Nailpro - August 2016 - 87

5 Split the tail. Snip or tear (if perforated) the top edge of the form to create two separate "arms." This gives you more ﬂexibility to mold the form under the free edge, says Salo. Visser uses the "arms" as handles, which can be easily held and manipulated to slide the form ﬂush to the natural nail. 6 File the free edge. "A longer free edge increases the chances of having gaps between the natural nail and the form where product can seep into," says Baker. If possible, ﬁle down the natural free edge completely prior to placing the form. Placing the Form Most formal education on nail forms has this part covered. However, slight tweaks to your routine can make a big difference in the outcome. 1 Tell your client to relax. A client's hand and ﬁnger should be completely relaxed when ﬁtting a form because you need to be able to move the hand and ﬁnger freely from side-to-side to achieve the proper ﬁt. "A ﬁnger rest [can be used] to keep the client's ﬁnger down and in one place if your client has difﬁculty relaxing her hand," says Visser. 3 Focus on flushness. Now place the form under the sides of the free edge and slide it into place, pushing it up gently to create the arch. Salo recommends not focusing too much on the nail growth corners or you can miss gaps under the free edge. "I focus my attention on getting the form flush to the tip of the natural nail," he says. "This will ensure that the sidewalls will be straight." For a stiletto or almond-shape nail, you will need to tilt the form down slightly to make sure that the sidewalls extend straight. 5 Check from all angles. After the form is secure, check it from all angles. It should come straight out from the growth channels of the nail and be snug beneath the free edge. If the C-curve isn't in shape, press on the top of the curve to pucker the tip and create a ﬂatter shape, or use a C-curve stick to deepen a curve that's too ﬂat. 2 Hold the middle. Hold each side of the form in the center (shown) where the top of the hole meets the free edge. For maximum control, grasp the form with your thumbs on top and your foreﬁngers underneath. 4 Make it secure. Once you've achieved a snug ﬁt under the nail, use both middle ﬁngers and even pressure to press the form to the sides of the ﬁnger. "I secure the form to the sides and underside of the ﬁnger, not the top," says Salo. There are times, however, when pinching or securing the "arms" on top of the ﬁnger (shown) is helpful for creating and maintaining a speciﬁc angle and/or securing the form even further, says Baker. AUGUST 6 Apply one at a time. "Clients never hold still, so if you apply all 10 forms to their free hand, most likely, you'll have to reapply them," says Baker. To ensure that the forms won't shift, Baker works on one nail at a time-applying the form, then product and then moving on to the next nail. 2016 NAILPRO.COM 87 http://www.NAILPRO.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Nailpro - August 2016