#NowTrending: Neon butterflies by Charlotte Edwards
By Callie Iley | 08 June 2021 | Feature, Tech Talk
Scratch chats to Charlotte Edwards of Charls Nails and Beauty about her future goals and how she created this neon butterfly nail design…
I did my acrylic course at Northwest Training College with Diane Senogles. I started with only a handful of clients, and then thought something was missing, so I did my gel nail course with Diane in January 2020. After that, I realised my love and passion for gels. I decided to focused on nail art and prep, finding my satisfaction in natural nail growth and helping clients. I now work from home, slowly building my clientele base, having finally found my passion.
I have a few favourite products I couldn’t live without, firstly being The Gel Bottle’s Builder in a Bottle. Next would be the Brush & Go colour gels from Brillbird. I love the shades GO1 and GO2 because they are perfect for nail art and are super pigmented.
To create these nails, I first started by prepping the nails. I then applied a couple of thin even coats of The Gel Bottle’s Builder in a Bottle in the shade Dolly. Once cured in the lamp on a low heat mode, I then wiped off the tacky layer and began to buff over each nail to make sure they were all even and smooth before application.
I then used the shade Marshmallow from The Gel Bottle and applied one even coat before curing for 60 seconds, wiping away the tacky layer after.
To create the butterfly, I took the shade Daisy from The Gel Bottle on a dotting tool, forming two triangles for the top wings and two dots underneath for the bottom wings.
When I was happy with the placement, I used my fine detail brush to start to shape and perfect the wings to how I wanted them, curing for 60 seconds when I was done.
I then took my small fluffy brush and started to rub neon yellow pigment into the middle. Then, I went in with my two other pigment colours, and gently blended them into each other, brushing any excess pigment away after.
I used Brillbird’s Brush & Go in the shade GO2 with my detail brush to start to create the outline of the wings for more definition. Next, I created the body in the middle, curing for 60 seconds. After, I went back in with my dotting tool and placed white dots, curing again for 60 seconds. I repeated these steps for both butterflies.
After finishing both butterflies, I used my detail brush to create the French tips with The Gel Bottle’s Daisy, and cured for 60 seconds. I then went in again with the neon yellow pigment and fluffy brush and started to gently rub that into the middle. I repeated this with the neon orange and gently blended that into the yellow, and repeated the process with the pink on the opposite side. To finish this step, I then brushed away the excess pigment.
To complete the look, I applied The Gel Bottle’s Extreme Shine Top Coat, cured for 60 seconds, and finished with cuticle oil.
There’s so many amazing things about the nail industry that keep my mind so positive – social media platforms such as Instagram are a wonderful place for nail technicians to share their hard work and beautiful art, sharing experiences and techniques with one another, and spreading the love!
Through Instagram I have had some incredible opportunities and for that I will be forever grateful.
There are a few amazing highlights of my career so far since starting gels last year. My first amazing opportunity was being approached by the lovely Diane Senogles from Northwest Training College to work alongside her, teaching students my nail art. From sitting in her class, being taught the basics in gels, to then teaching in her class is a huge honour. She’s been a massive inspiration in my career and an amazing friend. I then became a finalist in the Hair and Beauty Awards 2021 and placed 13th.
Experiencing these amazing things in just 12 months of my career has given me a real confidence boost, and has really given me the push and the drive to go further and achieve more with business.
For the future I have a couple of personal goals that I would love to achieve. I first want to continue with teaching nail art at Northwest Training College and eventually expand that opportunity to teaching in different areas. My next goal is to do my training, get my qualifications and become an educator to share my passion.
I’m hoping in the next three years I can expand my little desk in my home into my own salon, grow my own talented team and have some amazing memories. I want to show my daughter as she’s growing up that if you want something in life and you’re passionate about it, then you should grab it with both hands and put your all into it.