Loving this video on how to get a Lacey Corset Effect on your nails.
Archives for November 2012
How to get the Ombre Look at home
Do you want to get the Ombre look at home? Well here’s how…
A new take on the French Manicure – Reverse it
French Manicures have been around for many,many years but like all things an update comes along. The latest, in the last 2 years, is the reverse french manicure. Darker tops of the nails and lighter bottoms around the moons. There are all sorts of variations popping up all over and now many celebrities are joining the trend.
photo credit via H.A.U.T.E
Another huge manicure trend at the moment is the reverse manicure. There are a couple ways to create this look. Dark tips and a nude or even white base can make for a very chic and somewhat vamp look without going overboard. Simply use a dark colored polish (suggestions a dark burgundy or blue-black color) for the tip where a traditional white would normally go on a French manicure, and use a clear or cloudy color for the nail. Some like to create this reverse manicure look a different way, by coloring the base of the nail in a half moon shape (if you look at your nail you’ll see a natural half moon) in a dark color as above. Others prefer to save the darker color for the nail and perhaps paint the half moon in a brighter shade or a metallic. source
Have you had a reverse french manicure? What colours did you use?
Natural Nail Soaks
I’ve been searching the internet looking for some recipes for nail soaking.
Here are a few I found from www.101beautysalon.com:
1.Pineapple-Yogurt Nail Soak: Patricia Rivers-Sergienko, a natural nail care professional, shares this recipe. Pineapple contains two helpful ingredients: Bromelain, an enzyme that can reduce inflammation and pain, and alpha-hydroxyl acids, which peel off dead skin cells. Yogurt is very nourishing and a natural healer.
Composition: 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp pineapple juice(fresh or canned), 2 tbsp plain organic yogurt(regular or non-fat).
Preparation: Measure each ingredient and add to a bowl. Whip mixture with a fork until it becomes blended and creamy.
Application: Dip fingers in the bowl and relax, allowing each hand to sit in the mixture for 5 minutes. Massage both hands and fingers with the pineapple-yogurt mixture. Leave on skin for a few more minutes. Then rinse in warm water and pat dry. Use a fresh batch each time you do a manicure.2.Essential Oil Nail Soak: Essential Oils soften the nail cuticles and helps shape your nails better.
Composition: 2 tbsp chamomile flowers, 5 drops lavender oil, 1 tsp almond oil.
Preparation: Add 4 cups boiling water to the chamomile flowers and allow the water to steep. Strain into a large bowl and add the essential oil, and almond oil. Soak your nails in it for 10 minutes and with a cuticle stick push back your cuticles. Then rinse in warm water and pat dry. Use a fresh batch each time you do a manicure.3.Olive Oil Nail Soak: Warm a little olive oil in a pan over the stove. This should be only slightly hot; do not boil it and test it carefully before you use it. Now soak your hands and nails in the oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Wipe off the excess, apply gloves and sit tight for an hour (It’s even better if you do this overnight). find the full post here
Have you any recipes that you would like to share? If so add a comment below 🙂
Video Tutorial – Home Manicure
Check out this great in depth video on how to get the perfect manicure at home.
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French Manicures are easy
How to get your nails looking like this
Do you agree that French Manicures are easy? Seventeen magazine asked their readers for there best tips on making a french manicure… here’s some of the results.
“I put scotch tape on the bottom half of my nails. Then, I paint the part above the tape with white polish. As soon as I paint all 10 fingers, I remove the tape, take a clear or sheer pink nail gloss and paint over the whole nail.” –Penny, 17, Hammond, IN
“It’s very simple. Get a very light pink color and paint it on your nails. Then, the secret weapon is WhiteOut. I paint a thin stripe at the top of my nail and–boom–they’re perfect!” –Sara, 15, Grand Rapids, MI
“For a full-out French manicure, file and buff your nails, and massage cuticle oil into each nail. Then, take normal white nail polish (I recommend NYC), and make a thin stripe across the top of your nail. In a shallow dish, pour some nail polish remover and dip in a square-shaped paintbrush. Use the brush to wipe away excess polish until the white stripe becomes an even arc. Wait a few minutes for the polish to dry. Then, apply clear or sheer pink nail polish over the whole nail.” –Rahath, 15, Sterling, VA for the full list click here
What do you think of these tips? Do you have any to add?
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Are UV lamps used for curing Shellac nails safe?
I’ve just had my first Shellac manicure and I am loving it. Instead of the nail polish
Manicure gloves to stop UV
beginning to chip of in the first 2 days, so far 5 days later the nail polish looks as good as the minute after it was applied. It’s magic!
Because of the bad publicity on sun tanning beds, I started to wonder if the UV lamp used to cure the polish (or gel) was safe. Here’s an extract from an article I read recently.
Gel manicures also require drying with an ultra-violet, or UV, lamp in between each coat and at the end to set the gel. The ultra-violet light used in tanning beds has been associated with increased skin cancer risk, but is there a risk with gel manicures?
“Most cancers on the hands are found in people with extensive sun exposure,” says Zoe Draelos, a dermatologist in High Point, North Carolina, “It’s the cumulative lifetime exposure to UV light that is the risk.”
A case study by Austin-based University of Texas researchers in the “Archives of Dermatology” in April 2009 reported that two women developed non-melanoma skin cancer – cancer that occurs in the outer layer of the skin – on the tops of their hands from exposure to nail lamps. Both women were middle-aged, otherwise healthy, and had no cancer history. This does not prove that UV nail lamps definitely cause skin cancer; larger clinical studies will be necessary to determine a link. sourceStill, Draelos recommends using UV nail lamps in as limited a fashion as possible.
Another option may be to look for a salon that uses LED (light emitting diode) instead of UV dryers. This month, the New York City-based Shizuka salon began using LED dryers made by the Japanese company Nail Labo.
So the information is inconclusive, however here is a product from Amazon that will put my mind a rest.
