Home
Manicure
Remove old nail polish with a single stroke by soaking
a cotton wool pad with nail polish remover. Wipe away
traces of polish around the cuticles stick dipped in remover.
Using an emery board, shape nails lightly, working from both edges towards the centre. Avoid moving the board back and forth quickly, which produces heat that dries out the nail and leads to splitting. Try holding the emery board at a single angle under the nail. Don't file down the sides- the nail tip needs the sides as support, otherwise it will weaken and nicks form.
Apply a cuticle remover around the nail contours. Using the tip of a cuticle stick wrapped in cotton wool, gently push back the skin. Work away dead tissue before carefully passing the stick under cuticles.
Wash your hands in warm soapy water, and brush nails with a soft manicure brush so that polish will adhere to them properly. Pat hands dry with a towel.
If nails are weak, apply a strengthening or hardening product, paying special attention to the tips. Allow to dry.
Apply a protective base coat, covering the entire nail but stopping short of the cuticle.
Apply two coats of polish, starting with a single stroke down the center of the nail, then across the cuticle base and down the two sides without touching the cuticle. Allow each coat to dry.
Finish with a top coat for extra gloss and the shield against chipping.
For optimum skin and nail health, check that your diet includes plenty of vitamin A, E and B complex, and the minerals calcium, Zinc, magnesium and iodine. If need be, take nail-fortifying vitamin and minerals supplements.
Thirty-minute pedicure
 Clean
toenails and remove all traces of polish with a conditioning
remover, as described for the manicure.
Cut toenails using a nail clipper and file into the desired shape using the rough side of an emergy board. Hold the board slightly angled down over the edge of the nail. Smooth the edges towards the center with a light motion; don't cut or file them always as this weakens the nail and can lead to ingrowing toenails.
Lightly massage the nail contours with a cuticle oil or cream.
Place both feet in a bowl of warm water into which you have added a handful of bath salts or a few drops of pure essential oil such as peppermint. Soak feet for five to ten minutes.
Dry feet throughly with a towel and apply a drop of cuticle remover to the nail contours. Leave it on for a few minutes while you smooth away any hard skin or callouses on the soles of your feet using an exfoliating cream. Then gently 'roll' the cuticles back with a manicure stick covered with cotton wool. Massage hard skin again with the scrub, then rinse off in the warm water.
Rinse your feet in cold water to boost circulation. Dry them again with a towel, paying special attention to the skin between your toes.
Clean your toenails again with a cotton pad soaked in remover to take off any oily film.
If required, apply a hardening formula to the toenails, taking care not to let it touch the cuticle or the surrounding skin.
Apply a base coat, followed by two coats of polish, ans finally a top coat, as described for the manicure. Placing cotton wool between your toes separates them to make applying polish easier.
The cuticles on toenails are so tough, it's important to work on them with a cuticle remover at least once a month, paying particular attention to the little toe, which usually suffers the most. If you have a dry skin on your feet, the best way to remove it is with a scrub cream, which will leave your feet smoother and well conditioned or best of all, use pumice stone for smoothing those rough patches.
Do
It Yourself French Manicure
 Want
professional looking nails without spending your day’s
pay in the salon? With some practice and a little patience,
you can enjoy fancy nails anytime you want for only
the cost of your nail polish!
Their pale
pink base and bright white tips characterize the
ever-popular French manicures, which are a common request at
nail salons everywhere. Professional nail stylists may paint
your nails alone or they may apply fake tips if you desire.
Based on your personal preferences, a nail designer will
give your nails a strengthening and conditioning workout
prior to painting them. If you get your nails done with fake
tips, you may have to make a trip back to the salon to get
your French tips “refilled” when your nails have grown
noticeably.
Keeping
longer, healthy nails will be most conducive to sporting a
French manicure. To complete your own French manicure, begin
with the following steps to prepare your nails for the
procedure.
Using a
cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover, wipe off any old
nail polish prior to painting nails. Wash hands and soak in
warm water for a few moments.
With an
orangewood stick, gently push back the cuticles so they are
all even with each other once the water has softened your
skin.
With nail
clippers, beauty scissors or a nail file, shape your nails
evenly.
With a
steady hand, carefully paint only the tip of each nail with
a white hue. A second coat may be desirable, depending on
the thickness and opaqueness of the polish. Allow polish to
dry between coats.
Using a
slightly transparent pink or nude color, paint the entire
nail once the tips have dried. A second coat may be
necessary. Allow nails to dry thoroughly.
 Once
all the coats have dried, apply a clear topcoat to protect
your new French manicure. To lengthen the manicure’s
lifespan, make an effort to paint a clear coat on each
night. Be sure it has ample time to dry completely.
If you are
feeling especially creative and ambitious, kick off your
shoes and match your tootsies to your fingertips!
This
procedure is best performed on a lazy morning or evening
when no other pressing errands or tasks will get in the way.
After painting your nails, avoid doing things with your
hands while they dry.
