Ugly Vintage: September 2012

A good friend of mine told me once that the key to looking your best was to have perfectly groomed eyebrows but I think to look perfectly polished you must have clean nails! I really do think this is true. Ill see women with their nails chipped and just think "wow she must not be very clean" before I even can stop myself. On the other hand I see people with perfectly polished hands and cant help but think how put together they are. This doesn't just include polished fingers but even bare nails that are clean and even. Iv found some nail tips to keep your hands looking perfect!

1st.
Chipped or uneven nails are never pretty.

These nails need love

I don't care how long you want them to be. If your nails have jagged edges or you have several different lengths on all your fingers it looks like you wont spend a little time loving yourself. I'm guilty on this one! However, spend a few minuets one time a week making sure you pamper your hands and nails I mean they do so much for you every day!

2nd.
Long nails aren't for everyone.


Cute, clean, short nails

Sadly this includes myself. why you ask? If you have thin, or dry nails they just break easily and its a lot of work to grow them out. You can always try treatments but sometimes it is best to work with nature instead of against it. Also, did you know it has been a trend to have short nails?! They look more clean and less stripper-ish than a 2 inch nail!

3rd.
Are you one of those ladies that cant grow their nails out but just has to have long nails?

There isn't a problem with that either! There are a lot of styles that you can accomplish with acrylic nails. Round and squared edges are the most popular but lately I have been seeing a lot more nails coming to a point.

Rounded

Squared

Stars are sporting pointed nails

When getting acrylics keep in mind a few things. Are you gonna do them your self or go to a nail salon? If you do them yourself make sure to practice and have to routine down. I have several friends who have cosmetology licenses and still prefer to go somewhere to get them done. When you go to a salon you need to choose someone who has some kind of license to do them. They have been trained to properly do your nails as well as keep their tools clean.

A clean and organized salon

Next, you need to think about the commitment you are going to make. Acrylic nails cost money and it is a routine you will be repeating often for fills and replacements. If you do decide to take them off your nails underneath with not be perfect and will need extra love until they grow out. Acrylics can be very damaging to your real nails. Last, Think about how long you want them. This is actually a big deal. How do you want your nails to make you come across? Sometimes your acrylic nails can actually be too long for you. When you cant pick up small objects and seem to be stabbing people its time to trim them down. What ever the case nails should never be longer than the width of you thumb pad. You don't wanna look scary to children!


How long does the polish take to dry on those?

3rd.
Gel nails and gel polish is a new fad that I am loving. A lot of the same rules apply as the do for acrylics when looking for a salon but gels are not as damaging to your nails. For gel nail services beware! If the salon uses a powder to apply a gel nail it isn't a true gel. Another problem is that some products are rumored to melt and make strange wrinkles in gel.

Gel nail

I personally like gel polish. I works the same as nail polish but it makes your nails stronger and it lasts for 3 weeks. I had some that lasted so long I had to take it off finally due to my nails growth! The gel polish does leave the nail underneath dry sadly and can't add any length to the nails at the time of service. It is kinda hard to find if you wanna do it yourself but I think its worth it. Gel polish also doesn't work like traditional polish either. It should done useing a curing method so once your done curing no dry time is needed. Good bye messed up polish!


Gel polish

4th
To make any manicure look its best you need a clean canvas. Make sure you spend time taking care of those hands! Cuticles need to be pushed back and hangnails need to be cut.