Here are my thoughts on the old days, to the now and what I think the future will hold for this industry. I do not claim to know it all, but I have to share my thoughts of an industry that I love so dearly.

The “GOLDEN OLDIES”

Back in the day before Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, before YouTube……HOW did anyone get clients? How did anyone get to know other techs work? How did anyone learn? HOW did we do anything? Well, before technology, if you wanted the whole world to know about you or if you wanted to connect with others in the industry you had to send in photos to magazines, read magazines, compete, go to networking events, classes and put yourself out there to your peers in person. Your clients were your billboard(not an edited photo either). If someone liked their nails they would tell someone. It took actual leg work. It was a slow process on the number of people that you met, and the classes were sometimes missed by some simply because they were not in the city limits and anything you heard was if you phoned to inquire or received a flyer in the mail. Of course, this is my recollection of when I started….others may remember it differently.
The nails were different as well. People had a clear overlay or a French. When I started in the industry colored gel and nail art was just starting to surface and was an uphill battle to get clients to want to understand it. The integrity of the natural nail was the focus. (For most)
The amount of nail techs out there was a lot less as well. If a nail tech came into “town” you had better make sure you offered the best nails you could and kept up with the times and trends coming or you were replaced. Again, this is what I remember.

In “The NOW”
Now? SO different…….social media is THE way to market yourself for most. For me, it was hard to wrap my head around at first. It was SO instant and so intimidating!!! I didn’t know how a busy nail tech could keep up? Who has time for all of this??? It’s amazing how much you can see from all around the world and how many techs you can connect with on a minute by minute basis if you so choose. The amount of clients out there has expanded in numbers and I believe social media has helped that out as well as they can see what is out there MUCH easier and faster….example? PINTEREST!!!! The downfall is that social media has made this competitive industry even more so……so the same as the past? You better keep up with the times and offer the best nails you can!!!!
The amount of nail pages on Facebook is amazing and now more than ever you will hear EVERYONE’S opinion on products, clients, pricing, techniques, etc, etc. Of course this can be both good and bad. It is ALWAYS good to connect with others but you MUST be careful on the information you take as fact and if you say something, give facts and not opinions. Do your due diligence and research what the facts are.
What we also see a lot of on social media is people doing nails without ANY certification. This is good because the Distributors and Manufacturers can easily check up on these people and not sell to them, and you all can let the Distributors and Manufacturers know who is doing nails without any certification!!!! What we ALL have to try to remember is something our Vice President said to me once “There is an a** for every seat”. The clients that are going to unqualified people obviously know that they are not certified and still go and still give them money…..we do not necessarily want that type of client.
The nails have sure changed now from back then….ART is everywhere and the different “shapes” are trending!!! It is amazing to see and create. What I see getting lost in the art trend is the quality of the enhancement and the integrity of the natural nail intact. I see this so much because of social media. Of course I am the person that has to give some advice with an example. If you purchase a cake and you want someone to decorate it for you, do you also want the cake to taste good? (My answer is YES!!!!) We see the “Cake Boss” on TV and think…I might be able to do that, but what we do not always remember is that he is a 3rd or 4th generation baker….art on it is an addition. The quality of the cake is what makes people buy their stuff. Does this make sense???

The “FUTURE is BRIGHT”

What do I see happening in the future of our industry? I am going to be kind of blunt here and it just has to be said. The future will weed out a lot of techs. The industry is full of unqualified(still certified) nail techs and the consumers are getting smarter and choosier, especially with the economy. The lack of standard out there combined with high prices is worrisome and the future will see a cleanse happen. The integrity of the nail and the standard of the enhancement will HAVE to be(and should be) the primary focus and some will not be able to keep up unless they receive further education and TRULY look at their work and try to set a higher standard for themselves. We ALL have an obligation to our consumer to do and be better, to move with the times, to evolve!!! Evolution, in my mind is a combination of wisdom of the past mixed with forward thinking. Trends come and go. I think the French nail is coming back, but it will be an evolved French. Practice the French nail as I know SO many that claim that if French came back they would be lost. Know as much as you can about all types of nails. Learn how to reconstruct a ski jump or hook nail. JUST KEEP LEARNING!!!
The biggest thing to remember is that social media is NOT the answer to our prayers. Our skills and knowledge is still the most important way to stay in business and thrive.
As you know, I am writing my thoughts. Some may agree and some may disagree and that is 100% OK with me. This is just food for thought. 🙂
With love and respect to you all
Lisa Leibel