For an
easier painting technique, check the beauty section of a
drug store or superstore for a French manicure kit. The set
should contain, at the very least, nail polish in white and
pink or beige and a clear topcoat. Some manicure sets - like
COVERGIRL’s French Manicure Kit – will contain tiny, sticky
nail guides. These make the manicure process 100 times
easier by allowing you to place the guides on each nail
individually, leaving a small margin where the polish can
spill outside the tip without tainting the rest of the nail.
As the
holidays approach, let your crazy side out by concocting a
wildly modified French manicure - green and white for St.
Patrick’s Day, pastel shades for Easter, black and orange
for Halloween and red and green for Christmas. Have fun and
remember, even if you find the do-it-yourself French
manicure difficult at first, practice will provide you with
the skills you need to create beautiful and perfect
manicures all year long!
Quick and Easy Designs for Stylish Nails
Whether you have a hot date or a job interview, a wedding or
a casual night out at the bar, get creative and try some new
styles for your nail painting needs. Follow the following
quick and easy tips to achieve a glamorous look in only
minutes!
Basic Hues:
Perhaps the simplest style of them all is the basic
solid color manicure. For open-toed shoes, be sure to
apply a coat of the same color to your tootsies to accent
your outfit and make you feel even more stylish and
sexy. Basic styles in neutral and mild tones work very
well for first impressions. Save the black and silver
for future engagements.
Choose a color that complements the clothing you intend to
wear. If the outfit is patterned, pick a shade that appears
within the design a bit less than the other colors and use
that same shade of nail polish to emphasize that hue.
For an even more fashionable look, do your nails in the
solid color and allow them to dry completely. When they are
finished drying, use a thin brush or a toothpick with a
different color and trace a diagonal line going the same way
on each nail. Try to make them as uniform as possible, and
as you become more and more adept at painting extra designs,
create your own styles for fun.
School Spirited:
 If
you are still in school or attending college, an exclamation
of school pride would wear well on your nails by painting
them in your school colors. You can do this in one of
many ways:
-
Alternate the colors by painting each nail
entirely with one color and doing the next nail in the
next school color. For example, if your school colors are
blue and white, start with blue on your thumbnail, white
on your index finger, blue on your middle finger, and so
forth.
-
Paint the nails all the same solid color, and
once completely dry, paint the tips the other school
color.
-
Paint all nails one color, and using a toothpick
or very thin brush, sketch a phrase or “GO (mascot or
school name)!” on your fingernails if it fits.
-
Get creative and make up your own… draw swirls,
try to paint your school mascot, etc.
A Girl’s Night Out Styles:
 Attract
some attention with a wild and crazy style – be it zebra
stripes, metallic glints or otherwise. Perfect for a
night to the clubs or a date out on the town.
Do a quick version of a French manicure by painting the base
coat of your nails in a neutral tone, such as a salmon
color. With a white hue, once dry, paint the tips of your
nails carefully and as uniformly as possible. This works
best if you are able to grow your nails out a bit so you can
use your natural nails’ anatomy as a guide.
Glitter and glamour – Choose a base color to use on all of
your nails to complement your outfit. Allow that coat to dry
– paint another coat if necessary. Once the nails are
smudge-proof, take a glass coat of clear gloss or a sparkle
coat that matches the chosen color and add your own special
touches. Dark blue and black look very nice with silver
glitter, red with gold glitter, though the combination
possibilities are endless. These glittery styles may
complement wedding apparel, semi-formalwear and even casual
attire.
To save even more time, apply a clear coat to your nails
each day to protect the polish from chipping. Experiment
with decals and nail transfers if you are not up for
designing your own artistic themes. Be creative, do not get
discouraged and remember, the more practice you get, the
easier it will become each time you try a new style!
Beautiful Nails Made Easy
 Everyone
wants nails to be proud of so if yours are less than
perfect here are a few quick tips to get them in great
condition in no time.
1. Apply nail varnish remover before doing your nails even
if don’t need to remove any old polish, it prepares the
nails by removing any grease so that your polish will last longer
2. If
you’re having trouble achieving the perfect French Manicure
try using a white nail pencil underneath the nail tip
instead of white polish you’ll find it’s much easier
3. Give
your nail varnish plenty of time for each layer to dry to
ensure a lasting finish. If you’re likely to get impatient
waiting around opt for a quick drying formula like
Lancome Vernis Instant Magnetic or L’Oreal Jet
Set
4. Always
wipe the top of the nail varnish bottle with a cotton bud to
get rid of any excess polish, this will prevent the bottle
from becoming glued shut
5. Lots of
beauty companies have nail polishes available with matching
lip colour for
whose seeking a totally co-ordinated look, ask at your local
beauty counter
6. Remember it’s much better to apply lots of thin coats of
colour rather that one thick one, it will dry quicker and
last longer
7. Try not to remove and reapply polish more than once or
twice a week, as it will dry out your nails. Choosing a
remover with built in moisturizers will help limit the
damage
8. A hand massage will boost your circulation
and encourage nail growth and is the perfect way to
pamper yourself.
|
