Glitter Polish

Nothing adds sparkle to the fun and flirty fashion of warm weather quite like glitter polish. Summer is full of picnics, barbecues, and trips to the beach, so what better way to accessorize than with a spectacular mani and pedi that will have you twinkling right alongside the crystal blue water and glimmering night sky? An added benefit -- glitter polish is super durable and lasts longer than traditional polish, especially on your toes. This look is a fashionable favorite of celebrities such as Katy Perry, Nina Dobrev, Jennifer Lopez, Vanessa Hudgens and Pink. To glitz up your manis and pedis, try any of Deborah Lippman's amazing glitter polishes (my personal favorite is "Happy Birthday").

The Key to Color Blocking

Keep clients excited with your services by constantly incorporating the latest and most popular trends in nail art design. Geometric patterned nail designs are a go-to manicure trend among celebrities who enjoy pushing the fashion envelope including Fergie, Solange Knowles and Katy Perry. The technique is often called “color blocking” – a simple way of creating patterns that place complementary blocks of solid color next to each other to construct eye-catching designs. For even more pizzazz, different finishes or textures, such as glitter or beads can also be included. This is a style that is fun to wear and ranges from minimal and simple to highly elaborate. Now there’s no excuse not to get into shape!

Make It Metallic

The hottest trend on the streets, in magazines, and on the celebrities since Spring 2010 are super shiny metallic nails. Stars like Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Beyonce have been rocking glimmering metallic nails in both solids and prints over the past couple of years. This look can be accomplished a number of ways -- at home with metallic nail polish or full cover metallic nails sold in stores like Sally Beauty and Ricky's in a brand called Nail Bliss. In the salon, there are more options to acheive this look including nail lacquer, nail wraps such as Minx or Dashing Diva Design FX, and UV gels. Why not be bold and daring this Spring/Summer and shimmer with eye-catching metallic nails?

The Kiddie Nail Craze

Nail services for children have been rising in popularity for some time now, especially with the birthday party set of little princesses that want to get pampered and polished in style. However, child stars and the children of celebrities have recently taken nail services for kids to a whole new level with dramatic style and flair for girls and boys alike. Little Suri Cruise prefers simple polished manicures in pretty pastel shades, while teen pop sensation Willow Smith delights in imaginative 3-D embellished acrylic extensions. The new kid on the block that has everyone talking is Gwen Stefani’s fashion-forward son, Kingston Rossdale. Kingston’s multi-color manis and pedis were the talk of the town and a bold move for him when he began sporting them as a mere five-year-old. Like his fashionable Mom, Kingston has a flair for style and often sports designer duds and a highlighted faux-hawk.

Half & Half For A Whole New Look

Half and Half manis are picking up momentum because there are so many variations on the theme and the color combinations are truly endless. The simplest ways to achieve the look include the straightforward vertical and diagonal styles: the nail is segmented into two halves with color or designs. The more sophisticated half and half look involves taking the curve out of smile lines and using straight horizontal lines across the nail to separate colors and designs for a two-tone look that can be accented in numerous ways. Celebrity fans of this trend include Keri Hilson and Amerie.

Jungle Fever

The lovely ladies of stage and screen are simply wild for animal print nail art. Fun and sexy, this look has a veritable treasure trove of styles ranging from zebra and giraffe to a plethora of jungle cats. Celebrity enthusiasts of this look include Ke$ha, Fergie, Rihanna and Katy Perry, who often like to take it to the next level by mixing their animal print nail art with shimmering metallic polish and glitter. So go on...get your animal print nail art on!

Chipped Manicures

Back in 2008, the New York Times reported that chipped manicures were a hot new trend, but the look faded from popularity before it had a chance to go mainstream. Fast forward to 2010 and the chipped manicure once again made waves in Europe after being sported in saucy shades of red by the editors of Vogue and Elle and on this side of the pond by Tibi designer, Amy Smilovic. Ms. Smilovic went so far as to post her inspiration for the look on the Tibi Facebook page with pictures of a mangled mani she paid for at a nail salon and news quickly trickled down to several fashion blogs. It is unlikely that this look will ever truly catch on outside of the punk/goth scene, but stylish celebrities such as Taylor Momsen, Paris Hilton, Miley Cyrus and Jessica Simpson have already been caught rocking this trend – though whether they are intentionally going for this look or are in serious need of a proper manicure is unclear. However, keep in mind -- a flawless manicure will NEVER go out of style!

