Greta Sim Nails

I remember the days when I used to dread clients asking for a French manicure. 😅

Now? Sometimes a French is easier than working with a tricky colour.

For me, the biggest difference is having the right tools:
🤍Highly pigmented white that self-levels beautifully
🤍Formula that’s not too thick
🤍Quality brush with a fine tip (I personally prefer a shorter brush for better control)

When your products work with you instead of against you, drawing french becomes so much easier.

Do you find drawing a French manicure difficult, or is it one of your favourite services? 🤍

One of the most challenging skin types to work with - sensitive skin.

Visible capillaries, delicate tissue, and skin that is tightly adhered to the nail plate require a completely different approach.

This client had never had a Russian manicure before, so precision, patience, and a gentle touch were essential.

We started by carefully opening the pocket, taking our time to gently separate the skin from the nail plate. Every movement was controlled and deliberate.

For the cuticle work, I chose a fine flame bit and reduced my speed, using small, precise movements while constantly assessing the skin’s response. With skin like this, it’s not about speed it’s about understanding the tissue, respecting its limits, and working with it rather than against it.

A successful Russian manicure isn’t about removing the most skin. It’s about achieving a clean, safe result while maintaining the integrity of the surrounding tissue. 🤍

One of the biggest mistakes I see from clients coming from other nail techs… over filing the sidewalls to force a short almond shape.

And this is exactly why I always say, if you want short almond nails, I’m probably not the nail tech for you.

Why? Because your sidewalls are the spine of the nail. They hold the strength and structure together. Once those sides are continuously filed into too much, over time the nail can become permanently weakened.

Some clients are lucky and the damage grows out fine. But I’ve also seen cases where years of incorrect shaping caused the sidewalls to grow back extremely weak, thin and fragile. The nails start crumbling, splitting and breaking from the sides no matter what product is applied.

A nail shape should work WITH your natural structure, not against it.Sometimes keeping a slightly softer or wider shape is what keeps your nails healthy long term.

Healthy nails over trends. Always.

Little nail tech tip that makes a big difference 💭

If you’re removing quite a lot of length, take the length down BEFORE colour. ✨

That way if removing the length reveals any unevenness in the base product, you can still refine and perfect the shape before applying colour.

Because sometimes the base can look perfectly even… until you shorten the nail and suddenly the unevenness becomes visible at the free edge or side walls. 👀

Real moment.

Today I made someone 🩸 during prep. And honestly, my first thought was “great… the reel is ruined.” I felt awful. Like I’d messed up, damaged the skin, and there goes the perfect content I planned to film.

But then I stopped and thought… why don’t we show this side too?

Because no matter how experienced you are, no matter how careful you try to be, things can still happen. We work on real people, real skin and sometimes the skin reacts differently, sometimes one tiny movement is enough.

Social media loves perfection but real nail tech life isn’t always perfect. What matters is how you handle it professionally, safely and learn from it.

So here’s your reminder that making a mistake doesn’t make you a bad nail tech. Pretending it never happens helps nobody.

Everyone wants to be an “educator” lately.
And honestly? It’s scary.

Teaching nails is more than filming a few trendy videos or doing one clean set.
You’re teaching people techniques that affect real clients, real skin, real nail health and hygiene.

Not every nail tech needs to become an educator.
And not every good nail set means you’re ready to teach.

Master the craft first.
Years of experience, consistency, problem solving, understanding nail anatomy, prep, retention, hygiene, client safety… THAT is what makes an educator.

The industry doesn’t need more educators.
It needs better ones.

Clients first Russian manicure. 🤍

Russian manicure isn’t about overworking the skin or chasing “perfection” no matter what.

Russian manicure is about precision, control, clean technique, and understanding the natural nail. It’s about working safely, gently, and intentionally, not causing trauma to the skin just to make nails look flawless for a photo.

Healthy nails and healthy skin will always come first. 🤍

Do you struggle working with this type of skin?