As a nail tech, I have gone through 2 recessions. I have ALWAYS said that this industry is recession proof because I went through those 2 recessions unharmed…..I will have to change my wording…if you change how you run your business, you will come out of the recession unharmed.
Your customers are forced to set budgets…they still want to be pampered, but will NOW more than ever be choosier of where they spend their money.

Quality and Customer Service
There is something that I believe everyone has to hear…..EVEN if you don’t want to. The quality of your service is 100% why clients will stay or leave. If your client has to come to you every 2 weeks because your nails are not lasting AND you charge to fix the issues, then when their budget dictates they will remove your services. If you are doing quality nails and allow your clients to stretch their fills a little longer AND don’t charge them for doing that they will remember the kindness and understanding that you have shown them and their loyalty will grow. I would let people go 4 – 6 weeks in between fills and didn’t charge for a new set…this of course if their lifestyle and growth spurts would allow that stretch 🙂
If you are doing nail art and charging for every little thing, now would be the time to give them a deal on that art…don’t charge SO much for every little thing that you do. You don’t have to charge $5 for every color you put on.
If you want to keep your clientele during the rough times you have to treat them well during the great times…..people have NO loyalty to being treated badly and when the money is tight they will get rid of things that don’t make them feel great in every way. If you have not been understanding and kind and treated them well in the past they will not feel obligated to stay. If they do stay, be kind to them and their situation NOW. Their husband might have lost his job and they need to spend less, but can still afford a certain amount per month of pamper money…accommodate their budget as much as you financially can. I always say that making a little less per person during the hard times is better than losing clients all together.

Retail
SO many do not retail as it is, and I am here to tell you that retailing can retain clientele AND give you extra income during a recession. For an example, if you also do pedicures and your clients have to stretch both services, give them ideas on how to stretch it without causing the calluses you have worked SO hard on maintaining to be unruly. How? Retail high quality products and SHOW them how to use them. Same with their nails…..SHOW them the products to use to help reduce lifting…example…cuticle oil!!! They will trust you more because you are saving them money and they still have beautiful nails and feet. If you offer waxing for example. An eyebrow wax every time they come in for a nail fill, give them every second eyebrow wax free.....and believe me, you are NOT losing money by doing this, you are just accommodating to retain customers during a recession…they will NOT forget it 🙂 And when the economy is stable again, they will tip more and help you build any loss that you have endured…..they will help keep you alive because you helped them during a dark time and the loyalty will be unbelievable!!!!

Purchasing your product in BULK
I see SO many techs purchase their product as they need and pay SO much shipping in the long run. Here at Impact, for example, we offer 2 deals per year where you can buy gel and other stuff at the BEST price possible (30ml gel is buy 2 get one free). Stock up at those times and you give yourself a larger margin to make more money. If you are buying one item and paying almost the same for shipping that one product you are taking away from you bottom line.

Bottom line is that this industry IS recession proof if you step outside of your comfort zone and allow your business to make some changes, and make a little less per person for retention purposes. I will tell you that when you go to do your taxes, it won’t be THAT much of a difference and you will gain loyalty that ALWAYS pays off in the end.

Hope this helps in this tough time
With love and respect to you ALL
Lisa Leibel

Hey everyone!!! Art ideas and techniques come and NEVER go and then come back again.....confused? What you think is new HAS indeed been done before and is not something you can claim as yours. Some art ideas work best or only with certain types of products, but MOST techniques can be used with multiple products. AS a nail technician that works for both a Manufacturer and a Distributor I know how it is from ALL angles, so here are a few things to remember on this topic.