Lace Nails

Not since Madonna’s 1980’s fingerless lace gloves has lace as a hand accessory been such a sensation! Lace Nails are achieved by cutting thin pieces of lace material and affixing them to the natural nail with nail adhesive. They can then be polished over with a clear coat for a long lasting, shiny finish, sealed with UV gel or left bare for a short-term matte effect. The color, texture and pattern of the lace contribute to the vast variety of options for implementing this look. The nature of the process ensures that no two nails will be exactly alike, which is enticing to those looking to make a unique statement with their manicure. Lace Nails have been spotted on the red carpet upon fashion-forward celebrities such as Blake Lively and Jennifer Lopez, among others.

Blackberry Bling

In this technological age, it seems like everyone is incessantly typing away on their iPhones and Blackberries, as texting has become the preferred means of communication. Along with progress, must come style and “Blackberry Bling” is the fearless fashionista’s way of making more than one statement while texting. The idea is to polish the four fingers of the hand one color and then the thumbs in a different, yet complimentary color or use glitter and gems to embellish them. This makes the thumbs stand out from the rest of the hand, as they are the fingers used to type when texting. An alternate variation is to paint the ring fingers to match the thumbs. This is a fun and flashy look for clients looking for something bold and unique in their manicure.

Mommy & Me Manis

Reinvigorate your service menu with a super-hot service offering that’s taking salons by storm. “Mommy & Me” Manicures are all the rage from Hollywood to the biggest cities and smallest towns. A perfect mother-daughter bonding activity, an indulgent trip to the nail salon is high quality girl time with perks! Little divas know well manicured fingers and toes are an ultra chic accessory for any outfit. Celebrity mother/daughters hooked on this practice include Jennifer Garner & Violet Affleck, Kate Beckinsale & Lily Sheen, Katie Holmes & Suri Cruise, and Tish & Miley Cyrus.

White Is Where It's At

White isn’t just for before Labor Day anymore, and as a nail color, ultra stark-white is sexy, glamorous and edgy. Whether worn by demure damsels Scarlett Johansson and Natasha Bedingfield, or by fierce fashionistas like Lady Gaga and Gwen Stefani, the versatile, eye-catching qualities of white polish such as Deborah Lippmann's Amazing Grace cannot be denied. Even guys are getting in on the white trend – 30 Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto has been known to rock a white polished manicure. Matte or shiny on fingers or toes – white is where it’s at.

Crack-tastic Nails!

For a brief moment back in the early 1990s “crackle” nail polish came and went as a beauty trend without much to make it memorable. However, the idea has been vastly improved upon and has recently re-emerged as a fashionable and chic manicure trend. The process involves using two contrasting coats of specially formulated nail polish that “cracks” letting one color show through underneath the other. It's a simple way to achieve a complex-looking nail art pattern. For about a year the trend was gaining momentum in Europe, but it was very hard to obtain the polish in the United States.

Soon thereafter, celebrities like Katy Perry took notice of the fun and edgy look and influenced several American brands to produce their own lines of crackle polish. She released her own version of "shatter" polish with OPI in 2011 to great success and almost all of the major professional and retail lacquer companies have since released their own versions. Some brands are difficult to work with and it's hard to get a smooth even coat of it on nails, so a little practice with it goes a long way. Also, don't try to thin out these products with nail polish thinner! The formula will lose its ability to crack or shatter if thinner is added to it. Love the look, but hate working with the thick and clumpy formulation? Try Dashing Diva's new DesignFX nail appliques (available only to professional nail technicians) which are available in a multitude of patterns -- including several crackle designs.

Red Pedicures: Super Classy & Ultra Chic!

There is nothing quite as timeless as the classic red polished pedicure, so make sure you've got a killer one in your repertoire. First popularized in the 1940’s thanks to sultry screen sirens such as Marilyn Monroe, red polish attained icon status as the staple for fun and flirty pedicures.

Seventy years later and this look is still super classy and ultra chic! Modern red polished pedicures know no rules and the variety of shades are rivaled only by the unique women that wear them. Celebrities such as Megan Fox, Keira Knightly and Kate Bosworth own this look that works for both femme fatale and innocent ingénue alike. Red polish is available in a multitude of shades and finishes and can be dressed up with glitter and jewels or toned down with a matte top coat.

How to Nail Halloween

It is no secret to anyone that knows me...Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday. The costumes, makeup and nails blend together beautifully on that one night of the year where everyone gets to partake in the magic of make-believe. Ever since I was little, I've looked to Hollywood for fun, fashionable and frightful Halloween-inspired nails to complete my transformations. Classic film and television characters are always popular inspiration for costumes and no look is complete without the proper manicure to put the finishing touches on it. Those that always made an impression were the wild and wicked Morticia Addams and Lily Munster, who always rocked pointed red stiletto nails to compliment their goth ensembles. My personal favorite, Queen of Halloween Elvira's nails are always long and rounded in a shiny black hue. Those with a softer sensibility, such as fairies and princesses can take their cues from "I Dream of Jeannie" with her flawless French Manicure. And for costumes that don't have a specific "nail-look" to reference? Follow the lead of Halloween enthusiasts Kim Kardashian and Heidi Klum, who always tailor their manicures to complement their specific choice of costume. 

