Technique
Design #21: Starry Night (designed by Christie Gibson)
Before using reverse application, sculpt a thin transparent free edge with Speed Clear flush to the natural nail. Build the body of the nail with Cover Peach.
Counteract Dark Spots
Redbook magazine suggests the use of a daily hand scrub to counteract dark spots on hands in 43 Ways to Look Younger.
Design #20: Laced Flowers (designed by Christie Gibson)
Before using reverse application, sculpt a thin transparent free edge with Speed Clear flush to the natural nail. Build the body of the nail with Cover Peach.
MInx Owners Featured in NY TImes
Minx owners Janice Jordan and Dawn Lynch-Goodwin talk to the New York Times about the history of Minx and how the ultra-popular service became such a hit. Celebrity manicuirst Lisa Logan talks about the fame from Minxing celebrities and how Beyonce's Minx manicure helped her become an overnight success.
Design #19: Neon Impressions
Before using reverse application, sculpt a thin transparent free edge with Speed Clear flush to the natural nail. Build the body of the nail with Cover Peach.
Design #18: Neon Leopard
Apply a thin layer of Speed Clear to the body and free edge. Apply a thin but opaque coat of Metallic Pearl from cuticle to free edge.
Design #17: Paisley Pool (designed by Christie Gibson)
Fade Jet Black at the tip or cuticle area.
Design #16: Lemonade Ice
Before using reverse application, sculpt a thin transparent free edge with Speed Clear flush to the natural nail. Build body with Cover Peach.
BeautyTech.com Sponsors Online Contest For High-Tech Nail Artists
Sponsored by WWWeb Services and BeautyTech.com, the 2010 Strut Your Stuff Nail Art and Enhancement Contest will feature two categories: Enhancement and Mixed-Media Nail Art. There will be a junior and senior division in each category. The contest takes place on the BeautyTech website and runs from October 1-31, 2010.
Files, Buffers, and Grits, Oh My!
Top nail competitor Lynn Lammers offers an excellent description of filing grits, and how best to use them in this excerpt from her online NAILS blog, Competition Insider.
Easy Prints You Can Do At Home
Young Nails educator G. Elizondo has perfected using shrunken-down printed images that she embeds in nail art. The images are made on her printer by her daughter, and the quality is pretty good, making current pop culture nail art an easy feat.
Perfect Lines on Gels for Nail Art
Gina Silvestro, educator for Akzéntz, offers this advice on how to get clear and crisp lines on gel nail art. “I’ve been doing this for a few months now, and people can never figure out how I get such clean lines with gel art. When using gel for art and designs, it can be very difficult to achieve fine lines because if you brush gel art onto the tacky layer of gel it often spreads.
Hand and Nail Harmony Reveal Gel
Reveal by Hand and Nail Harmony are UV- or LED-cured gels that bond to the natural nail using a fused keratin bonding system without the use of harsh acids for retention. With whites, clears, and pinks, these gels can define any look, and with the faster cure times of LED lights techs can save up to 20 minutes on total service time.
Warm Milk and Mud Pedicure
Toronto-based Featuring...You Salon & Spa demonstrates how to perform a warm milk and mud pedicure.
Sweet Sherbet Pedicure
Stylux Beauty Salon, based in Glendale, Calif., demonstrates how to perform a Sweet Sherbet pedicure.
Behind the Scenes: A Long Overdue Appointment
Five years ago, Patricia Yankee was named NAILS' Nail Tech of the Year in 2005. Part of her prize included a trip to California to do the cover nails for NAILS Magazine. We never seemed to be able to settle on a date that worked for both of us. And all of a sudden, it was five years later and we were still trying to figure out a good time for her to come out. Thankfully, it all came together this past June.
The St. Petersburg Stiletto
Elena Maltseva is a nail artist from St. Petersburg, Russia, who educates all over the world. She is an expert in gels, acrylics, and hand-painting, and is especially good at combining all three together to make spectacular nail designs. Maltseva has chosen an acrylic design here that is simple, yet very expensive-looking and rather easy-to-complete.