Hints and Tips


The Nail Art Preservation Society….

Do your designs have staying power?
Always apply nail art top coat, to seal in your design and sell some to your clients to apply every two or three days to prolong the life of the design whilst keeping it looking fresh and shiny.

An extra minute…
Always allow your design to dry fully before, attempting to apply nail art top coat, lessening the chances of ruining your design when you top coat.

Are you, floating?
Load your brush with top coat, ensuring there is enough on, to cover the entire nail without the actual brush touching the design. ‘Float’ the top coat lightly over the nail so you do not ‘drag’ the colours down the nail, ruining your design.

Oil, be done in a minute….
An oil spray can speed up the drying time of enamels. Test it out yourself, after your last top coat, spray your nails with an oil spray, you will be amazed how quickly your nails dry.

Timeless classics.
Always keep the neck of your enamels clean, wiping them round with nail varnish remover and a lint free wipe. Your enamels go thick because air gets into the bottle due to the top not screwing on properly and creating a tight seal.

All fingers and thumbs?

Perfect Painting.

Roll up, roll up…..
Never shake your bottle of enamel, all shaking does is fill the polish with air bubbles, that you will not be able to get rid of when painting the enamel on your nails, instead roll the bottle between your hands, and you will have the perfect consistency for the perfect polish application.

Not too much not too little…..
When loading up your brush with enamel, wipe the side of the brush furthest from you free of enamel by pushing the brush along the inside of the neck of the bottle as you pull the brush out of the bottle. This ensures you don’t have too much enamel on your brush and risk dripping enamel as you take the brush to the nail.

3 strokes and your out
Load your brush as described above, with enough enamel to thinly coat one nail only. Place the tip of the brush three quarters of the way up the nail in the centre, ease the brush up towards the cuticle area. Without touching the surrounding skin, pull the brush down the nail so you have a neat line of your chosen colour down the centre of the nail. Now do the same on either side of the centre line you have created, paying attention to the surrounding skin. This is the stage where extra care can make a major difference between a perfect job or an amateur looking job. Repeat this process for the second coat, remember you have already created your perfect edges so the second coat can concentrate on getting an even consistency.

On the edge
Always run your brush across the free edge of the nail, especially if your are using a dark colour. The free edge is always the first part of your enamel to wear away, so coating it with colour prolongs the wear of the enamel, and lets face it, no-one likes to see the white edge of your pink and whites showing around the edges of your classic red enamel….

Touch your toes….

Separation anxiety.
No toe separators to hand? Roll a tissue lengthways and weave it between your toes, works a treat, when you’re in a hurry.

Nail art Application

Rhinestones.
On natural nails: Push rhinestones into wet enamel so the polish pushes slightly up the sides of the gem, this will hold the rhinestones in place, then top coat
On Enhancements: You can use a dot of glue to fix a rhinestone to enhancements (you do not need to use polish at all then) Or you could even set them into uncured UV gel then place the nail into the UV light source to cure the rhinestones into the gel.

I’m losing my hair…
Always wash nail art your brushes clean using clean water. Nail varnish remover (unless it is a glitter striping brush, for use with top coat) will cause your brushes to go stiff, and not fan or mould around the nail as you want them to. If you leave paint in your brushes they will dry awkwardly, and when you come to create your next nail art design you will be struggling with a liner brush that is no longer straight, or a detail brush that looks more like a small fan brush, not easy to do a straight line with a wonky brush……

Maintaining Nail Enhancements

I Only use Creative Nail Design enhancement products, as they create a beautifully thin natural looking nails without the use of a primer and without the need for heavy filing on the natural nail or during refinement of the enhancement.

Your nail enhancements will be customised to suit you and your lifestyle, nails don't have to be long to look good!

Why not click on the gallery and have a look at the finished result.
And don't forget to take a look at the crushed shell and flower designs, perfect for the summer months.

Homecare Advice
Now you have your new enhancements you will want them to look beautiful until your next maintenance appointment so here are a few pointers on how best to look after your nails;

• Nails are jewels NOT tools - never use your nails to open cans of pop, push hard buttons on your washing machine or pull a sticky label off your new shoes. Use a knife, scissors or tool, not your nails. Use your knuckles to press the button to release your seat belt, and when opening doors make sure you have a good grip on the handle, and make sure the door is unlocked before you start pulling it!!!
• Never pick or bite your nails, you will only weaken your enhancements.
• Wear gloves to do the washing up or gardening. Nails, whether natural or enhancements do not like water so try not to expose them to too much of it.
• Lastly, use Solar oil, it will keep your enhancements in tip top condition. Well, if its good enough for Victoria Beckham...........

As a professional nail technician I only use nail enhancement products free from MMA. MMA is a dangerous substance that can cause severe allergic reaction, and requires heavy filing which is damaging to the natural nail underneath, as a precaution always make sure your nail technician uses a reputable product range, with labels on bottles confirming this, and make sure your nail technician has relevant qualifications in nail enhancement. There are many excellent nail technicians in the UK, if you are unsure where to go in your area you can send me an email detailing where you live and I will pass on your details to a professional nail technician in your area.