Manicure philosophy. Ilona Moon

soothed and boldly took advantage of the desired procedure.

      * When gel nail polish appeared on the market it hit the finances of the masters, because the materials were expensive, the training also required money, and not everyone wanted to change, so an allegation that this procedure spoils the nails occurred without any basis. And again I spent a couple of sleepless nights with my friend Google. Having compiled a sufficient amount of information I went on to compare my work with that of other masters’, called some of them, questioned them, argued with them. The result – gel nail polish or the procedure itself does not spoil the nails but on the contrary, it protects them. Nails are spoilt by irresponsible manicurists who are too lazy to learn and do not love their job. Who, instead of admitting a mistake, correcting it, just disclaim responsibility and misinform the client. At the same time, they lose client confidence. All they had to do was to read, find out and learn.

      One should also mention that it is a common situation that innovations are met with great distrust and meet much resistance on their way as stagnated groups do their best to postpone the innovations as they see them as a real threat to their businesses. So you can see for yourself that gel nail polish as well as everything that is connected with it is not an exception in this case. Summarising my own extensive experience I can give you only positive feedback.

      A couple of examples:

      * Every season, fashion magazines publish articles and trends of new shades of nail polish for the next season. Although it must be noted that trendy colours do not always suit a particular client and her image. One crucial example: just imagine it is winter; it is windy and chilly the client's hands turned slightly blue or there are some people who have natural bluish skin tone. The trendy colours, the novelty of the season – faded brilliantly blue, or grey with a tint of lilac, or cold silver. As soon as you use these shades for the nails of the client, her hands would look like the hands of a drowned man. Trendy colours are not the ones that someone wrote about and named, but those that suit your client. I would also advise you to learn the colour scheme.

      * Another thing, different women's magazines like to publish articles for example – “Home pedicure”, people love free stuff, but as we know, free cheese is only in a mousetrap and only for the second mouse. A client reads an article then follows their advice, and you will be the one who has to solve these mistakes.

      Now look at the situation. The article my have unconfirmed facts and consist of the imagination of a journalist, who was tight on time and simply did not re-check the information. It was read by about a thousand people. Out of these people who troubled to read the article, only twenty have come to you the rest went to other masters, and we cannot be sure that those other masters were as prepared as you were. Next – only about three clients of these twenty, whom you told and explained how everything should be in reality, will relay the right policy to their friends. Can you imagine the scale of the dissemination of misinformation?

      So keep your finger on the pulse, independently follow the trends from professionals, compare the facts, analyse, befriend the doctors, other professionals in your business, learn to think with your own head, and you will become an unsurpassed master – the master, who will be talked about with reverence and advised to all friends to visit.

      What if you suddenly do not know the answer? Admit it honestly: “I do not know the answer, but by the next time you come – I will have it.” It is crucial to keep your word, but most importantly, once again – do not misinform. Some masters, again because of fear of losing a client, begin to say any nonsense, because they don’t want to seem ignorant. Practice shows that such masters still soon lose their clients. Do not think that clients are stupid as they feel, see and hear. Be honest, it always attracts. “And may the force be with you” from the Star Wars.

      Fears of masters

      What are masters afraid of? The main fears that hinder work are the loss of a client and consequently cash income, and of course competition. These fears cause, quarrels, intrigues, they make masters to make mistakes.

      How to get rid of these fears? First of all – don't count your chickens before they're hatched, so we remember – a client chooses her master herself. Secondly, there will be enough clients for everyone.

      At the beginning of the practice, you need to create a base of clients. It usually takes a year or two. It depends on the place where you work, on your knowledge, on your attitude towards clients, on time – you have to wait it out patiently. Some clients leave, others come. This is normal. If you did everything right, but the client has not returned to you for the second time, relax – this is simply not your client – yours are still to come. The universe does not tolerate emptiness. Do not stress yourself, worry and envy other masters. This will lead to strain in your health, loss of clients and friendship with other masters. It is better to engage in self-improvement, hone your skills, learn, spend this time with benefit. Knowledge gives confidence, understanding of the business and fears will disappear, not immediately, but it will be so. Then there will come a time when your life will be filled with wonderful people, the very people you deserve. Even more, I would say, the freedom of your choice with whom to work will come. After all, not only your client should feel comfortable with you, but you should also be comfortable with the client.

      Share your knowledge with other masters. It often happens that the masters, knowing some secrets of the work and craft, don’t give them away, because of the fear of competition. There are only about twenty percent of clients who absolutely don’t give a damn which master will serve them. The rest, as I have pointed out, choose their masters. So, is it worth being worried because of these twenty percent? To quarrel, to be offended, to sort things out? Release this fear. Feel free to share information, tell, support and grow wings for each other and then you will have colleagues, not competitors.

      Fear of changing jobs. During my short practice, I have changed five places of work and once again no less than eight times somebody tried to lure me to other salons. Six to seven people worked per shift in the first salon. There were two shifts, and sometimes they got overlapped. The salon was in a well-populated, crowded place. It was a great practice in the speed of work, speed of reaction, switching from one client to another, as well as in resolving conflicts both within the team and with clients. I still advise all beginners to find such a place. The second place was prestigious, but with a bad financial policy that taught me to appreciate myself. As to the third one, it was a magical time with a wonderful team, where I found teamwork, support and friendship. When the salon closed we all felt very sorry that we had to go our own ways. And even though we were scattered around the world, we still remember this time spent together. Well, the fourth gave a final understanding that I can do everything myself from that point on. The fifth is already my freedom, to work self-employed.

      What am I talking about? Only for the first time is it difficult to change the place of work. Especially if you have a good relationship with the owners, the salon team. One is usually afraid to start it all over again. I know manicurists who continue to work in bad places for years, only because of the fear of changing something, losing clients when moving to a new place. Believe me it is not worth it. It is never too late to acquire experience and get a lesson. You will find new clients, plus your old ones will find you. Remember – you should feel fine and comfortable. You must feel good. And then everything will be fine in your life.