In fashion, details are everything. So while it may seem ridiculous that trends even exist for ways to decorate the tough bits of keratin protruding from a persons finger, the truly fashion-conscious will always remember that fashion merely exists in generalities; it thrives in detail.
How to File and Buff Your Nails
Just thought it would be a useful opening.
Make sure you have: nail clippers, an emery board (no metal nail files unless you want to shred your nails to pieces), a nail buffer with at least 3 types of grain, and preferably some kind of hand and nail moisturizer. Cuticle oil is optional, but I highly recommend it.
1) Wash your hands/nails. If you have a nail care kit, this is where you use the brush to get the grime from under your nails.
2) Dry your hands thoroughly: you dont want to buff or file nails after a bath as this will cause the nails to flake
3) Trim your nails with nail clippers, but leave enough nail to file later
4) Sweep the emery board across the top of the nail again and again. If you want a square nail, sweep it straight across the tip of the nail. If you want a curved shape, gently slide the emery board across each corner. The file should only lightly touch the nail. Do not file along the side of your nails, but rather slightly underneath it so you dont get a rough edge.
5) If you're going to polish your nails, you don't need to buff them.
6) The course surface of a buffer is used to remove ridges, the smooth surface gives the nail a shine, and the third is generally a final polish. There are some buffers with 4 sides though, but those will often tell you in what order to use the sides.
7) Move the course surface across the nail horizontally. Stop when the ridges are smooth. Don't buff ridges more than once per month or you will end up with excessively thin nails.
8) Buff them to shine
9) Use the final side of the buffer to complete. You can do this every week to keep them shining.
10) Use moisturizer
Note: Do NOT cut cuticle. Some people say trimming them is okay, but I say best avoid it as this can cause them to overgrow. Instead invest in cuticle oil (it's usually not very expensive) and use tools to push them back. You should do this before you buff your nails.
Furthermore, clarifying a popular myth: While keeping your nail polish in your refridgerator will prevent decoloration due to reduced solvent evaporation, putting a highly flammable fixture in a sealed box with a motor is never a good idea, so just be safe and put your nail polish in a dark, cool spot.
Winter 2010 Trends
Nail colors this winter are very dark, from the classic black to darker hues of red, blue, and purple. Metallic finishes or anything with a slight shimmer are preferable, however, just like everything else, you should consider what color works for you best. If you have darker skin tones a strong black nail polish or an aubergine with a slight shimmer will work well. If you have a tan complexion, a deep purple or red with a metallic shimmer will flatter your olive complexion. Finally, if you have fair skin, shades of blue or red's with a brownish tint will allow you to exercise these trends without seeming gothic.
If you're a little more conservative and black is too strong for you, nudes in opaque are bold but still natural.
The nail shape for 2009-2010 seems to have shifted from the square shape to more of a squoval (I know, cool word), 'natural' shape. Keep them short-medium: you don't often have easy-to-maintain fashion trends, so take advantage of it!
Designs
Half-moon manicure, or “reverse French mani”, hit the runways for Fall 2009 (e.g. Christian Dior) and seems to still be lingering around for Winter 2010. Designs for winter tend to be bold and simple, so half-moon manicures are probably the most elaborate nail design you'll be seeing this winter.
Nevertheless, I have my own creative explorations.
Please excuse my blurry photos :/
Piet Mondrian
This is my staple nail design. I discovered my love for Piet Mondrian some years ago and thus as a means of minor procrastination decided to use his designs for my nails. I consider this fashion move to be a sign of genius in me and thus you'll find it difficult to effectively insult me when I have bothered to do this nail design.
Here I try to attempt a Jackson Pollack-esque nail design, which I snagged from Seventeen magazine a couple years back, but of course they did it better.
Brands
Regardless of the brand, you should have at least a transparent top coat to avoid chipping. However, if you really want a good nail polish, Revlon and Lakme seem to be the top brands in nail polish. But really, anything as long as it isnt dirty-cheap will be fine.
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Sources: Videojug
www.Rechargespa.com
http://beautify-flr.blogspot.com/2009/10/nail-trend-fall-and-winter-20092010.html
http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/val_omag_200711_polish
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ERIKA
How to File and Buff Your Nails
Just thought it would be a useful opening.
