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.