Nail It

By Amanda He • UrbanWire
• email reporter • email story • printer friendly

Having the right clothes and accessories are simply not enough to be considered fashionable these days. The fashion scene have seen an evolving trend over the past year which bears resemblance to the century-old trend of aristocratic women having beautifully-manicured nails as a trademark of their status and upper-end lifestyle.

Although the former manicure services involves trimming and polishing of the fingernails, it is now considered inadequate in current times where shops face stiffening competition by the influx of manicure shops and colours play an extremely huge role in the fashion scene. Thus, nail care services have evolved into an art that is as intimate and intricate as body art.

Moreover, nail art seems to the most promising personal fashion accessory which has lots of creativity potential for self-expression in current times. It is versatile and interchangeable with fashion trends or one’s personality and mood. The UrbanWire brings to you the latest tips to tap into this nail fashion industry.

What’s Your Colour?
Nail Fashion
D.I.Y French Manicure
Fake It
Nail Schools

What’s Your Colour?
After a manicure, the following step would be to choose a suitable colour for your nails. According to Sally Norton’s Instant Nailcare: Fabulous Nails in Next to No Time (Essential Beauty), different coloured nail polishes being similar to makeup colours, will stand out differently depending on one’s skin tones. Nail lengths also pose as a factor because long nails are usually able to carry off bright coloured polishes much better than shorter nails.

In general, tanned skin is able to carry off green, purple and orange nail polishes while fairer skin are more suited for pastels, beiges and ivories which will give a natural look. Red nail polish is the universal colour which is suitable for any skin tone, but use bright reds on long and shapely nails only.

However, these rules can be broken especially if you have a good eye for colours and experiment frequently.

Nail Fashion
Owner of Nail Basics, Adeline Tan, 36 said that after her 5 years experience in the business, she had observed that Singaporeans still prefer “traditional full manicure service without too many frills” whilst “in the international arena, most ladies will… do a great deal of nail extensions, gel nails, nail art with acrylic etc”.

She also predicted that Singaporeans would catch on the international trend. “The next fashion style would be more towards gel extensions and more daring nail art design,” she affirmed.

Indeed, nail art has involved D.I.Y. nail stickers or painstakingly painted-on patterns or thumbnails. Although simple designs can be done at home, do approach a professional manicurist for more complex pictures.

D.I.Y French Manicure
If you want to play safe, the French manicure never goes out of style but is quite tricky to do it at home. It might need some practice to get it right, but it’s definitely worth the effort. Follow these steps by Sally Norton in Haircare, Skincare, Make-up & Fitness for the perfect French manicure.

Step 1: Apply a pale pink nail polish in 3 strokes – in the middle of the nail, and at the sides of your first stroke.

Step 2: Wait for the coat to dry before applying the 2nd coat.

Step 3: With a white nail polish, paint across the tip of your nail in one straight stroke

Step 4: When the white nail polish dries, paint another coat of protective clear nail polish over it. This will prevent chipping and allow the French manicure to have a longer finish.

Alternatively, try Sally Hansen’s French Manicure Set which is available at all Watson’s stores. This French manicure set comes with adhesives which are supposed to help you get perfect manicured nails in 2 easily steps.

Fake It
As mentioned, the biggest trend predicted by Adeline and the fastest solution for nail extensions for a special date or occasion, are artificial nails.

Stick-on-nails are D.I.Y artificial nails are easily attached with nail glue or double-sided tape. It is hassle-free and easy but the only difficulty in this is finding the width that fits your nail for that natural finish.

Nail extensions are glued to your nails. Although it is made of plastic, similar to the stick-on-nails, the process has to be done by a professional. The downside of this is that you would have to replace them when your nail grows out.

Brush-on acrylic nails have to be done by a manicurist. The surface of the nail has to be roughened so that the acrylic would have a firm grip on the nail after it is painted on. It is then filed and shaped so that it will look natural. However, this might not be so in the long run after your nail grows out and you can the difference between the real nail.

Gel nails are the newest trend to hit the market. It bears great similarity to acrylic nails. Gels are first brushed on and left to bake in a toaster-like machine so that the gel will dry and harden. Next, it is shaped and filed to fit the natural curvature of your nails.

Nail Schools
As it take skills and knowledge to be a master at manicure and nail art, there is also a market for nail courses. Several schools such as Voxy Nail Potion and Nail Basics that offer these courses to people who are interested in nail art as a hobby or even as a career choice.

It looks like the nail art industry is here to stay in the fashion scene. The only question that I have in mind is how long this trend will be caught on by the metrosexual males.