Myth #1 “Art classes are so advanced now!!!”
Well….. no. There are a lot of techniques that I learned 10 years ago that I can use now, that is for sure!!! What HAS changed is the product viscosity and cure times. This will change the technique sometimes, but rest assured that the classes I took by Susan Schafer-Sajim, Olga Palylyk, Ines Schaller and MANY more from 2003-2011 showed many of the “new” techniques that are being used today. What I love about continuing education is that at every class you can learn something new and also use what you already know to create some pretty great art!!!!

Myth #2 “I created this design, so I deserve the credit!!!”
Again……..no. NOW…..If you designed a class and wrote out the steps and formulated the outline and someone takes your class specifically and uses it 100% the way you did and makes money off of it….YES, that is stealing!!! If you designed some nails and post it on social media and someone uses it…..take it as a compliment and let it go!!! Art has been created and recreated SO many times that it is ALL stolen!!! Truly, as a nail tech, you have to know that your creation can not be recreated because art is personal and the design will always have your personal touch on it….. I am serious here….when I teach an art class everyone in that class does the same design and they ALL look different.

Myth #3 “I am better, my product and techniques are better and ALL other products and techniques are NO GOOD”
A BIG NO!!!!! There are a lot of great products and techniques being formulated in our wonderful industry that have benefits for different techs. What works for me may not work for you…both with product and technique…..as long as the finished product is healthy, beautiful, and structurally sound nails it does NOT matter if you used a kolinsky brush from one line or the other….it does NOT matter if you learned a great art technique from this line and used that same technique with a different line. However!!!!!! Keep in mind this VERY important fact!!! The Manufacturer will always suggest that you use their entire system entirely for one main reason…..so that they can troubleshoot PROPERLY with you….their Educators are trained with their system and you MUST understand that if you ask about another line they are not able to troubleshoot properly and thoroughly unless they have Educated and/or have been trained with it. Make sense??? ALSO….the tools that you use to create art will be the deciding factor(at times) on how it looks. You can NOT create a fine line with a frayed brush!!!!!

Myth #4 “Education is not necessary in the art world”
Well…..for some of the blessed tech’s out there that can look at something and just KNOW how to do it? Then yes, you are correct…..but I do not know anyone like that. Every nail tech that evolves over their entire career keeps learning from anyone they can possibly learn from. I am not just talking about taking classes, but truly LEARNING. I know many techs that have taken classes just to have a certificate and do NOT truly learn anything. When you have the ability to learn, then TRULY learn!!!!
I LOVE this industry for all the talent and drive that I am able to witness. From the Beginners to the Veterans!! If I can give one bit of advice to you all, from a 15 year nail tech, it would be this…….Love what you do, critique yourself with EVERY set that you do, learn something from every nail tech that you come across. Be kind, be grateful, be STRONG!!!
With love and respect, ALWAYS
Lisa Leibel

The world has sure changed over my years in this industry. What I see more and more is social media having a huge part in every aspect of our lives. This is both scary and exciting. Exciting because we have SO much more information at our disposal, and scary for the exact same reason. All the information in the world is no good to us if we don’t know how to eliminate the nonsense from the truth. When it comes to the Beauty Industry what I am referring to is Nail Technicians, for example, taking YouTube videos as a form of Education. This is when I get this question. Why do I have to pay for Education from a Certified Educator when I can learn it ALL on YouTube?
The best way to explain the importance of Education is to talk about it ALL. Please remember that I am talking about the majority here…there is ALWAYS someone that can do things (art wise) without being formally taught. So please keep this in mind when I discuss this topic  Also keep in mind that the integrity of this industry starts and ends with us all working together. We are all in the BEAUTY BUSINESS to make money….this includes Manufactures selling products to Distributors, Distributors selling to YOU the Beauty Professional, reputable Educators using their knowledge, passion, and experience(5 years or more) to teach and troubleshoot most often for a Manufacturer, and of course ALL of the Nail Technicians working on the clientele, educating them on why professionals like us are necessary and not to trust all the DIY ideas out there.
PICTURE TUTORIALS WITH DESCRIPTION
This is an important resource to remember techniques that you have learned in a workshop. When looking at tutorials such as these, for the most part, there is information that will be lost in translation. Do NOT rely on these as 100% Education. Most picture tutorials can help you with a different design idea of a technique you already know, but most techs will have issues learning something new in this way and should ALWAYS remember that companies and Nail Professionals that take the time to do these tutorials do them in conjunction with the product they are selling and/or their expertise they have spent years and money acquiring the skills necessary to offer this service.