Mad About Mad Men

I know that I'm a little late in jumping on the bandwagon, but I was recently introduced to the wonder that is AMC's Mad Men by my glorious sister (who knows my taste in television so well!). For those that may not know, the show is set in Manhattan during the 1960's at a Madison Avenue advertising agency. Besides the intriguing storyline, fantastic period clothing and vintage props, the first item to really capture my attention was of course, the nails!

How fabulous are housewife Betty Draper's perfect pink oval-shaped nails? They are always flawlessly manicured and complement her clothing and accessories with panache. Even prim and proper Peggy Olsen's nails are obviously well maintained, though she has yet to sport nail polish even once throughout all four seasons of the show! Then there's sultry Joan Holloway with her lovely red talons that just ooze sex appeal.

Betty Draper (January Jones), Peggy Olsen (Elizabeth Moss) & Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks)

Not only do the main characters get to wear stunning 1960's style manis -- the supporting female characters get in on the action too. Next door neighbor and fellow housewife, Francine Hanson is always elaborately coiffed and manicured with full face makeup. Young wife Trudy Campbell is fresh-faced and smartly dressed with a mani to match her proper Manhattanite outfits. By far, the glitziest nails on the show so far belonged to Bobbie Barrett -- one of Don Draper's short-lived trysts. She rocked a solid gold metallic manicure to match her cocktail dress in true classic Hollywood style.

Francine Hanson (Anne Dudek), Trudy Campbell (Alison Brie) & Bobbie Barrett (Melinda McGraw)

Of course, there is an amazing woman behind the fabulous nails of Mad Men! Series costume designer Janie Bryant is the creative mastermind behind all that goes into creating the phenomenal period costumes, hairstyles and nails for the show. Her eye for detail is nothing short of genius! In the fall of 2010, Bryant paired with Nailtini of the 'Tini Beauty Lounge cosmetic brand to create a limited edition set of Mad Men nail lacquers inspired by the lush and luxurious fabrics popular in the 1960's. Since liquor is practically a supporting character on the show, a cocktail-themed nail polish line makes perfect sense!

The limited edition collection features four luxuriously opulent hues. Bourbon Satin (chocolate mousse brown), French 75 (micro glitter gold lamé), Deauxville (metallic platinum silver), and Stinger (iridescent green/black chrome). It's been sold out in stores for quite a while now, but I did a little research and found it can still be purchased online at Amazon.com, among others.

Limited Edition Fall 2010 Collection

Due to the success of their first collaboration, Nailtini released a second nail lacquer collection created by Janie Bryant for the Spring of 2011 called Garden Party. This second vintage-inspired spread includes four shades fit for a Sterling Cooper company picnic! The collection is comprised of Garden Jubilee (gold shimmer), Blue Carnation (milky blue/gray), Blushing Lady (baby pink), and Admiral Perry (patent leather royal blue).

Garden Party - Spring 2011 Collection

Word is that due to contract disputes between AMC and Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, the highly anticipated 5th season of the show isn't going to premiere until some time in 2012. Until then, all we can do is indulge our obsession by watching re-runs on Netflix while wearing our Mad Men Nailtini nail colors!

Katy Perry's Smurf Nails Steal the Show at NY Movie Premiere

Precious few celebrities know how to accessorize quite like the ever glamorous and eye-catching Katy Perry. Mere clothing is heightened to an art form when combined with the right accessories – and that includes nails, of course!

This past weekend, Mrs. Russell Brand glittered like no other on the red carpet of the New York premiere of The Smurfs movie. Rocking newly blonde locks and some 1970’s inspired eye shadow, Katy was decked out in her smurfiest finery, including a bedazzled Smurfette dress by The Blonds and Christian Louboutin heels in that beloved shade of cartoon blue. By far, the detail that pulled the entire ensemble together was her magical manicure created by the fabulous Pattie Yankee-Williams of Dashing Diva Professional. Each nail is a tiny work of art featuring images of the film’s characters, including the iconic Smurf vixen, Smurfette, aptly voiced by Perry in the film.

Thrilled with the finished results of her coordinating mani, Perry tweeted a photo of her nails before the event! Once again the combination of Katy Perry’s fearless style and Pattie Yankee-Williams’ creativity and skill is a winner, hands down!