NAIL CARE
Do It Yourself French Manicure
Ooh La La ... 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!
More Tips For Nails
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.
Nutritional Steps to Healthy Nails
What you eat will reflect on the health of your nails, too.
Lack of vitamin A and calcium causes dryness and brittleness.
Lack of protein, folic acid and vitamin C causes hang nails.
White bands across the nails are caused by protein deficiency.
A lack of sufficient hydrochloric acid can cause splitting nails.
Insufficient intake or vitamin B12 can lead to excessive dryness, very rounded and curved ends and darkening of nails.
Insufficient zinc can cause development of white spots on the nails.
Cuts and cracks in the nails may indicate a need for more liquids.
Red skin around your cuticles can be caused by poor metabolism of essential fatty acids.
Here are the guidelines to follow for improving the health of your nails:
Eat a diet composed of 50% fruit and raw vegetables in order to supply necessary vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Eat foods rich in sulfur and silicon, such as broccoli, fish and onions. Include foods rich in biotin such as soy, brewer’s yeast and whole grains.
Drink plenty of water and other liquids.
You may supplement your diet with royal jelly, spirulina or kelp, which are rich in silica, zinc and B vitamins and help to strengthen your nails.
Drink fresh carrot juice daily, this is high in calcium and phosphorus and is excellent for strengthening nails.
Eat well and your whole body will be better, healthier, more beautiful!