VIDEO TUTORIALS
Generally speaking, Video Tutorials are made to help Professionals in the industry understand how a product is used or to give a basic understanding of how you can do certain techniques in real time. The option of video tutorials is not there to replace good old fashioned EDUCATION. It is important to remember that your customers are able to watch these videos as well, so going to a workshop is most often necessary to learn ALL the proper techniques.
EDUCATION
Paying someone to teach you a skill, ANY skill is important to research as well….most often if you research the company associated with the Education provided you will learn through their reputation what type of education they provide.

If you know anything about me, I am an information fanatic. I ALWAYS find the best way to do something and I ALWAYS ask the questions no one else will. What I know for sure is that this industry can only survive when ALL levels, from the Manufacturer to the Retail Customer(Client), work together, trust and respect each level for the importance that they possess. I hope you enjoyed this read.
Lisa Leibel

I have been thinking about doing a blog like this for a LONG time. Working in this industry for as long as I have, I have watched new products come and go and I have fallen for some of the marketing claims and literally bought into it to find out AFTER using it that it was NOT “exactly” what it claimed to be. Why did I fall for it? Is it because I was gullible? Is it because I am not smart enough to know better? No and no…..marketing is what makes companies billions of dollars…they spend a lot of time, money and energy on the marketing of their product so that the consumer trusts and feels like this is the BEST…..and the funny thing is, the consumer thinks it’s the best before even trying it……GENIUS!!!! Does this mean that every company that uses marketing is making false claims and is EVIL? The answer is NO!!! If there are false guarantees, then lawsuits WILL follow and when I said that the product didn’t do “exactly” what it claimed to do it is because GENIUS marketing gives the consumer an idea and plays with words. There is never an absolute in marketing…..that would be foolish. Let me give you an example….I am going to bring up a little known fact about canned tuna. Tuna fish as you know is NOT white and yet back in the day a company used the power of marketing to promote their company…..they marketed that “their” NEW white tuna would NEVER turn pink in the can, making people think that pink tuna is bad……reality? white tuna is bleached tuna but it became the norm that everyone looked for and it was because of the power of marketing. This personally freaks me out. How one company changed the whole canned tuna market with a claim that theirs would never turn pink…..think about it…..
In every industry that you can think of there are marketing geniuses. Can we trust marketing as the 100% truth? NO!!!! Could there be a play on words that is manipulative……OF COURSE!!!! When a new product or trend comes out, we all need to “think” about what is being sold and if it ACTUALLY makes sense to you. Let’s look into the beauty industry and I will talk about a trend right now. There are companies talking about gel polishes that don’t need a light….it applies like polish, wears like polish, removes like polish but it is a gel. What???? This is where my brain takes over……if it smells like___, looks like _____ then, my fellow beauty professionals, it IS _____. If it applies like polish, wears like polish, removes like polish, then it IS polish.
Marketing is so ingenious, we ALL get wrapped up in it…the posters, the commercials…..it’s intoxicating!!! That is how we ALL get fooled into thinking one brand is better than another, or that particular product is the “ONLY” one that can cure without a light, but has the same title. We ALL need to try to look at a new product or trend with our own power of deduction. Trust yourself, trust your gut, ask LOTS of questions and find companies that prove time after time that their advertising and products are working to the standards that YOU set. Educate your customers so that they know that you have their best interest at heart and it will come back to you in a positive way!!!

