Manicures are a super fun way to express yourself and your style. It is an easy way to add a pop of colour to your outfit or look professional. Having nice looking nails is always a good thing. It is an easy way to look professional and put together.
French Manicures
People can use manicures as a fashion statement. They are the perfect way to pull an entire outfit together and complete it. There are so many different options out there and so many different designs that can be done. Everyone has their own personal favorite, their go-to manicure look. For many people, their go to is a French manicure. This is where pale pink polish is used as the base coat and it is finished off with white tips. This is a very classic look and it can look good with any outfit! This particular look actually makes nails look longer and more sophisticated. If you are in need of something that goes from every day to dressy and professional, this look is perfect for that! You can wear it during the day, for job interviews, and red-carpet night outs. The possibilities are endless!
Heavy Duty Gel and Shellac Nails
If you are the type of person who is constantly using their hands, and aren’t too particularly careful with them, then shellac and gel nails are for you! These can take a beating and make it out unscathed. They are scratch, crack, and break resistant. Perfect for the person who wants to have nice nails but doesn’t have time to be too careful with them. This manicure will be able to last two or three weeks before you should go get them redone. Your nail will grow out before the polish chips or cracks! Gel and shellac require a few layers to be put on and cured with a UV light. These polishes are so tough, that you will probably need them to be taken off by a professional. Otherwise, you risk severely damaging your nails if you try and take them off yourself. These heavy-duty industrial nails are completely worth the cost! You will not be disappointed with them!
Complementing Your Skin Tone With Colour
Sometimes using colours can make or break your look. Not all skin tones look good with certain colours. If you choose the wrong colour for your skin tone, this could lead you to looking sickly, instead of incredible. Using a bold colour can go horribly wrong if your skin doesn’t complement it. You might be trying a big bold red, to make a statement, but end up looking ill instead. All skin has certain colour undertones. There are some people who have blue undertones. If this is you, your best bet for nail polish colour is going to be pinks, nudes, deep violets, fuchsias, or even that bold cherry red! For people with olive toned skin, your best bet it to stick with beige, whites, nudes, chocolates, and corals. If you are unsure what colours are going to go well with your skin tone, one way to test them out is to apply the polish to clear tape and stick it to your nails. This way, you can remove it easily. Use good lighting and don’t be afraid to be critical of the colours you are testing out. You don’t want to pick a bad one and have to get them redone or live with them until your next appointment.
Flattering Nail Shapes
There are many different things you can do with your nails. One thing is deciding on the shape. Some people like long, elegant nails, while others like short, practical nails. There are also different shapes that your nails can be, long or short. You can choose from square, round, oval, almond, pointed, stiletto, or coffin. You can also get mixtures of them, such as, squoval (square and oval), square with round corners, or stiletto with square corners. For those who don’t know what a squoval is, it is a square nail with rounded corners. You essentially can mix any shapes you want, it’s all up to your personal preference! Oval is usually the safest shape to go with, if you are unsure what you want. Oval is very flattering for most hands. For softer looks, round shapes are the best. If you want to go for square nails, these look best on long fingers. So, if you have short fingers, square nails are best avoided. If you are looking for an edgy, more daring look, a pointed nail is what you are looking for. This will also make your fingers seem longer.
Polish tips
If you are doing your nails at home and you want them to look like they are lasting a long time, there are a few tricks you can use. Firstly, shimmery or pearl-colored polishes can look like they last a long time. Neutral or pale pinks also hide any nicks or chips that happen over time. When you want to touch up your nails, we advise to use an extra layer of a top coat. Do not use an old clear polish as the top coat. When you apply your polish, put on one thin layer, let dry, add another thin layer, let dry, and put on a top coat. Never just do one thick coat of polish. This is harder to dry and can leave you with lumpy looking nails.
Big and Bold
There are many bold colours out there. You have colours like Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and more. Using these bold colours are becoming more and more popular. Our advice would be to keep your bold colours properly maintained with fresh polish. This makes it so that your statement nails are perfect and remain the main focus of your fashion statement. Keeping these maintained properly means visiting your manicurist more often in order to keep them looking spotless! When you use bold colours, it is easy to see them growing out and if there is ever a chip missing. We would recommend going every 2 weeks, to keep these beauties looking super fresh!
