Entries from June 2007 ↓

Attract some attention with a wild and crazy style ? be it zebra stripes, metallic glints or otherwise. Perfect for a night to the clubs or a date out on the town. Do a quick version of a French manicure by painting the base coat of A Girl?s Night Out Styles here!your nails in a neutral tone, such as a salmon color. With a white hue, once dry, paint the tips of your nails carefully and as uniformly as possible. This works best if you are able to grow your nails out a bit so you can use your natural nails? anatomy as a guide. Glitter and glamour ? Choose a base color to use on all of your nails to complement your outfit. Allow that coat to dry ? paint another coat if necessary. Once the nails are smudge- proof, take a glass coat of clear gloss or a sparkle coat that matches the chosen color and add your own special touches. Dark blue and black look very nice with silver glitter, red with gold glitter, though the combination possibilities are endless. These glittery styles may complement wedding apparel, semi-formalwear and even casual attire. To save even more time, apply a clear coat to your nails each day to protect the polish from chipping. Experiment with decals and nail transfers if you are not up for designing your own artistic themes. Be creative, do not get discouraged and remember, the more practice you get, the easier it will become each time you try a new style!

For any enquiry or if you would like to get your nails groomed, give us a call or visit our salon! Our details can be found on this web page - Manhattan Nails Contact Page

How To Do Your Nails Fast

When you are in a rush, decisions have to be made. Prioritize.
Do you shape or polish? Do you quick-dry or go the long, slow route?

New formulas allow for snap decisions: Speed-dry enamels are worthy of their name (you can open mail, search for keys, or put on your tightest long-sleeved shirt within seconds), but there’s a downside: “As fast as they dry, that’s as fast they chip,” insists manicurist Anne of Manhattan Nails, so save them for emergencies.
Eke a few extra days out of a fast-dry manicure by doing a daily touch-up with a quick-drying coat. In the other corner, there are strong, chip-resistant formulas - the torttoise of the polish race. To pick up the pace of these tougher enamels, like L’Oreal Shock Proof, carefully submerge freshly painted nails in a bowl of ice-cold water for 30 seconds to harden still-groopy polish. Light or sheer shades are best for hasty manicures, Anne says. “You can even get away with just a wide stripe down the center” rather than painstakingly painting the entire nail. If a manicure is beyond the repair of a topcoat or two, face facts and call in the remover. You can keep single-use packets of nail polish remover (Cutex and Get Fresh make them) on hand so you can strip away color on the run. When there is no time for polish, just clean underneath the nails, rub on a buffing cream, and shine them with a chamois buffer.

For any enquiry or if you would like to get your nails groomed, give us a call or visit our salon! Our details can be found on this web page - Manhattan Nails Contact Page

A lack of zinc and iron can make them brittle, says the nutritionist. If one has terrible nails ? they peel constantly, break and are quite soft. Nothing you have ever done has helped, not even a pregnancy. You try to eat as healthily as possible and include lots of dairy in your diet as well as lean meat, chicken and fish. What could you do that will improve their condition? Brittle nails are often thought to be the result of calcium deficiency, but in fact the nail contains very little calcium and the problem is more likely to be caused by lack of zinc. Meat, shellfish, fish,crumbly cheese and eggs are all good sources of this mineral. While wholemeal bread, wholegrain cereals, nuts, seeds like pumpkin, and certain vegetables, eg, courgettes, marrow and asparagus, also contain zinc, these foods unfortunately also contain phytates, which reduce zinc absorption. Many women are unaware that taking the Pill can also affect the amount of zinc taken in by the body. As a lack of zinc can lower your libido, this may explain why some women say that they lose interest when they are on the Pill. (The same effect on zinc levels and libido can be observed with long-term use of the antibiotic tetracycline, which is used as a treatment for acne.) So the first step is to boost your intake of zinc-rich foods. It is also worth finding out if you have an iron deficiency. This can be pretty common after pregnancy, as your baby will have been draining your reserves. A lack of iron can cause iron deficiency anaemia: the symptoms include feeling tired (although with a baby, who doesn?t?), looking pale and brittle nails. Your doctor can do a simple blood test to check your levels of haemoglobin (the pigment in the blood that carries iron around the body) and your body?s store of iron, or ferritin levels. Incidentally, low ferritin levels also account for many women losing their hair. Increase the amount of iron-rich foods in your diet ? this means lean red meat,liver,eggs, green leafy vegetables, pulses, lentils and dried apricots. Eating vitamin C-rich foods at the same time will help to ensure that your body absorbs plenty of iron (good sources of vitamin C include berries, oranges and kiwi fruit).Caffeine interferes with iron absorption, so try to avoid having it with meals. Also avoid excess alcohol, as brittle nails may, in extreme cases, be a sign of an unhealthy liver ? though I doubt that this is true for you. I think that the main problem is that your pregnancy has drained you of your zinc and iron stores. And finally, many people have little white flecks on their nails ? this can be a sign that the nail has received a knock, but it may be worth looking at your zinc intake, too.

