Bobbi

Are you ready to go girls? Have your tool kits out and hands prepared? Today we make beautiful nails. We will discuss the basic steps in some detail; followed by some great tips from the pros and some boo boo fixes. You will find these techniques very useful. If you feel uncomfortable with long nails for everyday, keep in mind that short well groomed nails always look nice. Using a matte finish clear polish will maintain them and probably will not receive attention. For special occasions, there are always the faux variety. If you want false nails, remember that the press-on variety does come off at the end of an evening or at least that is the designed idea. Some ladies have used gobs of super glue and found that they are not easy to remove. A couple of small dots of super glue of equivalent will hold a nail nicely and can be remover without destroying your nail. Only a little buffing is required to remove the remaining glue. Press-on nails now come in a variety of colors. The problem with these for most TG ladies is finding ones with wide enough nail beds. Acrylic/gel nails, usually done at nail salons, look great but can not be removed readily. They must be grown out and filed as with natural nails. The seam where your nail and the acrylic/gel nail meet needs to be buffed to hide it. To accelerate the process, use a dremel tool to shorten and keep up with the filing and buffing. my choice would be to go to the nail shop where I got them and ask them to groom them down. So make your choice. On to manicuring your own. Clean your hands and nails first as we described on the hand and nail care page. Then . . .

1. Take off old polish with non-acetone remover. Acetone based removers tend to dry the cuticle and nails. Use cotton balls or cotton wades and stroke from the cuticle area to the ends to prevent getting polish stain on fingers around the nail. Do this even if you don't have polish on. It will remove dirt and oils on the nail surface.

2. Trim nails or file with a coarse emery board, leaving only a thin edge of white. If nails are longer than one-half inch, trim them with a few short snips of a nail scissor. (Cutting off too much at once or using a clipper can cause nails to bend and tear.) Choose a length you are comfortable with in your everyday life. Otherwise. shorten nails with the coarse side of an emery board, leaving a tiny edge, about one quarter inch or less of white. With the fine-grained side of the board, shape nails into a shape that works for you.

Nails should complement your hand size and cuticle shape. Fashion is showing very long, pointed nails this season, but this dramatic length and shape isn't for everyone. Nails should be tailored to suit each individual, regardless of what fashion dictates.

Before proceeding with shaping your nails, carefully analyze your finger length and thickness, hand size and cuticle shape; then follow these guidelines:
1.) Long, rounded, almond tips are the perfect match for petite hands and fingers.
2.) Active-length squovals complement fingers that are long and slim, or short and stocky.
3.) Heavy-set hands and wide nail beds look best with squared-off extensions.
4.) If the cuticle is oval, go with an oval nail, if it is square, create a squoval nail.

File from outside corners toward the middle, or across in one direction at an angle not greater than 45 degrees from the perpendicular to the nail tip toward the finger tip, but do file at an angle to help strength. (Avoid filing the sides of nails, which can weaken them.- and never use a sawing action) Smooth rough edges and file nails into a desired shape with the fine-grained side of an emery board. Regular filing is a nail strengthener and gets rid of those little snags. About once a week along with your other nail and hand care will work very well. Never file deep into the corners of the nail. Filing the corners weakens the sides of the nail, which are very important for overall strength. Nails permitted to grow out at the sides appear longer and wear better.

3. Apply cuticle remover. Do not cut cuticle, though you may have seen a strip mall nail shop do this. Its simply wrong. Although it is tempting to trim, the health implications of cutting cuticles may convince you to think before reaching for your cuticle nippers. The cuticle prevents bacteria from entering the lunula (that near white crescent-shaped area at the nail plate's base) by sealing off the potential space between the root of the nail and the skin. By removing the cuticle, the newly forming nail is left unprotected and vulnerable to infection. Never cut the cuticle: instead push it back gently with a orangewood stick. Strong cuticle growth should be controlled with a cuticle softener or cuticle remover liquid. The only time you should ever cut is if the cuticle is extremely hard, dry and sticking straight up, but you must be careful not to cut the entire cuticle. Never use metal or sharp instruments on your cuticles.

Dab a cuticle remover on the entire nail bed. Let sit for a few minutes (more than ten can be irritating) and wipe or rinse off. Soak hands for five to ten minutes in a small bowl filled with a few drops of a mild liquid soap or bath gel and warm water. (Avoid hot water, which can be drying to the nails and cuticles.- of course you knew that) Soaking may be tedious, but the warm water softens the cuticles and makes them easier to push back. You can also add a capful or two of hydrogen peroxide to whiten as you soak. When you finish soaking, use a soft nail brush to loosen any dirt and remove any dead skin around the cuticles and beneath the nails.

4. Apply lotion or oil to cuticles, allowing it to soak in for a few minutes. (Dry cuticles are more prone to tearing and other painful damage.) Gently push back the entire area with a soft towel or an orangewood stick wrapped in cotton.