Nail Extensions
These are a great way to lengthen the look of your nails without having to actually grow them yourself. They are also a great way to hide damaged, weak, broken, or uneven length nails. The only downside to these is that you have to get them professionally done. No home jobs for these nails. This means frequent visits to the salon to keep them looking good and natural. These also do have the potential to damage your real nails. We do not recommend getting these done continuously. It is important to take breaks in between acrylic nails. If these get loose, wet, or chipped, they can get water stuck under them, leading to infections if not properly maintained. Also, if you try to rip them off yourself without going to get them professionally removed, you will tear off a layer of your own nail. Leaving them weak and broken.
Artistic Nails
Not everyone likes plain nails. These can get boring after a while. Especially if your personality is not boring. In the world of nail art, there are endless possibilities that you can get done. It all depends on what you want and what your manicurist can do for you. From designs to jewels, to textures, and trends, the possibilities are endless. Some of the popular options today are cracked top coats to make it look like your polish is old paint, different coloured tips, and magnet designs. These are where you can let your true personality shine!
Protect Your Fingers
You might not think about it, but some doctors and people worry about the UV lamps used to dry your nails, causing cancer and wrinkles on your fingers. This worry is for people getting regular nail treatments every couple of weeks, continuously. The UV lamp that salons use to cure the polishes is the same UV rays that the sun produces. We recommend putting on sunscreen before going to your appointment or right before they start doing your polish. Make sure to use a broad-spectrum sunscreen on your hands. If it is possible, depending on what polish you are using, you can ask to let your nails dry naturally instead of using the UV lamp.
Plan for Your Exit
A lot of us have trouble finding our car keys when we are all done at the salon. Rooting through a purse can damage your freshly painted nails. It is important to plan ahead before you need to leave. When you first arrive, make sure to leave out your payment method and your car keys. This way, you don’t have to go looking for them and accidently bump your nails on something. A trick for the winter is to leave your coat on as well as get out all the other stuff at the beginning of the appointment. There is also a protective oil that you can get put on your nails before you need to get up and leave. Anything you can do to lessen the chances of messing up your new nails is something you should think about doing.
Quick Fix
If you ever get a chip or smudge in your nails polish, we know how frustrating this can be, especially if you just came from the salon. Luckily, we have a few tips to help you fix it at home! What you need to do is dab some acetone remover on the problem area and make sure to smooth it over. Let it dry and then put the same colour nail polish over the area. After that, put a new coat of nail polish over the entire nail and finish with a clear top coat. Make sure to let it completely dry for 10 minutes before you go do anything.
Split Nail First Aid
Sometimes, cracked nails happen. It can be from banging it on something or maybe you just have weak nails? Whatever the cause, we can help you fix it! Get a tea bag and cut small strips from it. This is going to act as extra support for when your nail grows back out. Clean and dry your nail, apply a base coat and wet the strips with the same polish, wrap the strips around the nail and let dry. Use a manicure nail file to smooth out the strip and apply another layer of polish. This should hold until your nail grows back out. If you have a really serious crack in your nail, play it safe and go see your doctor.
Protect Your Nails
We know that most people have to do some form of chores at home. These chores can be devastating to manicures. One thing that can help protect your precious nails is gloves. There are different gloves for different chores. You can get gloves for washing the dishes, painting, and gardening. When you need to take stickers off of things, don’t use your nails, use a spoon instead! Also beware of pop cans! Get a soda can opener instead of using your nails. In order to prevent drying out your nails, use a gentil hand wash instead of bar soap. One last thing is to always, always, always, put lotion on your hands. This keeps your cuticles soft and prevents the polish from drying out.
Preventing Nail Infections
Nail infections are something very serious and you should always be aware if anything feels wrong. Every salon is legally obligated to properly clean their tools after every client. This includes washing and disinfecting them. If you are unsure about the sanitary conditions of the salon, we recommend not going, or if you do go, bring your own equipment. If you end up using their tools/products and you feel any itching, burning, or redness, notify them immediately. If you ever get red, sore, or pus oozing fingers after an appointment, you need to see your doctor right away because this could be an infection.
Manicures for All Ages
There is no magic age when people can start getting manicures. They can usually happen with young children and their parents at home. It’s always up to the parents for what age their children get exposed to manicures. This is the same for professional manicures. Most nail salons are safe enough for young kids to get them. This can also depend on how clean the salon is as well. There are even some salons that specialize in kids manicures. Whatever age you deem appropriate for your child to get a manicure, these can be super fun bonding times!
