the nail bed color and the blue color acrylic design will help blend the two different colors during this transitional period.

Most clients are so tickled with the change, they forget all about those pink and whites and look forward to your next acrylic design fill appointment. You're happy, your client's happy and you didn't kill yourself trying to do the impossible.