Custom Color Mixes – Part 2

In Part 1 you learned all about color theory and skintone. In Part 2 we will be discussing mixing your own custom colors for your clients! Working with the NSI Acrylic and Gel lines makes mixing your custom colors easy! There are full ranges of color in both the Gel and Acrylics lines that can be used to make that one of a kind color. In acrylic, colored powders from either the Simplicite line can be mixed with your Attraction Powders. 

Customizing

Customizing colors is an art in itself, it may take you several tries to get your mix just right, if you are completely new to customizing try matching your own skin tone first!

When mixing your color for over the stress area or over the extended area, make sure that your mix contains one of the opaque masques or whites. Often times if you just mix colors and use some of the ones that are more transparent then this area will not be opaque. You will loose your long, sleek illusion. Some colors to avoid using over the nail bed as your transition colors are the yellows and greens. You don’t want to create the illusion of a bacterial infection (greenies).

After you have determined if your client has warm undertones or cool undertones, you will need to select the perfect base for your mix.

POWDERS: NSI has several excellent opaque colors in the Attraction Acrylic Line to use as your base.

Cool – Attraction Rose Blush is a cool pink used to hide imperfections or to create the illusion of longer looking nail beds

Warm – Attraction Purely Pink Masque, a warm pink, with slightly less opacity.

GELS: Balance LED/UV gels have 2 colors ideal for mixing

Cool –  Balance Elite Sculptor Pink Champagne is an opaque soft pink gel.

Warm – Balance Elite Sculptor Pretty In Pink is a warm opaque pink.

MIXING

When mixing your custom colors, start working with a clean, empty container, at least a 7 gram size container or larger. You will need about 30% empty space in the top of your container so you can roll and mix the colors together. Remember to mix enough product to have on hand when your client returns for her rebalancing appointments. NOTE: When mixing gels, use a white or opaque jar so that your mixture does not cure before your clients next rebalance.

ORGANIZING YOUR MIXES: Always keep a “recipe” of what you used in your custom mix on hand or in your client consultation card, so that you know how to make more. Put the client’s name on the container, and store them alphabetically.

WARMER

Earlier, we covered that making a color warmer you need to add a small amount of yellow or red to a color. That is exactly what you are going to do with your mixture.

POWDERS:
To make a warmer color using Simplicite Colored Acrylic, just add a tiny amount (like two pinheads) of “In The Hot Seat”, or an even less amount of “Bite Your Tongue”.

GELS:
To make a warmer color using your color gels, just add a tiny amount (like two pinheads) of “Hot Topic”, or an even less amount of “Bite Your Tongue”. Adding “Don’t Make Me Blush” or “Romantic Rose” are also a good choice if you would like to add a little opacity and warmth.

Cooler
To make a color cooler, just like we covered earlier, you can add a small amount of a true blue and create a whole new custom cool color.

POWDER:
To make a cooler color, just add one to two pinhead-sized amounts of Simplicite Colored Acrylic – “Whisper Sweet Nothings” or “Day Dream” (Be careful this one has glitter).

GEL:
To make a cooler color, just add one to two pinhead-sized amounts of Secrets Removable Color Gel – “Open Minded” or “Wild Flowers”. If you need to make your mix slightly pinker, “Don’t Kiss and Tell” is a nice opaque cool pink pigment.

Tinting or Shading

One important element of custom blending is getting the right tint or shade. It is always best to add very tiny amounts of the darker pigment to the lighter one. You can continue to add tiny amounts until you have reached the desired color.

ACRYLIC: You can adjust your base mix if it is too light simply by adding a half pinhead-sized amount of Simplicite Colored Acrylic – “Beer Garden”. This will darken it slightly. Be careful, this color will also make your mixture slightly warm.

If you need to lighten a mix, just add Attraction Radiant White Powder and a bit more of your chosen base color.

GEL: You can adjust your base mix if it is too light simply by adding a half pinhead-sized amount of Secrets Removable Gel – “Big Apple”. This will darken it slightly. Be careful, this color will also make your mixture slightly warm.

If you need to lighten a mix, just add Secrets Removable Color Gel “Little White Lies”, and a bit more of your chosen base color.

Testing Your Mix

It is important to test your mix along the way so you know how much more of a color to customize. Cap your jar and roll the jar between your hands to mix the powder. Using a nail form, press out a small bead and let it set before comparing it to your client. Adjust as needed.

Once you think your mix is complete, test your mix BEFORE applying it to your client. Press out several beads onto an Clear nail tip and hold it over the client’s finger. If it isn’t quite what you want, adjust it by adding small amounts of the desired powder.

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