Glitter Got You Down?

Who doesn't love the sparkly luster of glitter nail polish? It's like jewelry for your nails. However removing the hardened lacquer is enough to keep many enthusiasts from indulging in some glittery goodness. Thankfully there is a trick to hassle-free removal:

-Rip two or three cotton balls (depending on the size) into 10 equal strips.
-Soak each strip in nail polish remover (or pure acetone - it will work faster).   
-Place one on each nail, pressing down so the cotton covers the whole nail.
-Wait two to three minutes and gently wipe the softened glitter polish away.
-Finish by rubbing a little cuticle oil on each nail as polish remover and acetone are very drying.

I Was Made for Loving You

When I think about creating nail art, the things that inspire me are the things that I love. So when I discovered a client's mutual love of the band KISS, I immediately thought of the Dynasty album cover and was inspired to create some badass band member nails for her.

When the hottest band in the world learned of my hand-painted nail designs, they featured it on their official website.

Lights...Camera...Mani!

 Jazz up a simple manicure with some striping tape and a glitter polish from the same color family. If you don't layer your glitter polish too thick it will actually be more chip resistant than regular polish.

 Here I added a little flair with a non-traditional glitter chevron French. Always remember to cap the free edge and use a high quality top coat that provides both durability and shine!

Polish Like A Rock Star

Why not pay tribute to your favorite rock star with your mani? Nothing is more rock and roll than a little drama and flair on your nails! For this look, my muse was my client's favorite singer, David Bowie and more specifically the cover of his Aladdin Sane album.

Using the photo as inspiration, I hand-painted the lightning bolt design on the nails with a striping brush. Anything can inspire nail art, so the next time you watch your favorite movie or hear your favorite song, etc - think about how you can visually translate the things that you love the most to wear on your nails. Develop a style that is uniquely you!

A Monster of a Manicure

With my favorite holiday coming up in a few weeks, I thought I'd revisit some nail art that I created for my Halloween costume last year. I was Ms. Freddy Krueger and created some pointed red and green striped nails to match Freddy's iconic sweater. The red was an old Sally Hansen color that I decided to finish off and I custom mixed the green to get the exact shade that I wanted.

Of course, there are another set of nails that Freddy Krueger is famous for - and I had those too!

Be creative, have fun! Try matching your manicure with your Halloween costume this year!

Bespoke Color

All of us have nearly used up bottles of nail polish lying around that will eventually dry out. Why not channel your creativity to combine two or three partial bottles of polish instead of letting them go to waste? You can create some amazing new colors!

Tips

·         Mix polishes that are within the same color family – the combinations tend to come out prettier that way. For example, try reds and pinks together. Or, darker blues and lighter blues.   

·         Add a few drops of your favorite polish thinner to the partial bottles before mixing them together. This will help to thin out the consistency, as older polishes tend to become thicker when exposed to the air.

·         When mixing the polishes, gently roll the bottle between your palms instead of shaking it (which will create air bubbles). 

·         Be sure to document the polishes you blend for your personal records so you can recreate the new colors if so desired.

·         If you're a Nail Tech, name your new color! Let your clients know that this is a “custom” color that will only be available for a limited time.

Simple DIY Tea Bag Nail Repair

This is a simple DIY nail repair trick that I have been using for years. It's great for the those that need an urgent fix for their own nails, but I've also found it to be invaluable as a professional Nail Technician when I'm working on the set of a film or photo shoot where there isn't time to do a full silk or fiberglass wrap.

Supplies:
·         paper tea bag
·         nail file
·         buffer
·         tweezers
·         nail glue

Steps:
1. Trim and file nail if necessary.

2. Cut the top off of a paper tea bag and pour out the tea. You can also use a coffee filter in an emergency, but remember it is thicker and will require more buffing to prevent the seams from showing.

 3. Tear (do not cut) a small piece of the empty tea bag into a patch to cover the break in your nail. Cutting the patch will leave a ridge along the edges, while tearing allows the fibers to seamlessly blend into the nail.

4. Place a small dot of nail glue over the break in the nail and use the tweezers to place and press the patch down over it. The patch will absorb the glue and form a bond to the nail over the break.

5. Once dry, gently buff over the edges of the patch to blend it into the nail.

6. Finish with a clear top coat or to hide the patch, polish your nails as usual with a base coat, two coats of color, and a top coat.

Voila! You have a perfect manicure once again and the offending break is reinforced while the nail has time to grow out. You can remove the patch easily with nail polish remover or leave it in place until the break has grown out enough for you to clip and file the nail.