Naked Lady

These nail art combines the classic “nude manicure” with the “vintage glamour” of the stones and pearls.

Materials:

Base Coat

Nail Polish in a "nude" shade

Glitter Nail Polish

3mm pearls (I used soft pink and lilac)

1.5mm black stones  

Top Coat

The Base of everything

The First Step: Priming

I refer to “Priming” as the series of steps on the manicure priors to applying the nail polish. This begins with clean, dry hands and nails.

Here a list of the steps and what do they do.

• SHAPE – That’s the first step for strong, healthy nails. If you are unsure of what is the best shape for YOUR nails, please refer to my previous entry. 
• Use nail polish remover (preferably non-acetone) – This will ALWAYS be the SECOND STEP even if you didn’t had nail polish on, to take all the oils off the nail bed so the polish adheres to the nails better, giving you longer lasting polish results. Wipe each nail clean to remove any color and/or oils.

• Push your cuticles – now that you have clean, shaped nails you can push your cuticles with an orange stick. I don’t recommend cutting them because it can cause a series of infections but you can trim any excess skin when you give yourself a full manicure.

Next Step: Base Coat

Nowadays we can find a large variety of “base coats” formulated for different needs and available in every price range. But here is the fact: most of them aren’t real base coats.

Understanding a base coat:

     A base coat is supposed to help the nail polish stay on longer by bonding the polish to the nail bed while preventing nail polish from turning nails yellow and it's meant to be a “ridge filler”. Meaning that if there are any nicks or cuts on the surface of the nail bed it covers them up so that the nail polish on top stays smooth and looks better. A good base coat should also prevent natural nails from breaking.
**** Base coats should dry matte or dull with a tacky finish. They also dry fast. 

Now for the tricky part…..

There are 3 products that have similar functions, but ARE NOT the same and shouldn’t be confused with base coats:

1.  Nail Fortifier – Usually a light colored formula that works best if applied to recently buffed nails to nourish them deeply. This can be presented as a polish or cream.
   
2.  Nail Strengthener – The common presentation is as a clear polish. It needs to be the first coat in order to penetrate the nail making it healthier and stronger while keeping the flexibility.
   
3.  Nail Hardener – Works as a protective layer to the nail that dries hard but the protection only lasts while you have it on because it doesn’t penetrate the nail bed. Can be used alone or as a top coat if you have extremely soft, brittle nails but it’s not recommended as a longtime remedy.

     Now, we see a lot of people using some of those products as base coats BUT they DON’T dry tacky and WON’T help in the polish-bonding process, therefor they won’t make your nail polish last longer. They also lack the “ridge filler” properties of the base coat, so you won’t get the same perfect looking manicure.  So be careful when looking for the perfect base coat because you might find a lot of products that claim to be “base&top coat”, for example, who’s formula will ONLY protect you from the yellow-staining. Or that will claim to be a “strengthening base coat” that may nourish your nails and protect against yellowing but won’t dry tacky, therefor, losing some bonding strength.

     The best way to protect your nails without having to surrender the quality of your manicure is to apply a THIN layer of Strengthener followed by a THIN layer of base coat. This way, you get all the benefits from each product.

Starting from Scratch

***HOLD IT!***

                          Don’t paint your nails just yet!!

     It’s easy to pick a pretty nail polish and put it on, but that doesn’t guarantee a perfect-looking manicure. In fact, that doesn’t even guarantee good-looking nails. Why? Because you must dedicate the same attention to the minor details of the manicure (also applies for pedis) or your hands/nails won’t have a salon-looking finish. Before you paint your nails make sure that they all have the same size and SHAPE!

Yes! That’s one of the most important parts, if you skip this step IT TRULY SHOWS and ruins the look.

Now... About NAIL SHAPES…

     Some nail shapes will work “better” for you than others depending on your natural nail’s shape/ structure and condition because they can help you obtain specific goals either by creating optical illusions or by helping strengthen your nail. Nevertheless at the end choosing the “perfect shape” for your nails is a matter of personal preferences, lifestyle and overall taste.

Here some of the basic nail shapes and their characteristics:

(a) Straight sided with a slightly oval tip - Allow the sides to grow straight and slightly round the tip, this shape provides the maximum support for the nail (as this is provided by the sides of the nails), also if either side of the nail is damaged it can be filed into a slightly oval shape to maintain the length. This shape is perfect who prefer a “classic” look or have fragile nails.

(b) Oval - File to tip of the nail into an egg shape, and file away some of the side of the nails, this does slightly weakens the nails, but is ideally suited to nails that are thick or wide as it gives them a more delicate appearance

(c) Square oval - As above, but followed by squaring off the tip, this gives the nail tip strength over the oval shape. . *In my opinion, the best option for a “bold” woman*

(d) Almond - Thought of as the classical nail shape, the nail is filed away at the sides and softly pointed at the tip. This shape isn’t very strong and if the nail is damaged you will have to take away some length to rectify. Although attractive, this shape does not allow nails to grow to their maximum length naturally but looks very flattering on long nail extensions. *This is my favorite shape! IT"S SO VINTAGE*

(e) Round - Ideal for shorter nails, the nail is allowed to grow out straight at the sides and then the tip is filed into a rounded shape. This is a strong shape, perfect for those who keep their nails short. Just be careful if you have “bold hands” or wide nails because it might make them look wider.

(f) Square - Created by allowing the nail to grow out straight and then filing the tip straight across at right angles with the rest of the nail plate. This is again quite a strong nail shape. Short square shaped nails will give you a classic and polished look. The downside here is that if you long nails this might be drawing too much attention to your nails, making them look fake and cheap. *This my favorite for SHORT nails*

(g) Square with rounded corners - As above, but followed by rounding off the corners of the nails. A softer look than square shaped nails and less likely to catch on clothing. Looks “ok” on long nails but I don’t prefer it. I think is perfect for medium-length natural nails.  

(h) Pointed - Nails are filed away at the sides to a point at the tip; this shape is very weak as the sides of the nail (which provide the strength) are totally lost. I don't suggest you to shape your natural nails like this but sure is a fun shape to try with your acrylic or gel. Just know that if you get this done they will be a little higher than others to compensate and solve the lack-of-strength issue.

Now that you know some of the pros and cons of each BASIC nail shape you can choose the one that better fits your needs.