5. Using a natural nail stone (a pencil-shaped pumice), remove excess bits of skin from the nail bed and around cuticles with small circular movements. With nippers, snip off hangnails (but not cuticles - cutting them may cause infections). If your nails are ridged or bumpy, smooth the surface with a nail-buffing. stick (Revlon makes a 6 sided tool, 4 of which are for smoothing and polishing nail surfaces) Gently push back cuticles with a cotton-wrapped orangewood stick. If you do not desire to use color on your nails, the buffing stick from Revlon can give nails a great shine. It has 4 finishing surfaces and 2 other surfaces for shaping.

6. To prevent polish from peeling, remove lotion or oil from nails with a cotton swab or an orangewood stick
wrapped in cotton and dipped in remover or wash hands completely (top professionals recommend washing). Pat dry. Brush on a base coat, and let dry for one to two minutes.

7. Apply two thin coats of polish to nails, working from pinkie to thumb to avoid smudging. (Thin layers of polish mean you don't need to wait so long between coats.) Do give about 10 minutes between coats. Bubbles may form under the newest coat if there is not ample drying time between coats. I like to work on my dominate hand first Immediately sweep mistakes from cuticles with an orangewood stick dipped in polish remover. As long as the color completely covers the nail, there is no need for a third coat. The issue of color is a part of good style. Nail polish should compliment the overall scheme of your look. Softer natural colors are great for daytime and more bold colors for evenings. French nails are always elegant. Many style experts agree that it is not necessary to match nail color exactly to your lip color, but should somewhat close. If your are going for a certain look, throw all that out. In the summer there are no rules, just color.

8. Finish with a topcoat, and let nails dry for at least ten minutes. I find you really need about 2 hours. Though the surface feels dry and not tacky, the area underneath is still soft and can smudge or wrinkle badly if you do anything physical. Running nails under cold water or applying a cosmetic oil (even baby oil) after the initial 10-15 minutes of natural drying will quicken drying.

Tricks of the Trade:
KEEP POLISH FRESH and free flowing by storing in the refrigerator or at least a naturally cool place.

ROLL THE BOTTLE Of POLISH gently between your hands instead of shaking it, which creates bubbles. .
Since many bottles are square or at least have one flat side, hold the bottle by the cap and swing the bottle gently in a small circle. This will achieve the same as rolling will.

CHOOSE A PALE COLOR If you're clumsy or in a hurry. Mistakes will be less noticeable and easier to clean up. (Pale colors also require less maintenance, because chips and nicks aren't as obvious.) .

If YOU'RE USING a dark color, leave a fine border of bare nail along the sides to keep polish from bleeding onto the cuticles. (The border will also make nails look longer.) .

SMALL NAILS will look bigger with sheer or metallic polish. (Running a white pencil under the tips of sheer nails will make them seem longer, too.) .

STEADY A SHAKY HAND by resting an extended pinkie on an immobile object, like a bathroom sink, while you polish. .

TO GET the right amount of polish on the brush, dip it into the bottle and drag It up along the side of the bottle's opening. The side of the brush with polish still on it will have enough to cover one nail. .

TO APPLY COLOR, start at the middle of the nail and then move to the sides, creating a thin coat with
three quick strokes.

PLACE BRUSH an eighth of an inch away from the cuticle (gentle pressure on the bristles will distribute the polish outward).

AFTER APPLYING COLOR, swipe excess polish from brush across the tip of the nail to protect the edge

APPLY TOPCOAT quickly and evenly, without letting brush sit on top of nail, which will cause streaks. .

REVIVE THICK OR GLOPPY POLISH with a few drops of polish thinner. (Never use polish remover for
this purpose.)

Problems Problems Problems - Fixing those inevitable boo-boos

Smudges: If wet polish gets smudged or nicked, moisten the pad of your finger with polish remover and tap lightly to smooth out the error. Or paint on a layer of Orly Smudge Fixer to smooth it out. Is this easy? Not at all. I most often just redo the entire nail., though I have been successful using a little polish remover on a polish application brush.

Lint on wet Polish: Use nippers to pull out the lint, being careful not to touch the nail. Cover with a topcoat or clear polish.

Air Bubbles: Avoid the mistake ahead of time by using fresh rolled (not shaken) polish applied out of direct sunlight and away from a hot lamp. When bubbles do occur, a good topcoat will usually smooth them out.

Messy Polish: Carefully remove small mistakes using an orangewood stick dipped in polish remover. This is best done immediately, while you are applying the polish, so have the tools handy. Their are also pen products available just for this that already have remover in them.

Chips: Moisten the pad of your finger (preferably pinky or third finger) with remover and quickly swipe it across the chipped area to smooth out edges. Dab a bit of polish on the chip, let dry for a few seconds and cover entire nail with a coat of polish then a topcoat.

Broken Nails: If the break is not too low, cut the nail, file it and trim other nails to the same length. For a more severe tear into the nail bed, remove polish, apply a couple of drops of nail glue to the surface and let set while holding the break in place. After about a minute reapply glue and cover with a small silk wrap, tae bag, coffee filter or even a tissue. let dry. Buff nail with an emery board to trim off excess and smooth the nail, then polish as before.

All this is so easy when you have another free hand. It takes many hours of practice and oodles of patience. You have now learned to appreciate the value of a good nail tech.

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