nails

Nail Colour Alert!

Essie’s ‘Sew psyched’ has only been in our salon a week, yet it’s proven to be a popular choice with the ladies. (more…)

Gels! Not Acrylic Gels!

Many customers have come into the salon asking for Gel nail infill, only to discover what is actually on their nails are Acrylics.

so…why is that and whats what? OK….

Acrylic- always in powder form, mixed with liquid monomer to form a gel, applied to nails, left to dry..

acrylic Gel -powder form mixed with liquid to form gel, applied to nails, cured under UV light…

Gels -painted on in gel form, cured under light!

So what’s the difference we here you ask… If it has acrylic in the title the it’s acrylics! All acrylic result in damaged natural nails! we’ll say no more on that.

As for Gels nails,  they DO NOT damage the natural nails, although they are slightly less hard-wearing in comparison to gel nails. Gel nails are quick to apply, they come in a variety of colours, can be refiled and used over tips also. The appearance is also thinner and very ‘natural’ looking. With gel, your nails are protected from breakage. It’s no wonder Gel nails are fast becoming the obvious nail extention choice. We highly recommend Gel nails as when they come off it’s actually possible to not have to cut of all your natural nails and start again!! and yes they are available in pink and white.

The whole point in MATTE nail polish and…it’s here to stay

For those of you complaining about the matt  nail polishes looking like wall paint and “not very shiny”(yesss…i know, it’s commonly said!) we’d like to point out a few things. It boils down to the matte polish being a “look” and therefore a preference. shiny nails represent high maintenance and polished(no pun intended) whereas matte represents understated chic, not try hard yet not neglecting and also moving with the ever-changing fashion industry.The ‘dustier’ looking the polish the more striking the effect. In regards to it not lasting very long, we can only say that’s a technical issue, polish without topcoat will never last very long. However it’s soooo quick drying that applying it every other day shouldnt be time-consuming.(at least for a dedicated fashionista)

Here at Pinkcrust we commonly sport the matte, anything that gives us a different and interesting look is very refreshing AND if its good enough for a flashy car…..

In any case the pinkcrust girlie’s and customers  alike have long been dedicated wearers of  O.P.I ‘Lincoln park after dark’  and now there’s a matt version!!!! hmm…in the words of Racheal Zoe “I DIE”

Now for some words of advice for the pro matte camp (if you haven’t yet gathered, that’s us included) O.P.I’s range of matte’s are brilliant, Orly also do a range of matte polish But whilst the dark colours are excellent, the lighter shades do not quite manage to be 100% matte, they appear “suede-ish”, the resulting effect just seems more like matte smeared with grease(which, btw, has a totally different connotation!!!)

alternatively, the ‘Essie’ mattifying top coat Matte About You is very economical, just apply this over old favourites or even colours you just regret buying(they take on a whole new life form when they’re matt)

And at last base coat is still necessary!

Chrome Nails, AGAIN!

These nails totally deserve another mention. The gold chrome are flying of the shelves in the salon and rightfully so, they’re quick, long wearing and attention grabbing(forget neon for now). As a result we’ve stocked up on all the colours available in the range…..we now do chrome red, black, purple, green, blue we love love love! (please see ‘services and prices’ page for more info)

On the RARE occassions when we have little to do…..

Tools used;

• steady hand(yep, all done by hand!)
  
• creative flair
• a little polish

Which one do you like????

Matt v Gloss! We’ll Do Both!!

We thought we’d join in the Halloween fun too, and to match our costumes… it’s ‘Orly’ matt black nails (black for obvious reasons) and clear gloss strips (strips,because…well…they’re having yet another fashion moment)

Minx….the good and not so great points! AND a good alternative!

Minx nails, are available in loads of absolutely fab and crazy designs, that cannot be produced by human hands(well…not as precisely at least). They are quick to apply, meaning no drying time and they do not chip. The drawback comes with the longevity of minx.                                            On the hands they stay in place for approximately 3 days, thereafter they begin to ‘peel back’. To combat this we advise using a top coat daily(sounds like a lot but one coat takes minutes to dry and can be done just before you go to bed or first thing). Also, A UV top coat used straight after application is effective in maintaining minx.

However…… If you’re looking for standout nails, we’ve discovered ‘chrome nails’, which last approximately two weeks, they take less than 30 minutes to apply and look fantastic!!! There’s even more scoop for variation as patterns can be applied on  top also. Again there is no drying time and chipping is minimal if maintained with a normal lacquer top coat every few days. WE LOVE IT!