How to Do Dry Flower Nail Art

Clear nail polish sounds like a pretty boring manicure, but turns out it only requires one more thing to take it to work-of-art status: giant flowers. Park Eun Kyung, founder of Unistella and inventor of some our favorite manicures ever (including the multifaceted diamond mani, cutting-edge wire nails, and mesmerizing sunglasses nails), is at it again. This time, she's created what she calls #dryflowerart, and it's not what you're thinking. Sure, we've occasionally seen manicures accessorized with tiny petals and blooms from real flowers, but not like this. Instead of restricting the flower to the nail bed, she lets it extend halfway down the finger, creating the optical illusion that your hands are sprouting flowers (a little weird, but very cool).

It goes without saying that this isn't he most practical of looks. In fact, wash your hands one time and it's going to get destroyed, considering how delicate and brittle dried flowers can be. But, if you're in the mood to snap an eye-catching picture, coat your nails in clear polish, find some pretty flowers, and attach them with a dab of nail glue. Who needs a green thumb when you can have a whole garden on your thumb?

Years ago when I worked in the food service industry, I remember priding myself on not being the “type of girl” to get manicures — a smugness that promptly dissipated after I finally got one for the first time and understood the appeal. For less than $25 and in less than 30 minutes, you get a relaxing hand massage and an unclumpy nail polish job that announces to the outside world “I’m an adult woman with money and a put-together outfit,” whether or not any of those things are actually true.

But there are many layers to unpack here, from the weirdness of having a stranger hold your hands to the questionable ethics of supporting an often exploitative industry (if you somehow missed it, please read the New York Times’ 2015 exposé The Price of Nice Nails). Not to mention the unfairness of feminine beauty standards; to maintain an un-chipped, perfectly polished manicure, you basically can’t use your fingers.

Nail Trends At Oscars

It’s mani Monday — Oscars edition! There were so many pretty nail looks at the Oscars on Feb. 26. We’re breaking down our favorites below.

It was mostly neutral, white, and greige shades on the Oscars red carpet as far as the manicures went. Despite a few pops of color, the tone was nude all the way. See some of our top nail looks here.

Celebrity manicurist Rosanne Sollecito painted Hailee Steinfeld’s pink shimmery nails and told us: “The metallic floral accents of Hailee’s whimsical Ralph & Russo gown called for a matching lustrous manicure. essie’s buy me a cameo had the perfect amount of frosted shimmer to top off her fresh, modern look.”

Priyanka Chopra’s white/greige mani matched her detailed dress perfectly. Manicurist Jolene Brodeur spoke about the inspo: “essie’s gel couture in make the cut, a pearlized nude greige, was the perfect polish to accompany Priyanka’s geometric Ralph & Russo gown.”

Nicole Kidman wore MiniLuxe’s Sunset Blvd nail polish on her fingers and toes. Debbie Leavitt, MiniLuxe Creative Designer in Residence says: “Nicole wanted something nude and soft for her nails. Rose gold is the new nude and this MiniLuxe polish is soft and sheer with one coat and gives opaque coverage with two. I used two coats for Nicole.”

Of course, not everyone went soft. Celebrity Manicurist Julie Kandelac gave Ruth Negga a bold red mani “to complement her incredible ruby jewelry.” Julie told us: “I layered two colors today. First, CHANEL Le Vernis Longwear Nail Colour in Rouge Noir to give the nail a deep and elegant tone, and second, a coat of CHANEL Le Vernis Longwear Nail Colour in Shantung. Layer colors to maximize your nail color wardrobe. Start with the deepest or most opaque shade first, and then go over it with the lighter or more sheer color.”

Meet the New Breakout Nail Color Line From a Cult Jewelry Designer

After years of full-blown nail-art hysteria, recent times have ushered in another extreme: bare, polish-free fingertips. And while there’s something to be said for no-fuss hands that seem just at home in a ’90s Calvin Klein ad as they do in the present-day Vogue office, sometimes it’s hard not to miss the satisfaction of freshly lacquered nails. Here to bridge the gap is a new line of varnish for the “color averse” from Jess Hannah—the 25-year-old Californian behind J. Hannah, whose sculptural jewelry creations have amassed her an Instagram following of 205,000.

           

Frequently asked about the sleek gold and silver bijoux she dons, Hannah decided that well-groomed, manicured nails were a must but was disappointed with the polish options on the market. “[The salon] never had the right ‘me’ color,” she remembers. “I want my colors muted and to blend in”—a sentiment that led her to dream up an 11-hue, seven-free collection, launching today, that offers quiet takes on even the boldest of shades. See Ghost Ranch, a soft, brick red inspired by the Southwest—a far cry from the fire engine and cherry apple tones we’re accustomed to—or Blue Nudes, a subdued midnight lacquer that borrows both its name and tone from Henri Matisse’s series of cutouts.
But those who have eschewed polish altogether will find themselves most taken with the four nude choices, which Hannah insists are, in fact, not nudes at all. “It’s really about understanding the subtleties that make them different,” she says of the quartet: Himalayan Salt is a pale peach; Chanterelle, an earthy beige; Marzipan, a milky yellow; and Agnes, a soft ballet pink reminiscent of Agnes Martin’s serene striped paintings.
“The sentiment behind my line is classic—not a bold statement piece that’s going to go out of style,” Hannah remarks. In other words, like her jewels, one J. Hannah hue will last a lifetime—but at only $19 per bottle, we suggest buying a few.

