Tuesday 27 September 2011
Old pics
I found some old photos I did for Professional Nails magazine in 2003! I did these before glitter tips really took off, I still love the red nails. I also remember being very poorly when I did these nails so the pics bring mixed emotions :)
Nail Prep
I've been asked to explain what I mean when I say 'prepping the nail' so here are the steps to get a perfectly prepared nail for any coating from polish to acrylic/gel/fibreglass.
1. Apply cuticle remover lotion to cuticles AND nail and allow to work for 2 minutes.
2. Using a nail dual tool such as the one pictured, gently push back your cuticle and scrape pterygium from the nail bed, pterygium is a thin membrane of skin that grows over your nail.
3. Wipe nails clean with isopropyl alcohol.
4. Using a 150 grit file or a white nail block remove the shine from your nails making sure there are no shiney bits left anywhere on the nail but especially at the cuticle, do this gently so as not to damage the nail.
5. Wipe again with isopropyl alcohol.
You should be left with a matte chalky finish to the nail and it is now ready for your chosen application.
Hope this helps!
JoJo
1. Apply cuticle remover lotion to cuticles AND nail and allow to work for 2 minutes.
2. Using a nail dual tool such as the one pictured, gently push back your cuticle and scrape pterygium from the nail bed, pterygium is a thin membrane of skin that grows over your nail.
3. Wipe nails clean with isopropyl alcohol.
4. Using a 150 grit file or a white nail block remove the shine from your nails making sure there are no shiney bits left anywhere on the nail but especially at the cuticle, do this gently so as not to damage the nail.
5. Wipe again with isopropyl alcohol.
You should be left with a matte chalky finish to the nail and it is now ready for your chosen application.
Hope this helps!
JoJo
Monday 26 September 2011
And......rest
From time to time I give my natural nails a break from extensions, when I do this I apply a gel polish to stop me from tinkering with them.
UV gel polish is a great way to keep your nails looking neat and uniform without the need for extensions or overlays. Depending on the porosity of your nails gel polish will last up to 4 weeks when you will have a noticeable gap at the cuticle edge, they cannot be infilled so need to be soaked off and reapplied.
Salons offer gel polish services widely now, sometimes calling it a '3 week manicure' or something similar. Most nail companies now offer a gel polish, the most common being Shellac (CND), Geleration (Jessica) and Gelez (Ezflow). Prices range between £20 to £35 depending on your area, I certainly wouldn't pay more than £35 which I think certain department store nail bars do.
I obviously do my own using Shellac which is a 3 step system.
After nail prep and dehydration apply a thin layer of base gel, cure for 3 minutes using a 36 watt lamp.
Apply first coat of Shellac polish making sure none has touched the skin and that there is a gap at the cuticle, cure for 3 minutes.
Apply a second coat of polish, cure for 3 minutes.
Apply finishing gel, cure for 3 minutes.
When applying gel make sure you 'cap' the free edge by running the brush lightly along it.
That's it, done! My Shellac lasts approx 4 weeks and is only taken off because of the growth gap at the cuticle, it never peels or chips.
UV gel polish is a great way to keep your nails looking neat and uniform without the need for extensions or overlays. Depending on the porosity of your nails gel polish will last up to 4 weeks when you will have a noticeable gap at the cuticle edge, they cannot be infilled so need to be soaked off and reapplied.
Salons offer gel polish services widely now, sometimes calling it a '3 week manicure' or something similar. Most nail companies now offer a gel polish, the most common being Shellac (CND), Geleration (Jessica) and Gelez (Ezflow). Prices range between £20 to £35 depending on your area, I certainly wouldn't pay more than £35 which I think certain department store nail bars do.
I obviously do my own using Shellac which is a 3 step system.
After nail prep and dehydration apply a thin layer of base gel, cure for 3 minutes using a 36 watt lamp.
Apply first coat of Shellac polish making sure none has touched the skin and that there is a gap at the cuticle, cure for 3 minutes.