For any enquiry or if you would like to get your nails groomed, give us a call or visit our salon! Our details can be found on this web page - Manhattan Nails Contact Page

Use these tricks to get perfect colored polish for your toes and fingers.

1. Moisturize cuticles. Cuticle oils penetrate the skin bed best. Check out prices here:Compare Prices. Don’t have cuticle oil on hand? Use a rich hand cream like Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Hand Cream or even lip balm.

2. Prep nails by filing. File nails in an oval shape just like the curve of your nail base. Square tips could make your fingers look chubby.

3. It’s important to wipe nails with a nail polish remover before applying polish even if you aren’t wearing polish. Why? Oils left on the nail (like the hand cream or lip balm) will keep polish from sticking.

# But don’t clean nails with cotton balls. Why? They’ll leave little fuzzies on your nails. A better option is to use a makeup sponge.

# Wrap the tips of your nails with polish. When applying polish, be sure to bring it over the front edge of the nail and slightly under the tip. This helps prevent chipping.

# If the polish chips, it’s best to remove the paint from the nail and start over. If you don’t have time, dip your finger in nail polish remover and smooth over the chipped area and re-apply a topcoat.

# Smudged your polish while painting? Try this trick: dip your finger in nail polish remover and use it to smooth the surface, repainting with a topcoat.

# The secret to keeping nails from smudging: Dry time! Surfaces will feel dry to the touch after 10 minutes, but don’t be fooled. It actually takes an entire hour for nails to completely dry.

# When a nail breaks, the best thing to do is to cut it off. But here’s a trick if the break is low down (& painful, undoubtedly): cut a tiny strip of gauze from a teabag, place it over the tear & the paint over with polish.

# To maintain a fresh polish, add a fresh layer of topcoat every other day.

# How long should your manicure last? Experts say one to 2 weeks. A pedicure should last 2 to 4 weeks.

A couple expert tips we’ve learned over the years:

1. Want to ensure your nails are the right shape? Line each finger up with its opposite, cuticle-to-cuticle.

2. Fingers stained from nicotine, berries or too dark polish? Take a whitening toothpaste

3. Two thin coats are better than one thick coat. You’ll find it dries faster.

For any enquiry or if you would like to get your nails groomed, give us a call or visit our salon! Our details can be found on this web page - Manhattan Nails Contact Page

Some quick tips to help: -Yellow Nails - Soak your nails in one-fourth cup of bleach mixed with one-half cup of water. -Not Quite Dry - Coat wet nails with cuticle oil and cover your nails with plastic wrap. -Polish Smudge - Moisten the pad of your finger with polish remover and tap lightly to smooth it out. -Chipped Polish - Moisten your finger with polish remover and quickly swipe over the chipped area to smooth out the edges. -Broken Nail - If the break isn?t too low, carefully cut the nail, file it, and trim the other nails so they?re of equal length. For a big break apply a couple of drops of nail glue to the surface of the nail. Let set and hold the break in place for about a minute. Reapply glue and cover the nail with a piece of tea bag or tissue. Let dry, and then buff excess off.

For any enquiry or if you would like to get your nails groomed, give us a call or visit our salon! Our details can be found on this web page - Manhattan Nails Contact Page

How To Do Your Nails Fast

When you are in a rush, decisions have to be made. Prioritize.
Do you shape or polish? Do you quick-dry or go the long, slow route?