Make sure you have: nail clippers, an emery board (no metal nail files unless you want to shred your nails to pieces), a nail buffer with at least 3 types of grain, and preferably some kind of hand and nail moisturizer. Cuticle oil is optional, but I highly recommend it.
1) Wash your hands/nails. If you have a nail care kit, this is where you use the brush to get the grime from under your nails.
2) Dry your hands thoroughly: you dont want to buff or file nails after a bath as this will cause the nails to flake
3) Trim your nails with nail clippers, but leave enough nail to file later
4) Sweep the emery board across the top of the nail again and again. If you want a square nail, sweep it straight across the tip of the nail. If you want a curved shape, gently slide the emery board across each corner. The file should only lightly touch the nail. Do not file along the side of your nails, but rather slightly underneath it so you dont get a rough edge.
5) If you're going to polish your nails, you don't need to buff them.
6) The course surface of a buffer is used to remove ridges, the smooth surface gives the nail a shine, and the third is generally a final polish. There are some buffers with 4 sides though, but those will often tell you in what order to use the sides.
7) Move the course surface across the nail horizontally. Stop when the ridges are smooth. Don't buff ridges more than once per month or you will end up with excessively thin nails.
8) Buff them to shine
9) Use the final side of the buffer to complete. You can do this every week to keep them shining.
10) Use moisturizer
Note: Do NOT cut cuticle. Some people say trimming them is okay, but I say best avoid it as this can cause them to overgrow. Instead invest in cuticle oil (it's usually not very expensive) and use tools to push them back. You should do this before you buff your nails.
Furthermore, clarifying a popular myth: While keeping your nail polish in your refridgerator will prevent decoloration due to reduced solvent evaporation, putting a highly flammable fixture in a sealed box with a motor is never a good idea, so just be safe and put your nail polish in a dark, cool spot.
Winter 2010 Trends
Nail colors this winter are very dark, from the classic black to darker hues of red, blue, and purple. Metallic finishes or anything with a slight shimmer are preferable, however, just like everything else, you should consider what color works for you best. If you have darker skin tones a strong black nail polish or an aubergine with a slight shimmer will work well. If you have a tan complexion, a deep purple or red with a metallic shimmer will flatter your olive complexion. Finally, if you have fair skin, shades of blue or red's with a brownish tint will allow you to exercise these trends without seeming gothic.
If you're a little more conservative and black is too strong for you, nudes in opaque are bold but still natural.
The nail shape for 2009-2010 seems to have shifted from the square shape to more of a squoval (I know, cool word), 'natural' shape. Keep them short-medium: you don't often have easy-to-maintain fashion trends, so take advantage of it!
Designs
Half-moon manicure, or “reverse French mani”, hit the runways for Fall 2009 (e.g. Christian Dior) and seems to still be lingering around for Winter 2010. Designs for winter tend to be bold and simple, so half-moon manicures are probably the most elaborate nail design you'll be seeing this winter.
Nevertheless, I have my own creative explorations.
Please excuse my blurry photos :/
Piet Mondrian
This is my staple nail design. I discovered my love for Piet Mondrian some years ago and thus as a means of minor procrastination decided to use his designs for my nails. I consider this fashion move to be a sign of genius in me and thus you'll find it difficult to effectively insult me when I have bothered to do this nail design.
Here I try to attempt a Jackson Pollack-esque nail design, which I snagged from Seventeen magazine a couple years back, but of course they did it better.
Brands
Regardless of the brand, you should have at least a transparent top coat to avoid chipping. However, if you really want a good nail polish, Revlon and Lakme seem to be the top brands in nail polish. But really, anything as long as it isnt dirty-cheap will be fine.
---
Sources: Videojug
www.Rechargespa.com
http://beautify-flr.blogspot.com/2009/10/nail-trend-fall-and-winter-20092010.html
http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/val_omag_200711_polish
---
ERIKA
Diggin' that Mondrian style. I've been thinking about getting a belt buckle like that.
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