Thank you for reading.
Lisa Leibel

I receive SO many questions about the Cuccio Veneer. What is SO great about it? Well, I just came across the perfect explanation. This explanation is from Tony Cuccio (Founder and CEO of Cuccio Colour Veneer) and Elaine Watson (VP Product Development Cuccio Colour Veneer). This, to me, is a no nonsense explanation and I, for one, am proud to post their words and to be a part of their team.

The CUCCIO effect

TONY CUCCIO says "I have been involved with the global professional nail industry for over 30 years. I have created thousands of products, but never before have I been more excited about what I do than in the past two years since we launched Cuccio Colour Veneer Soak Off Gel Polish. As I continue to travel from country to country I am experiencing something I have never felt or seen before. Something I call, "The Cuccio Effect". It is an unbridled passion for our soak off gel line by professional nail technicians and their clients. It is a positive energy growing at exponential speed. It is a feeling of success that I have only dreamed of for all these years. My vision for Cuccio Colour Veneer was to create the perfect formula for soak off nail colour. One that set the highest level of performance but was priced correctly to help you build a more profitable soak off gel business. I am proud to say that vision has become a reality."

Tony has a simple formula that allows the salon owner to be able to see the opportunity for financial success when you use this product. Here is how he explains it. "One bottle of Colour Veneer, affordably priced at $14.95 will allow you to do up to 50 soak off gel services using 2 coats/service. If you were to charge a minimum of $10/service, each bottle of Colour Veneer will help you increase your service income by $500. Cuccio Colour Veneer is the answer to building your financial success in soak off gel colour services."

I know what you all are thinking....."but Lisa, wouldn't this formula work with ALL gel polishes"...well, no, and I will let Elaine Watson explain just exactly why? And what the benefits of the Cuccio Colour Veneer Soak Off Gel Polish truly has to offer!!!

Here is what Elaine Watson has to say "Soak off gels were introduced to out profession with a simple formulation - Soak off gel mixed together with polish. Having worked as a professional nail technician for 20 years I knew that polish would thicken when exposed to air ultimately changing the performance of the product. Rippling, shrinking, micro-shattering and difficulty in curing were also just some of the other problems I knew would occur. With these issues in mind I set out to make Colour Veneer soak off using completely different gel technology with a more concentrated gel pigmentation. What makes Veneer unique is that it is 100% polish FREE. There is not evaporation and therefore no fumes or odor for you or your clients to inhale. Furthermore, with triple pigmentation technology, you will only need a maximum of 2 coats of color (even with 2 a.m. in Hollywood our rich, Black color). Veneer has amazing durability and leaves nails with a high gloss shine second to none. With Veneer your clients can choose to wear their nail colour until THEY decide to take it off - fast and easily without damaging the natural nail."

What Elaine didn't say is that because ALL other gel polishes that have soak off gel mixed with polish WILL thicken OVER time, the result is not being able to use the WHOLE bottle you purchased, which DECREASES YOUR PROFIT!!!!

Hope this answers the question of What is SO great about the Cuccio Veneer!!!

Love and Respect to you ALL
Lisa Ross

The longer I am in the beauty industry, the more I realize how confused most professionals are when they see ALL the different products that can be used on nails....it's CRAZY!!!! I have to admit.....before working for Impact Salon Sales I was SO confused. There are 5000 trillion gel polish brands, and WAIT, not all of them are gel polishes!! Ya, some are pure soak off gels! Then there is the hard gel products out there that confuse people as well....and don't get me started on the LED/UV cure gels vs. UV cure gels. This blog is to help ALL of you and I hope it helps you able to decide on what is best for your clientele.

