Playing with designs

Finding myself with the luxury of extra time means that I have been able to think more about different designs and colour ways. Pink, gold, silver, and anything sparkly remain firm favourites of mine. I also like green with pink - not an immediately obvious partnership but one I think works incredibly well!
Have a look, see what you think. If you have any ideas you think I could try let me hear them!

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Nail bites - Trick to disguise an outgrown manicure

If you aren’t too confident about removing your own gel polish, this may be for you.

You might have a week or so’s nail growth but the gel polish itself still looks good.
Try applying a coat of glitter polish to the base of your nails - you will have a gorgeous sparkly reverse glitter ombre!
So you can still look beautiful, as well as being bang on trend, until you can see your Nail Tech.

Proud to be a Nail tech

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07727 110413

Nail Bites - how should I file my nails?

I, like many of you, am trying to keep busy, trying to keep some sort of routine. Some work in the morning, a walk after lunch, and return to work. It is important to achieve something each day! 

It is equally important to look after ourselves too, and this includes your hands and nails. Your nails are Jewels not Tools!

Keeping your nails filed to a smooth shape is important. 

When filing your nail do not saw back and forth! However tempting this may be for a quick result.

Start from the side of the nail and file towards the centre, gently lifting the nail. Repeat for the other side of your nail. You will then be able to shape your nail. 
Using this technique is far less traumatic to the nail and will help to preserve its strength. You may find that this leaves ‘feathers’ - tuck the tip of your file under the nail and flick these bits aside.

If your nails are very short, it is still vital to look after them to nurse them back into shape. A gentle file and some TLC will encourage them to grow.
And of course, after filing your nails treat them with cuticle oil and handcream. Take this time to really indulge your nails and hands - they deserve it! 

Stay safe & healthy.

Proud to be a Nail tech

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Info@nailstoyou.uk
07727 110413

Nail Bites - Can I remove Gel Polish at Home?

Key workers, home workers, people in self-isolation - none of us can get out to a beauty salon, and beauticians cannot get to you for your regular manicure appointment. 
But you have a gel manicure which looked fantastic when you had it done, and still looked great 10 to 14 days later. But after that? You might have some chips at the ends of the hardest working fingertips, or some growth at the base of your nails. My nails grow very quickly so any re-growth becomes apparent pretty quickly! 
So can you remove the gel at home? The good news is: yes you can! You will just need a little patience.

For each nail:

1. Using a coarse nail file, gently buff the gel surface - you just need to remove the shine and break the surface down, don’t file to the nail itself.
2. Soak a cotton ball or lint-free wipe in acetone. This isn’t regular nail polish remover, it needs to be pure acetone. (Nail polish remover contains acetone, but it is very diluted.)
3. Place the soaked cotton wool firmly on your nail and secure with a square of kitchen foil. This might take some practice to get it right - fold the foil over the nail, and wrap the ends around the nail, ensuring the cotton wool is secured against the nail.
4. Some people say that you can soak the whole finger tip in an acetone bath, which is fine, but remember that acetone is extremely drying so you will need to  treat your fingers to replace that lost moisture.
5. You will need to leave the nail in acetone for around 15 minutes, so take some time to read, or watch something on TV, with a cuppa ... 
6. When you remove the foil and cotton wool, the gel should slip off. If it is stubbornly sticking to your nail, push off as much as you can (without scraping the nail itself) with an orange stick, and reapply the acetone soaked cotton wool and foil - leave for a further five minutes. 
7. Once the process is complete, all the gel will be removed. It is worth noting that this process can take longer if the gel has been on for more than two weeks. 
8. Now you will need to give your nails some TLC! Apply cuticle oil, massage it all around each nail. Apply hand cream. You should apply cuticle oil at least twice a day, whether you have gel polish on or your nails are natural. You can apply your own polish immediately, but your nails will benefit from a day or two’s rest and plenty of luxurious TLC.

Amazon, eBay, and other online stores are invaluable right now, and they are the perfect places to find the essentials you need for you home manicure. There are plenty of products out there - but read the reviews before making your choice! If you can’t make up your mind which to go for, please contact me and I will be able to advise you.

I hope this has been helpful ... 

Proud to be a Nail tech

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Info@nailstoyou.uk
07727 110413

Nail Bites - Black Beauty

I was looking for some drama in my designs. Black isn’t something that I would normally wear, but coupled with some interesting designs it is stunning! 

I tried these two to start: 

• An abstract feather in red and white, pulled in an arc across the nail, adds a strong, unusual accent to the nail. This could be repeated on a full set, or used as an accent. Being abstract, the design would be slightly different on each nail - adding to the drama and intrigue!
• A simple shiny black gel, with gold foil in a zigzag design. I like it placed towards the free edge of the nail, but it could just as easily be placed elsewhere. Again, this could be the accent nail, or one of a full set - the placement could vary for different nails, or be very uniform - oh the drama! 

I could also add some of my favourite pink ... which would also look stunning against the black!

What do you think about these designs?

Proud to be a Nail tech

www.nailstoyou.uk 
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07727 110413

Nail bites - Baby Boom

What a beautiful morning! And so many of us will have time to enjoy the sunshine in the garden.

I have been busy experimenting with colours and techniques - its great to have the luxury of time to be able to do this. So I have dug into my stocks and found some great ideas!

Pink is one of my favourite colours, as you know! And I adore The Manicure Company’s Baby Boom. And I enjoy adding decorative touches, so I thought I’d try something a little different.
So I created a variation on the classic French Manicure using a gold tip, which is a very wearable twist on the classic.
On the other swatch, I used a decal - pretty white flowers with some tiny sparkly stones - perfect as an everyday design, just like wearing jewellery everyday!
Either of these designs could be worn by a bride on her wedding day.

Stay safe everyone. And big thanks to all those people fighting the virus and looking after us.

Proud to be a Nail tech

www.nailstoyou.uk 
Info@nailstoyou.uk
07727 110413

Nail bites - Broken Nail

It’s been a lovely sunny weekend!

I went to Aldi (other supermarkets are available) for a few things. I wanted a box of wine - its great value and a decent wine too. The shelves were sparse but not empty ... there was just one box of my wine, right at the back of the bottom shelf. I knelt dawn and reached under, grabbed the box with my little hand and started to pull it towards me. It was going well, but then oh horror the box slipped .. I managed to keep a hold and brought it out. 

Got all my shopping loaded and paid for, got home and noticed I had broken my thumb nail in the incident. Not just a little tear - it was a split right in the middle of the nail! Oh no! All the way down to the thumb itself! 

I’ve had to file the nail right down - there’s no point in trying to keep the length, it could easily get caught and break even further.

So my lovely long and strong nail is now a very short and stubby nibble of its former self. 

I’ve treated it with cuticle oil, and moisturiser, and my CND Rescue treatment with Keratin. All in the hope of helping it to grow as quickly as possible!

Have a great day all, and stay safe!

Proud to be a Nail tech

www.nailstoyou.uk 
Info@nailstoyou.uk
07727 110413