Nails

Nailing the look

For fans of enhancements, plain polish is so last century

Manicured nails have become personal statements, not just something that makes a woman feel good about herself.
"I think nail art is just another way of accessorizing," says Barbara Johnson, a nail technician in Melbourne, Fla. "You get the right earrings, you get the right necklace, and a lot of people like their nails to match their outfit."
Johnson, who's been doing nails for 23 years, says she's freehand-painted just about everything on nails and toes.
"I've done nail art for some clients going to the races in Daytona," she says.
"I've done checkered flags. It's kind of fun, and they get a kick out of it."
One of her most daring designs?
"A Burberry purse print on a nail," she says.
Jayna Rust, beauty editor at Nails magazine, says designer purses and other logos are becoming a trend.
"A lot of clients will want something to match what they're wearing," she says. "If a woman has a Burberry bag or a Louis Vuitton purse, she's going to match her nails to that accessory."
Overall, the holidays and weddings are the busiest times for nail art, Johnson said. And there is a growing demand by women who want to treat themselves to nice nails, period, not just nail art.
According to Nails magazine, 71.1 percent of full-service salon owners saw an increase in customer demand for nail care in 2006, and women getting nail art run the gamut from younger to much older. In fact, women 36 and older make up more than half of all nail salon clients, according to Nails.
Nails can be matched to a dress, said Johnson, referring to a new technology in which photos and dress fabric designs can be transferred to a small decal and applied to a nail.
Nail art varies according to region, Rust says. In Puerto Rico and Japan, for example, 3-D nail art, seldom seen in the United States, is very popular. For this, the nail technician builds up the acrylic into a design, like a butterfly or a flower, and then paints it.
Women 30 and older tend to like toned-down nail designs, like flowers and one or two colors. Younger women can go all out because career constraints aren't as prominent. Women increasingly are opting for fancier toenail treatments, too, such as gel glitter, Rust says.
And how about rhinestones and tiny flowers and butterflies with those summer sandals? Or having the nail of your big toe match the pattern on your open-toed shoes?
"Its just one more place a woman can make a statement," Rust says.

The Perfect Manicure is a Personal Statement

by Jen Marshall

The perfect manicure is the final detail in overall style and fashion. Finding the right nail art design is very important when tying together your whole look. Digital nail art is a cutting edge technical development that uses a computer and printer to create a plethora of nail art designs. Using computers offers customers and designers an unlimited number of colors and designs to suit any style.

First, the nails are given a basic manicure. The nails are cleaned. Any dead skin on the cuticle is removed and the skin around the nail is treated as well. An all-important base coat is applied to the nail. The base coat is usually a very prominent white to help the nail art designs stand out.

Some customers prefer a natural look and white is simply too strong in contrast to the nail art designs. These more conservative clients may benefit by asking that the nail technician skip the base coat. The only purpose for the base coat in this procedure is to help the nail art designs stand out. Skipping this step will create a muted, more natural look.

Then the activation coat is not optional. This coat insures that the nail art designs dry quickly. The process would take hours if this step was not used. Drying takes a fraction of the time when the activation coat is applied. This step also keeps the designs from slathering away at the slightest touch.

One of the most exciting aspects of the digital nail art designs is that the customer has total control of which design she wants. The customer can bring in nearly any image. That image is scanned into the computer and printed by the nail technician. The customer’s hands are placed inside a cradle designed specifically for the machine. The nail art designs are printed directly on to the nails.

A major concern about this process is the possibility of a misprint right on the nails, especially if the client is a little jittery. This problem is addressed in a quite simple way. If the customer moves her fingers while in the machine, the computer immediately stops the printing the nail art designs immediately. The printer begins again after the fingers are realigned.

The printing process takes about ten seconds per nail and the entire procedure takes about fifteen minutes. This is remarkably fast as anyone who has her nails adorned with nail art designs can attest. The designs last as long as normal nail varnishes so customers can expect to enjoy their nail art designs for about two weeks.