Tips For Keeping Your Nails In Great Condition

How do you get really stunning nails? Well! There is no magic involved. Here are a few tips that will help you to keep your nails in good shape and they will look great too:

• You can apply some nail varnish remover just prior to coloring your nails. You can use the varnish even if you don’t need to remove your old polish. The main function of the varnish is that it will make your nails look better by removing any kind of dirt or grease. This will also help the nail polish to last longer and not ship off.
• French manicure is considered as the best treatment for your nails. There are times when you might have problems in achieving the right and the most perfect type of French manicure. In such a scenario what you can really do is use a white nail pencil just underneath your nail tip instead of the white polish you have been using so far. This will make your French manicure much easier.
• Always ensure that the waiting time after application of a nail varnish is long so that each layer gets enough time to dry. This will also ensure that you get a lasting finish.
• To remove excess nail varnish, always use a cotton bud to remove it from the top of the bottle. This will basically prevent the nail varnish bottle from getting glued shut
• There is several beauty and cosmetic companies that sell nail polish with matching lipstick colors too. Using the same color on your nails as is the color of your lipstick will definitely enhance your overall appearance. Alternatively, you can even use nail colors that are in contrast with the lip stick colors.
• It is always better to apply numerous thin color coats as compared to a single coat of thick color. Numerous thin coats mean that the nail polish will last longer.
• Avoid removing and then reapplying nail polish more than twice a week. If you remove and apply nail polish thrice or 4 times a week then it will make your nails dry. You can get a remover that has a built­in moisturizer so that you can protect your nails from drying.
• You should give your hand and fingers a little massage from time to time so that the blood circulation is maintained. Good blood circulation means that there will be good nail growth.
• The simplest is the solid color manicure. It employs the use of mild solid nail colors and basic neutrals.

The most important thing is that you should eat healthy so that the color of your nails doesn’t become yellowish. As long as you maintain a healthy diet with lots of vegetables and fruits, your nails will look beautiful, healthy and will have a pink tinge to it. To make your style statement bolder, you can wear a different color on your finger nails as compared to your toe nails. At the end of the day, coloring your nails is just another way of pampering your self.

Do It From Home: Manicures and Pedicures

When you need to do manicure or pedicure at home, it is very important to have knowledge of it in general, and the requirements in particular. If you feel the need of a system of manicure / pedicure and wandering, then the following mentioned system would be of great help to you. So for creating a perfect manicure / pedicure system at home, you will need the followings:

•          1 pack of cotton balls
•          1 polish remover
•          1 emery board
•          1 nail trimmer
•          1 cuticle remover
•          1 bottle fingernail polish
•          2 toe separators
•          2­5 paper towels

Now you definitely would be interested to know, how the above mentioned items will help you in doing manicure / pedicure.

Nail Polish Removal

Take cotton balls as many as you need them, soak each finger well with nail polish remover, so that your fingernails true color start appearing. Use a very less quantity of nail polish remover to remove the nail polish. Since nail polish is extremely drying, never soak the nail in it, especially the cuticle. Keep the good contacts of your nails with the nail polish.

Soaking and Removing Cuticles

Your cuticle is like a foreskin. It is found at the bottom of your nail, where fingernail cartilage and skin meets. To remove cuticle, soak your nail in warm water for 3 minutes or less. Now use cartilage remover to push the cuticle down.

Trimming Your Fingernails

To trim out toenails, use nail clippers. To reshape or shorten nails, simply use nail clippers. If your nails are hard, soak them in water before trimming. If you have soft nails, do not trim after bathing or washing, because in doing so you may cause damage, which sometime may lead to infection. Do not cut too short toenails, because doing so increase the chances of developing in grown toenails.

Filling Your Nails

Use emery board to make your fingernails smooth and good looking. You can use emery board to smoothen the ends of your fingernails. Do not use emery board to scrap your natural nail surface at all. This will make the nails surface rough.

Exfoliating & Moisturizing Hands and Feet

Now use sugar wash to massage your feet, legs, arms and feet. Rinse your hands first and then use pumice stone to rub away callus and other rough surfaces on the bottom of your feet. Now, rinse the scrub of your feet and legs. Now, use moisturizer or some other soothing cream for your hands and feet that may heal a cracked and rough dry skin.

