Er... no makeup toes?

Ah, we finally come to the exception that confirms the rule! I love a beautiful pedicure and can’t imagine going the no makeup way on my toes. Depending on the time of the year and my mood, I pick from 3 different types of nail polish: brights, darks and neutrals.

Brights: when it’s hot outside my toes scream for brights. I love a dazzling red like Essie’s Lollipop. This type of highly pigmented colors requires a base coat and extra care upon removal (yep, go ahead and do a second round with a new cotton pad drenched in nail polish remover so that your cuticles regain their natural color…). While I love these colors they’re higher maintenance than I’d like so I tend to alternate with easier to apply and longer lasting neutrals.

Darks: so chic, so edgy, such great contrast! While I love a classic burgundy, these past months I’ve been drawn to dark browns and greys. My recent discovery and current favorite is Sally Hanson’s Tyin’ the Knot! The color is a shimmering warm pewter that goes with everything and lasts forever.

Neutrals: thought the above categories are great, neutrals remain my favorites. I love effortless metallics with a hint of shimmer that don’t require base or top coats, brush on evenly and look great with just one coat if I’m in a hurry. They also come clean with just one swipe of nail polish remover. Truly easy peasy!

3 neutral favorites:

Gold/bronze – Sally Hansen Salon Complete Manicure in Gilty Pleasure. Beautiful, understated color that looks great with olive skin. Recurrently admired on my toes, I’ve started giving bottles of this polish away to family and friends.

Silver – Milani Nail Lacquer in Ms. Milani. It is a gorgeous color described at the Milani website as “chromed silver gold”. If that doesn’t make you want to see it on your toes, check for a pulse. : ) It’s warm, flattering and easy to wear. It goes with both my gold sandals and my grey peep toes, and that’s a feat!

White – Borghese Nail Lacquer Vernis in Luna Pearl. I absolutely love this color but it’s apparently no longer available for sale (except on eBay, where you can find just about anything if you search carefully enough). I tried many pearly whites until I found the right one, with just enough warmth mixed in. It was the nail polish I wore on my toes at my wedding! A similar shade would be Essie’s Show Me The Ring (which I guess would have been even more appropriate at a wedding). I love how clean and distinguished it looks on my toes.

Natural looking manicure

Nails are an important part of a polished look and very important to me. My dad cares very little about beauty and makeup but always told me it’s the one thing he always notices.  That said, I’m unwilling to spend hours taking care of them. I have written about how I like to buff them but there’s a couple more tricks to it. My goals for beautiful nails are: good shape, clean whites, healthy cuticles and a hint of shine.

Good shape – I like to see nails rather short, with the white edges under 1/10 of an inch (3mm or so for the metric system fans). Find a good proportion to the size of your nail, don’t try to compensate a short nail with an over elongated edge. While there are different nail trends every season – square! Claw shaped! Oval! Squoval! – I have come to realize that my favorite is the one that follows the natural shape of the nail, generally the same as the moon (the lighter semi circle at the base of your nail). Manicurists call it round, but it really depends on the shape of your nail.

File them while they’re dry so they’re less likely break. You don’t need to use those old fashioned grainy paper files that file huge bits at a time. Look for fine grain files at your drugstore and you’ll see that there is a bigger selection than you probably knew of, allowing for more precise filing and less errors.

Clean white edges – 2 words: nail brush. Ok, 1 additional word: regularly. : ) If you notice a little yellowing, you can also slice open a lemon and run your fingernails through the flesh. Keep them there a few minutes (or alternatively, soak them in fresh squeezed lemon juice) to naturally whiten them.

Healthy cuticles – this aspect contributes greatly to beautiful nails and is the hardest one to achieve. Try to keep your hands hydrated, rub a cuticle oil or cream often – I like Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream – and try wearing rubber gloves when doing chores around the house. Avoid cutting your cuticles and try to push them with an orange wood stick or your nails after a shower or bath. Cut only the ones that are sticking out on the sides. I find that leaving my cuticles alone is the best way to keep them healthy and looking neat.

Hint of shine – this brings us back to the buffing post I shared earlier.

Enjoy your beautiful and carefree manicure!

No makeup nails

Some girls spend hours getting their nails done and an equal amount of time worrying about not chipping them. That type of high maintenance beauty is the opposite of the breezy, natural attitude we’re going for.

Still, well cared for nails remain an important part of looking polished. How else can you achieve beautiful nails that are low maintenance? The magical word is buffer. This tool will rid your nails of ridges and make them shine.

Choose a buffer with four sides at most – you don’t need more than that. Use the rougher side to buff the nail in a circular motion. Limit it to two or three circles at most and go through all ten nails. Once you’re done with face one of the buffer, use a dry washcloth to clean of your nails and inspect them. If you still see some pronounced ridges, go over them again. If not, progress to face two and repeat the circular motion. Keep going until the last step, which should feel rubbery and smooth. That guarantees that your smooth nails turn very shiny, almost has if you had a coat of clear polish on.

Since the rougher side of the buffer removes the top layer from your nails, use it only as needed, or on new growth near the base. To maintain the high levels of shine, buff with the smoother side as often as you like. You will never need to worry about a chipped manicure again!