Apply a second coat of polish, cure for 3 minutes.
Apply finishing gel, cure for 3 minutes.
When applying gel make sure you 'cap' the free edge by running the brush lightly along it.
That's it, done! My Shellac lasts approx 4 weeks and is only taken off because of the growth gap at the cuticle, it never peels or chips.
Sunday 25 September 2011
And the winner is......
Congratulations to Bigfashionista who won the nail polish competition by default as she was the only person to enter. I shall be posting them to you this week. Enjoy and thank you for entering. JoJo x
Saturday 24 September 2011
Two words that make me happy....
'Purple' and 'glitter'. Those two little words make me smile, so imagine my joy when they get put together!!
And here we have..... you guessed it, Purple Glitter by ELF (www.eyeslipsface.co.uk). ELF had a 50% off event last week so I bought loads of stuff, this being the most eagerly awaited. And WHAT a polish! The normal price being just £1.50, so this being just 0.75p, and this polish performs like a pro, application was fantastic, smooth and even in two coats, it dried super fast and left a glossy finish, the picture is without any top coat!
I think ELF must have changed their formula as I purchased polishes in the past that I really wasn't happy with, but this blew my socks off, I was very happy indeed.
The colour doesn't translate well with my iPhone camera but is a rich dark purple with small glitter particles in blue and purple.
I love it! (can you tell?) and will be looking at more of the ELF polishes based on the performance of this one.
Marks out of 10?.... 10!!
And here we have..... you guessed it, Purple Glitter by ELF (www.eyeslipsface.co.uk). ELF had a 50% off event last week so I bought loads of stuff, this being the most eagerly awaited. And WHAT a polish! The normal price being just £1.50, so this being just 0.75p, and this polish performs like a pro, application was fantastic, smooth and even in two coats, it dried super fast and left a glossy finish, the picture is without any top coat!
I think ELF must have changed their formula as I purchased polishes in the past that I really wasn't happy with, but this blew my socks off, I was very happy indeed.
The colour doesn't translate well with my iPhone camera but is a rich dark purple with small glitter particles in blue and purple.
I love it! (can you tell?) and will be looking at more of the ELF polishes based on the performance of this one.
Marks out of 10?.... 10!!
Thursday 22 September 2011
Competition
If you would like to win all the polishes in the pic below that I have used to create the looks for my posts then 1. Follow my blog, and 2. Post a comment below stating you wish to enter the competition.
Most of these polishes have only been used once for the pictures on the blog so they are good as new.
Closing date will be this Sunday the 25th September 2011 when I will pick a winner at random. Good luck!
Most of these polishes have only been used once for the pictures on the blog so they are good as new.
Closing date will be this Sunday the 25th September 2011 when I will pick a winner at random. Good luck!
Wednesday 21 September 2011
Old Glamour
I think one of my favourite nail looks is from the 50's when the shape was long, slim, oval and red, to me it screams elegance and sophistication and I don't think it has really ever gone out of fashion.
A lot of my older clients in the salon would ask for this look and I always loved the finished effect, it is just so classy.
Revlon have recently re released their 1952 'Fire & Ice' polish, with a new advert featuring Jessica Biel posing in exactly the same way as the 1952 advert, I must say I prefer the shape of nails in the older advert, they seem slimmer.
My take on this look can be seen below using Fire & Ice - All Fired Up. I feel I should be wearing a black satin evening gown, matching stilleto shoes and my hair pinned with diamanté a la Lucille Ball.
A lot of my older clients in the salon would ask for this look and I always loved the finished effect, it is just so classy.
Revlon have recently re released their 1952 'Fire & Ice' polish, with a new advert featuring Jessica Biel posing in exactly the same way as the 1952 advert, I must say I prefer the shape of nails in the older advert, they seem slimmer.
My take on this look can be seen below using Fire & Ice - All Fired Up. I feel I should be wearing a black satin evening gown, matching stilleto shoes and my hair pinned with diamanté a la Lucille Ball.
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