Statement Nails
Wednesday, 01 June 2011 10:13
Bored of your nail colour after a couple of days since your last mani? Beauty Bible shows you five ways to instantly spruce up your nails without having to redo them.
Now if you haven’t heard of shatter nail polish, you’ve probably been living under a rock. O.P.I. has brought back the cracked effect nail since this type of polish was introduced to the market a few years ago. Try O.P.I. Black Shatter from the Katy Perry collection if you are wearing darker colours like blue and purple, while O.P.I. Silver Shatter from the new Pirates of the Caribbean range gives soft pastel colours an exciting edge. China Glaze is probably considered the mother of shatter nails with several colours like blue, purple and pink in its Crackle Glaze collection. You can find China Glaze online at www.candygirl.co.nz or try Trademe.
Glitter polish is an easy way to brighten up your nails and looks fabulous for a night out. Soft silver glitter polish is your best investment, as it will match almost every colour as a topcoat. Try Zoya’s Ultra Glitter polish in Luna which is a light, shimmery, sheer silver glitter. Paint over one or two coats depending on how intense you want the glitter. For really stand out nails, brush from the tips and smoothly fade towards the cuticle so that approximately half of your nail is glittery, with the tips most intensely glittered. This snowy glitter effect looks amazing on a light pink base.
If you have time to doodle, do it on your nails! Sally Hansen’s Quick Nail Colour Pen was such a hit for touch-ups that they have launched a new range of Nail Art and Chrome Pens. This slim-tipped tool lets you create your own nail designs precisely. Patterns all over the nail like stripes, or small flowers, stars and hearts can add a fun personality to your existing nail colour.
For a more subtle nail update, a clear matte polish creates a velvety look perfect for winter. Try Essie Matte About You or Rimmel Matte Finish Top Coat if you are short on time, as matte polish dries super fast. Matte nails usually don’t last as long as shiny nails, so you will need to reapply after a few days.
Finally, if you get bored of matte, go for super glossy nails. A clear topcoat like M•A•C Over Lacquer provides a protective coat from UV, which means your original nail colour lasts longer. If you want to spruce up your nails on the go, use the non-abrasive side of a nail buffer. With QVS Unbelievable Nail Shiner, buff in a back and forth action over the entire nail to shine up dulled nail polish until your next manicure.
Article by Joy Fung
