Nail Care

Taking care of your nails can sometimes seem tedious and time consuming but when you focus on the reward of beautiful healthy nails its all worth it.

Here are a few tips for taking care of your nails at home:


1. Wear gloves when washing dishes and cleaning the bathroom. It protects your nails from becoming soft from water saturation and your cuticles and skin from the harsh chemicals you may choose to clean with.

2. Moisturize. Moisturize. Moisturize! Keeping your nails, cuticles and hands moisturized keeps your nails from getting dry and brittle, your cuticles from splitting allowing bacteria to enter the nail bed and keeps your hands looking young.

Almond oil a great moisturizer for both your skin and nails

3. Choose the correct grit nail file. If feels to rough to

Crystal files work well on natural nails

the touch then its too rough for your natural nail.  If you are unsure of the right grit to choose ask your manicurist or nail tech for advice or purchase one from them. Too coarse a grit can cause serious damage to your nail and set back your progress by months.







4. Don't bite or tear your nails. Doing this could cause damage to your nail bed and in turn cause your nails to grow with slight deformities, limit growth pass the free edge as in the case of nail biters or not at all.
 
I hope these few tips help and encourage you guys to take care of your nails in between visits to your nail care professional. Here's to healthy beautiful nails!

Pregnancy and My Nails

Hey guys, after months of not blogging due to mourning my dad's sudden death and finding out I'm pregnant, I'm back with the  intended purpose of providing you guys with info every 2 weeks.


So my pregnancy has been very interesting to say the least. From getting through morning sickness to having regular doctor's appointments due to my pregnancy being high risk I've been pretty distracted.

  

However I have been lucky enough to experience one of he best pregnancy perks well for me as a nail professional who constantly has her hands in water. Long, hard nails! Something they haven't been since I was a teen (thank you baby!). Well I shouldn't give all the praise to my soon to be bundle of joy.

My nails along with my bump.

Its also due to the steady supply of nutrients provided to me and the baby from prenatal vitamins, extra fruits, generally eating healthier than before and an increase in hormones. Thanks to these factors I'm enjoying longer, stronger and faster growing nails.

One thing I have observed as well is the introduction of grooves on my nail plates which made me a little concerned because I knew that it could be an indication of damage to my nail beds, or an underlying health problem. Turns out it could be due to simply being pregnant or the effects of my kidneys not working as well as they should at this point.

Whatever the reason I'm happy for these healthy even more beautiful nails (minus the grooves) I have now and I am hoping that I can continue to enjoy having them after the baby is born.

Pretty Little Digits

The ladies of  ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars.

Being a lover of the teen series Pretty Little Liars I am deeply engrossed in the styles and relationships of the characters.  What can I say I love the show!

In case you've never heard of Pretty Little Liars or would like to know what all the fuss is about here's my little recap. The show follows the lives of bestfriends Hanna Marin, Spencer Hastings, Aria Montgomery and Emily Fields as they try to figure out who killed their bestfriend and Queen Bee Allison DiLaurentis who went missing a year ago and who"A" really is. The girls learn about different secrets that each of them shared with Allison but "A" has forced them to come clean with each other about.

Now to be quite honest with you at first I was very intrigued by the storyline but as I watched more episodes I noticed the awesome style of each character and that their nails are always well manicured with lovely shades of blues, pinks or dark hues to name a few to compliment outfits and beautify their digits.

So  I've choosen my favourite manicures from different episodes and tried my best to find you similar shades to match the digits of our favourite Pretty Little Liars.

I love how Hanna wears this white polish to get that look try China Glaze's White Out or OPI's matte finish Alpine Snow.

Fresh out of the hospital and Hanna's nails are still nice.

Turns out Hanna is my go to girl for wearing  awesome colours. Try OPI's Breathe Life,China Glaze's Watermelon Rind or  Aqua Baby for a blue that will suit your skin tone.







With all the mystery going on in Rosewood the wearing of dark hued nail lacquers is a great fit! Try OPI's Siberian Nights, Black Onyx, Light My Sapphire, William Tell Me Bout OPI or China Glaze's Evening of Seduction, Cosmic, Meteor Shower, VIII and VII.  I love dark nail lacquers!

The girls at Camp Mona

Reading a text from "A"

If  there are any shades you've caught these pretty little liars wearing share them with us and the makers so that we all can have pretty little digits. :-)

Are You a Minx?

If you haven't tried Minx Nails you are missing out on something SPECTACULAR!  Now my opinion is based on wearing as well as being a manicurist applying Minx to clients.

 In case you are new to the nail world, Minx is a nail coating that has over 250 designs and growing with a high gloss and metallic finish that way surpasses the finish that you get from any nail polish. The designs are absolutely lovely, can inspire or compliment any outfit and it will most definitely bring much attention to your fantastically clad nails!

With the exception of the green you can get Minx in one of these beautiful colours!

What I love about Minx is that it does not chip, or smudge which means you can get your nails done and rummage around in your handbag to find your keys or you can stick your feet right into your enclosed shoes right after being minxed.  I have found that clients have had fewer snags in their nails along with significant growth after wearing minx, this could be partially due to the material Minx is made of (this is based on my general observation after removing Minx from the nails of clients).  

I have gone swimming right after minxing my nails, cooked, walked on the beach and performed other beauty services with Minx, I absolutely love Minx! 

My feet in sea water and after walking on the beach :-)

 Minx can last any where between one to two weeks, which is dependent on many factors the most important being proper application or the type of activities you carry out with your hands, which may cause some fraying at the free edge. Just like any other nail service after home care is very important for example wearing gloves while washing dishes et cetera.

Golden Lightning

Now the greatest plus about Minx? The designs! The intricate details and colours of  these fabulous nail coatings are just awesome! There's Golden Lightning, Camouflage, Blue Lightning Zebra, Cheetah, The Fantastic Flags which features the flags of some of the participating countries of last summer's F.I.F.A World Cup, the Haiti Fundraiser,Chrome Minx collections as well as the new lines by celebrity manicurists For Marian Newman (from England) and Lisa Logan (from the U.S.A.)Collections.

Fantastic Flags Collection - Spain. The winner of FIFA's 2010 Football World Cup

If you want to give yourself a new look, complete the perfect outfit or just treat yourself for your birthday, try Minx Nails they have mastered the way to extend fashion to your fingertips!

For Marian Newman Collection

For Lisa Logan Collection

A Little History on Manicures

A manicure is a cosmetic and relaxing beauty procedure, that is applied to the hands to enhance their appearance, and assist with the overall health of the nails and the skin.

 

 

 

The word manicure is derived from the Latin word "manus" meaning hand and "cura" meaning care. Manicures date back to over 5000 years ago in India, as it spread to other countries the practices and the development of manicures improved and evolved.  Out of this evolution came, spa manicures, the french manicure and the oil manicure just to name a few.

 
In ancient China and Egypt, nails with different lengths and colours showed your level of social status.

 

 

 

Benefits of receiving a manicure include but are not limited to the prevention of hang nails, the increase of suppleness in the skin and the discouraging of wrinkles on the hand.

 

So get on out there and enjoy one of the benefits of receiving this age old skin and nail care remedy or change your look by adding some colour to your hands. I guarantee you'll love it!