Polishing Nails

Remove excess moisturizer using polish remover. Polish your nails and dry them between coats, preferably minimum of four coats. If you have weak or brittle nails, place one or two coats of ridge filling nail polish on the nail as base coat to shore up the nail. Two coats of a colored nail polish are next, followed by a topcoat to add luster. Use foam toe separators to fingers, while polishing. Allow drying the polish.

Artificial Nails: Perfect Nails, Every Day

False or artificial nails are the perfect solution for many “nail events” in your life. They are a perfect solution for replacing a broken nail. They are great as a temporary fix until your own nails grow out. And they are there – instantly. What is more, they can be applied yourself at home and, provided you select the right size and do something creative to eliminate the plastic look, they can appear entirely natural and convincing.

False nails can be applied professionally in the salon, or you can apply them at home using widely­available nail enhancement kits. They come with their own adhesive and are easily cut and shaped to the style you want.

So, assuming you want to fit the nails yourself, how do you get started? Here are the six simple stages:

1. First, clean and dry your own natural nails. Then file and shape them in preparation for attaching the artificial nails.

2. Then – very important – choose the right size artificial nail for each finger. File the edges if necessary to get an exact fit.

3. Now spread a thin layer of nail adhesive over the whole area of your natural nail that will be in contact with the artificial nail.

4. Position the artificial nail such that it is very close to, but not touching, the cuticle. Then apply a light pressure to the top for a short time to allow the glue to take hold and set.

5. Once the nail is set firmly in position, file off any rough edges.

6. Apply two coats of nail varnish of the color you require, then finish off with a layer of topcoat to

seal it.

It’s recommended that you don’t wear artificial nails for more than a few weeks at a time – say a month maximum. Then remove them and give your natural nails a chance to breathe and refresh their growth.

It’s also important that you always use proper nail adhesive and never just ordinary glue you might find around the house.

To remove artificial nails, soak them in a non­acetone polish remover until they start to dissolve and come away. It’s very important to avoid acetone and other chemicals with an acetone­base. They will damage the surface of the nail, affecting the shine and also thin and weaken the nail plate.

Also, don’t try to peel off the artificial nails without first soaking them in polish remover, and certainly never, ever try to break them. This could result in serious damage to your own nails below.

Following the simple steps and guidelines given here, wearing artificial nails will be not only a simple and trouble­free process but also a delight to behold!

What’s A Manicure?

A manicure is a cosmetic beauty treatment for the fingernails and hands. A manicure can treat just the hands, just the nails, or both. A standard manicure usually includes filing and shaping of the nails and the application of polish.

As part of the manicure, treatments for hands usually include soaking in a softening substance and application of hand lotion. The word “manicure” comes from the Latin manus, meaning “hand,” and cura meaning “care”.

The process for a manicure begins with ensuring that the working area and tools are sanitized and conveniently located. This might include sanitizing the working surface, such as a table top, placing clean metal implements into a jar with sanitizing liquid, and having sanitized towels and such near the working area.

Normally a manicure starts with sanitizing of the subject’s hands. Old nail polish or artificial nails are removed. The hands are then cleaned with soap and hot water and rinsing with hot water.

During the next phase of a manicure, the fingernails are then trimmed and filed to the desired length and shape using a fingernail file. Metal nail files can be used for rapid removal of nail material, however, fine glass files are preferred. Disposable two­sided emery boards can also be used.

Proper filing technique starts with the file at the outer edge of the nail, moving towards the center.

This is repeated from the other side of the nail to the center. The file should not be moved back and forth in a saw­like motion.

The cuticles are then pushed back with a cuticle pusher. A cuticle pusher is simply a wooden stick with a flat end, sometimes wrapped in cotton. Metal cuticle pushers should be used with great care, as they can damage the fingernail matrix. Orangewood is the preferred material because of its softness.

In this phase of the manicure, the fingernails are polished with a polishing board made of hard foam, paper, or plastic. A softer foam layer is added to each side, and fine polishing surfaces are placed on the foam.

To conclude the manicure, in most cases, the manicurist applies at least one layer of either clear polish meant to strengthen weak nails or several layers of color polish and top coat. A manicure is usually finished with a hand massage using hand lotion or oils.