lets talk nails…

when i was almost fifteen years old…

i needed a job. actually, i needed money.

this ‘job’ needed to accommodate my cheerleading, tennis, school, and social-dating schedules…

almost impossible to find a job that had hours to accommodate all those schedules.

so, with my interest in all things fashion & beauty, i decided at that time, to become certified as a nail technician. If you’re interested in becoming a nail technician as well, I hear CPT Guru is a great place to start your research.

in the evenings, i attended the most formal ‘nail’ school i could find in salt lake city at that time. i applied for my first small business license, and officially opened…

“beckner’s nail boutique”

{my maiden name is beckner.}

i’ll admit, i was a very proud fifteen year old. and, i loved it. this was a perfect teenage-occupation for me because i was able to work from my home, go to a nail supply store i loved, chat with some of my favorite women while i worked, i could work the hours i was available, and those hours were most often when i needed more money, which was the same time most of my girlfriends and their moms wanted their nails done…

prom, holidays, etc.

i did nails for six years, then i retired. this occupation lasted through my early college years.

my ‘nail’ skills since that time have been put to use as the family manicure/pedicure momma.

throughout the year, but most often in the summertime, you will occasionally find me in the kitchen with our at-home foot spa giving pedicures to my little munchkins.

after volleyball, and evenings spent outside barefoot…i will not let my kiddo’s in the house with black feet! the cure? at-home pedicures by momma. i love this picture below. this is kj about five years ago.

when he was two years old he really loved his foot baths!

if you’re interested in ‘real’ nail tips, here you go:

when polishing real nails, always use a base coat, two coats of the polish, and a top coat. they will look gorgeous! and, should last up to a week. my favorite base & top coat, polish, and dry spray.

don’t want to paint your own nails? if you are in utah county, this is my favorite nail salon.

fragile, thin nails? try biotin, the same thing i mentioned here for stronger hair.

i am obsessed with cuticle oil. obsessed! this is my favorite. it not only works great, but has one of my favorite smells. almond. mmmmmmmmm.

dry hands? this is my favorite hand lotion, and this is a-MAZ-ing.

i wore acrylic nails during the entire six years that i was a nail technician. quirky thing, since i retired, i’ve tried wearing fake nails about six times over the past 13 years, and they drive me nuts! maybe it’s because i’m a mom, and taking the time to go every two weeks to get ‘fills’ is not in my schedule… maybe it’s because no matter how good a nail technician is, i still find what is wrong with the nails, and want them OFF! maybe it’s just because i dislike the ‘look’ of them now… i don’t know. whatever it is, i now focus on taking care of my natural nails. As one of the main things that I took away from being a nail technician was the importance of customer care, even though I have retired from this job, I still like keeping my family’s feet clean! And, i love to paint my daughters nails.

any questions? i still think i’m a pro. 😉