Magazine for the professional nail industry.
Issue link: http://nailsmag.epubxp.com/i/120082
TECHNIQUE} behind the scenes ® Dedicated to the Success of Nail Profess ionals • Decem ber 2007 What You Nee d ABOUT YOU to Know R LEASE Get Your Clien ts TO WINTER to Say "Yes" PEDICURES Wha FAVORITE PRO t Are Your DUCTS? 12 Days of NAI L ART DECODING COLOR in Your Salon Multi-Colored Metallics ROCK STA R TOES! www.nailsmag .com We've known nail tech Melissa De La Cruz for many years. (She was the person who did the rock star toenails on our December 2007 cover!) A nail tech for 22 years, she's always had a passion for her profession. "I can honestly say I found my calling," De La Cruz told us. Most days, she runs her own nail business within Tiffany's Luxury Medical Spa in Visalia, Calif. But for the past eight years, she's also been a key member of the Young Nails education team. As a senior mentor and international educator for Young Nails, De La Cruz travels all over the world educating other nail techs. She teaches the OWCs (One Week Courses) with Greg Salo and Tracey Reierson. These week-long boot camps cover either Mastering Gel or Mastering Acrylic. She also teaches the shorter two-day Road Shows. "Working for Young Nails has not only helped me take my own personal business and talent to the next level, but it also has helped me take so many other nail techs there as well," says De La Cruz. "My biggest reward for teaching other nail techs is seeing their success after they take one of our classes. To see the joy and confidence they leave with is priceless." In the salon, De La Cruz is lucky to have clients who trust her to create anything she is inspired to do. "I have an awesome clientele. Gel is all the rage right now so I mainly do gel on my clients." She notes that the most popular shape is the "almonetto", which is a hybrid of an almond and stiletto nail. So that's what we had her do for this month's cover. (By the way, De La Cruz told us she'd charge $115 in the salon for a set of our cover nails.) MIXING CUSTOM GEL COLORS Take a gel spatula or painter's knife full of Build Synergy Gel and place it on a ceramic tile. Use one drop of Red Liquid Art in one of the Build Synergy Gel scoops. Mix very well with a spatula to create a stained glass look. For the next color, use a drop each of Red and Yellow Liquid Art. Sprinkle in some Lava Glitter from the Los Angeles glitter collection. Mix well. This creates an orange color that looks like fire! 80 | NAILS MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 PHOTOGRAPHY BY VU ONG/KIMBERLY PHAM