Why Eating Jell-O Should Be Part of Every Woman's Nail Care Regimen

Though many women are obsessed with their nails, we sure put them through some major abuse. Biting, using them as tools, and peeling off our gel manicures are just a few of the horrible habits we'll admit to. Manicurists backstage at New York Fashion Week paint dozens of talons per show and only have a few minutes to make them look gorgeous. To make their jobs even more challenging, models are hopping from runway to runway. This means claws are getting cleaned, shaped, and painted, then doused with acetone polish remover before the process starts over again at the next show (resulting in some serious nail stress!). We consulted pros on the most common issues they see, how you can fix them at home, and other top tips.
            

Brittleness and Peeling

All three of the professionals we consulted declared brittle nails to be the number one problem seen backstage. Jin Soon Choi, seasoned NYFW manicurist and founder/owner of the Jin Soon spas and polish line, cites failure to moisturise, lack of nail maintenance, and malnutrition as sources of this issue. She recommends people with this concern "drink a lot of water" as internal dehydration could be to blame.

Soft Nails

"I know a hand model who swears by Jell-O for firming up soft nails," divulges Choi. "The theory is that the ingredient that makes liquid Jell-O convert to a solid (gelatin!) imparts the same firming effect on your nails." She confesses that she's not sure if this sweet-treat trick is scientifically accurate, but she also recommends using a nail strengthener with keratin and protein. We like Jin Soon Power Coat, which, in addition to keratin, biotin, and calcium, contains diamond particles to harden your manicure.

How Bad Are UV Manicure Lights For You, Really?

I have a confession to make: I’m a gel manicure addict. It’s a terrible habit that has made my once strong nails extremely brittle. I always tell myself I’m going to switch to natural manicures, but it never happens. I keep going back for gel because, let’s face it, it’s very efficient. It’s extremely quick to dry, lasts much longer than normal polish and never chips. But while my weaker nails are a fair trade-off, I do have my concerns about the UV lamps they use to harden the gel. For a while I was able to turn a blind eye to all the headlines about the lamps giving you cancer.’Apparently everything gives you cancer these days!’ I scoffed to myself, admiring my flawless nails.
           

But a few months ago, I noticed a few new freckles had emerged on my hands. It was suspicious, considering it was the middle of winter and I’d barely seen the sun! I also noticed a very slight burning sensation whenever I slid my hands under the UV lamp. So, are the headlines correct? Am I religiously protecting myself from the sun, only to walk into a skin damage and cancer trap every time I hit the salon? According to dermatology experts: possibly, but there are ways around it.

Remember tanning beds? They’re completely illegal in Australia now, but 10 years ago they were hugely popular. The reason they were outlawed was because they were found to increase customers’ skin cancer risk by almost 60% in just one session! Nail lamps use the same type of UV rays as tanning beds, but in smaller amounts. To put it into perspective, the level of UV radiation emitted from sun beds is up to six times stronger than the midday sun. By comparison, the UV rays from nail lamps are around four times stronger but you’re not using it for as long. A recent study showed that it would take around 12 visits to visits to a salon for DNA skin damage to be detectable. If you’re a monthly gel manicure devotee like me, you could easily reach that in a year.

Succulent fingernails and living wedding rings

Wearable art is the future of fashion according to a north Queensland botanical artist, whose succulent jewellery is attracting international attention.
               

Mackay's Roz Borg has been making art out of succulents for around two years.

While her jewellery had captured the eyes of celebrities, she said her career path happened almost entirely by mistake.

"I started by doing the interior design for my sister-in-law at her cafe — I did a few living walls with succulents in them and people showed interest and wanted to buy them, and it just snowballed from there," she said.

Initially Borg just sold her Arozona succulents at markets and stores across north Queensland, before discovering her talent for succulent jewellery.

That is when Borg had the idea to make succulent fake nails.

"I propagate lots of baby succulents — remove them from the leaf, stick them with special florist glue on an acrylic nail and then glue that acrylic nail to my thumb," she said.

Borg said in a practical sense the nails were no good for everyday use, but said they were a unique and interesting addition to editorial photoshoots and weddings.

Are You Into The Fur Nail Trend?

It’s Fall and we’re going into the holiday season. As you prepare for colder days, you might consider getting fur (faux, of course) to keep you warm…but have you ever thought of it as an option for your nails?
                   

They made their debut on the fashion runways at the Libertine F/W ’16 (who seems to just take the lead in nail fashion) in February and don’t seem like they will be going anywhere.

Surprisingly, it’s not too hard to achieve this look. I outlined in 3 easy steps below for DIY.

1.Paint your nails with a base coat then apply a nude or neutral (or color if you are funky!) nail polish. Color won’t really matter, because you aren’t going to see it.

2.Get some faux fur and cut it out in the shape of your nails (do this step before-hand).

3.“Glue” the nails down with your favorite clear top coat. Give a liberal coat to the bottom of the fur and stick onto your nails. Now you’re ready to go!

I’m all about fur coats, fur vests and even fur on my shoes…but fur on my nails? It creates many questions for me: how do I eat? What happens when I wipe? How easy is this for me to get off?