GEL POLISH - Here at Impact Salon Sales, we sell Entity One Color Couture(EOCC). This is Entity's gel polish line. It resembles Gelish the most and it is what we call a hybrid. A hybrid gel has lacquer mixed with the soak off gel. This allows the nail professional to be able to achieve a natural nail color on fingers and on toes without drying time. EOCC has a guarantee of 21 days wear as long as you are using the whole system that is recommended and using the techniques and equipment that the Manufacturer recommends. A consistent question that I receive from nail professionals is "Can I just use the base gel from my ______ line that I have been using? Does it make a difference?" I have to say that the Manufacturer ONLY guarantees their product with their system, and I now more than ever I 100% agree with the statements of each Manufacturer. I won't lie to you, I was that nail professional that mixed systems and had this attitude that gel is gel....nope, NOT true. If you want the integrity of the product you are using, the service you are providing and your clients nails to stay intact hear me loud and clear.....use each system the way each Manufacturer suggests. This is also the only way that your Distributor can help you with troubleshooting because they are trained with the systems that they are selling, not any others!!!

PURE SOAK OFF GELS - Here at Impact Salon Sales we also sell Cuccio Veneer. This is what some may call a gel polish, but it is not a hybrid it is pure gel. "Lisa, what is the difference!!!!" Well, here is an easy way for me to explain it to you. Hybrids contains lacquer mixed with soak off gel, and Cuccio Veneer is NOT a hybrid. Hybrids will thicken in the bottle over time because of having the lacquer in there, and the Veneer will not....meaning you get to use 100% of your product, which also means you are NOT throwing away MONEY!!!! The workability of a pure soak of is more user friendly, in my experience with using products and helping others with it. Now, I am not making one to be better than the other, I am just giving you reasons why each of these products is good for certain scenarios and clientele. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH Lisa.......I am still confused!!! Don't worry, this will all make sense when I am done....I PROMISE!!!

HARD UV ONLY CURING GELS - Here at Impact Salon Sales we sell the Amore Ultima Gel System. This line now has 3 different prima systems all meant to  give you more"options" for your enhancement clientele. We have the Prisma Colours, the Prisma Pixies and the NEW Prisma Elite. I know....why right? I'll explain why.....the Prisma Colours are meant to be used under a top gloss or even encased in your builder gels. The Prisma Pixies(our glitter line) are meant to enhance colors, be encased in your gel, and our specialized recipe allows the pixies to be used to build a free edge!!! This line is also the ONLY one of it's kind(to my knowledge) that NEVER has to be stirred as the glitter stays suspended in the gel. HOW COOL IS THAT!!!! Then we have our new Prisma Elite line. This is an exciting line for us as we believe this is the most versatile colour line that we have! Ready for this? It covers in one coat, it cures to a high glossy shine(no gloss top necessary), it can be encased in gloss top if you have a client that goes a really long time(as our gloss tops adhere to shiny surfaces), it adheres to shiny surfaces allowing the art capabilities to have NO BOUNDARIES!!!! And VERY soon, we will show you ANOTHER amazing advantage to this innovative product...it will BLOW YOUR MIND!!!! The hard curing gels can not be directly on a natural nail.

UV/LED CURING GELS - Here at Impact Salon Sales we sell MANY UV/LED compatible gels....some that I have went over. Here they are. EOCC, Cuccio Veneer, and the Entity One Gel(hard gel line). What is the benefit of having a gel that cures in 2 different lights? TIME!!! Cutting down your time is what everyone is about. That being said, I also think that there is a time and a place for having 2 ways of curing gel. Let's take Amore Ulitma Gel System. We, the manufacturer of this line have SO much success with the formula that we have, why would we monkey with it to make it cure in an LED light....it could change the integrity of the line.

So to finalize what the ACTUAL point of this blog is. There are SO many different choices out there because us nail tech's want to be able to offer EVERY kind of client a product that will work with their nails, lifestyle and personal style(art/no art). Every time you try a new product, you need to realize that every product that you use will not be on every client that you have. That is the beauty of having SO many options. Use your knowledge, gain more knowledge if you need to, and open your mind to ALL the opportunities you have as a nail professional to grow your business. Utilize all your Distributors and Manufacturers to find the product that suits yours and your clients needs and wants.....well, that's it for this week

Love and Respect to you all

Lisa Ross