New formulas allow for snap decisions: Speed-dry enamels are worthy of their name (you can open mail, search for keys, or put on your tightest long-sleeved shirt within seconds), but there’s a downside: “As fast as they dry, that’s as fast they chip,” insists manicurist Anne of Manhattan Nails, so save them for emergencies.
Eke a few extra days out of a fast-dry manicure by doing a daily touch-up with a quick-drying coat. In the other corner, there are strong, chip-resistant formulas - the torttoise of the polish race. To pick up the pace of these tougher enamels, like L’Oreal Shock Proof, carefully submerge freshly painted nails in a bowl of ice-cold water for 30 seconds to harden still-groopy polish. Light or sheer shades are best for hasty manicures, Anne says. “You can even get away with just a wide stripe down the center” rather than painstakingly painting the entire nail. If a manicure is beyond the repair of a topcoat or two, face facts and call in the remover. You can keep single-use packets of nail polish remover (Cutex and Get Fresh make them) on hand so you can strip away color on the run. When there is no time for polish, just clean underneath the nails, rub on a buffing cream, and shine them with a chamois buffer.

For any enquiry or if you would like to get your nails groomed, give us a call or visit our salon! Our details can be found on this web page - Manhattan Nails Contact Page

Brittle nails are simply nails that have dried out to such a degree that they are splitting or simply snapping off.This is a common problem for a lot of women, but if you know what is causing it, you are that much closer to fighting back.

Known Causes

* -contact with harsh household products

* -low grade polish removers

* -metal nail files

* -chlorine from swimming pools

* -shortage of calcium or essential fatty acids

* -products containing formaldehyde

Tips that Can Help

* -Use polish removers no more than once a week. The low grade polishes I mentioned above can be extremely drying and have the strength of paint strippers in some cases.

* They can also remove the microorganisms that are necessary to healthy nails. Look for removers that are oil based.

* -Massage the nails with castor oil. After a month or two, you should notice a difference. Olive oil is another inexpensive way to moisturize dehydrated nails.

* -Give your nails a break from daily use of polishes. Let them breathe as much as possible. Rubbing the surface of the nail with your fingertips can not only stimulate circulation but leave each nail with a healthy glow.

Foods That Can Help

1. Salmon

2. Tuna

3. Shrimp

4. Trout

5. Cauliflower

6. Liver

7. Milk

For any enquiry or if you would like to get your nails groomed, give us a call or visit our salon! Our details can be found on this web page - Manhattan Nails Contact Page

The condition of our nails speaks volumes about us. While you or I may pay scant attention to our nails, others will. Think of the nasty nails you’ve seen on display in open-toed shoes and you know what I mean. Showing off out-of-style nail trends also says a lot about us — mostly that we don’t subscribe to fashion magazines. When was the last time you saw a model with a French manicure or nail art?

Nail Art
I sincerely hope no one orders a hit on me for saying this, but nail art is tacky. A painted flower on one big toe is cute because it’s dainty and unexpected, but ten fingers decorated in swiggles, lightening bolts or glued-on cubic zirconias are wrong.

That said, if you love nail art (in some parts of the country, such style is incredibly sought after). There are loads of ideas for nails.

French Manicures
People think French manicures are a classic style but I agree with the editors of a major beauty magazine (the name of which I can no longer remember) who stated quite firmly that French manis are declasse.

Even tackier than French manicures? French pedicures. Find out what happened when I said that on a blog in May, 2006. More than 50 people wrote in the comments section either agreeing or vehemently disagreeing with me.

Fingernails of Varying Lengths
This is a major fingernail faux pas of which I am constantly guilty. It is a big no-no to leave one’s house with unkept nails of varying lengths (I will never forget the day my friend Deirdre took one glance at my hands and said, “That’s just wrong.”).

At any given time, one of my nails will be legions longer than the other nails, no two of which are the same length. This is because I have nails of varying strengths. If I let them grow, only the nails on my pinkie and ring fingers would make it to Guinness Book of World Record length. My thumbs? Not a chance. They are always the first to break.

Long nails in general are not popular right now. Even if you have fingernails that are strong as horse hooves, you should aim for a short, rounded nail.

Unkept Nails
Chipped nail polish isn’t cool. If you are like me and are too lazy for proper upkeep, skip the color and try a clear polish.

Also falling under “unkept”: Chewed nails. To stop biting your nails, invest in a manicure. You’ll think twice before gnawing on your $20 investment. Plus, nail polish doesn’t taste good.

So what type of nails are in? Short, rounded nails. Squares were popular for awhile and are ok, but rounded is really the way to go. Paint nails a bright, dark, opaque (my fave) or clear. Bare nails are also OK if you are too busy for manicures or inately lazy like me.

For any enquiry or if you would like to get your nails groomed, give us a call or visit our salon! Our details can be found on this web page - Manhattan Nails Contact Page