How to Wear Dark Nails
Dhav Naidu 0906/08
The trend started with Indie rock bands such as Marilyn Manson, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and even our very own Silver Chair, whose all male band members wanted to rebel and shock in their appearance. So what do they think of - delving into women’s makeup, namely black nail polish! Suddenly a myriad of young man were painting their short, chewed nails in inky colours. Naturally this trend spilled into fashion and slowly but surely infiltrated the general public. Gone are the days of inky nails being associated with the rebel! These days it is a sign of sophistication laced with a little naughtiness.
For this look to work forget black as such and look towards deep blues and purples. Keep in mind dark colours tend to draw attention to ragged cuticles, chips and smudges, so ladies you need to add a few more steps to your manicure so that your nails don’t look sloppy.
Steps to a good inky finish
• Remove old polish, file nails until about 2mm beyond the fingertips then round the edges into a squoval (a square oval)
• Soak nails in warm soapy water for a few minutes and gently push cuticles back with a wood manicure stick
• Go over nails with a soft buffing pad until ridges are smoothed. Dark nail polish goes on more evenly and lasts longer when applied to a smooth even surface
• Rinse hands and let them dry naturally, saturate a wood manicure stick wrapped with cotton wool with remover and swipe all over nail bed – apply basecoat and let it dry for 2 minutes
• Wipe one side of the brush against the lip of the bottle, then use the other side to paint
• Apply three stripes of polish starting with the centre then one either side. Wait two minutes and apply a second coat and let it dry naturally
• Apply topcoat then dip a manicure stick (without cotton wool) in nail polish remover to erase smudges on cuticles, edges and skin
Insider trading
• Steady your hand by anchoring your pinkie on your work surface and grasping the brush with your thumb and two fingers
• Always paint in one direction, the 1st and 2nd coat should be thin and cover the same surface otherwise the nail colour will streak
• To fix a chip, dot the tiniest amount of nail polish remover on your fingertip and rub over the chip to smooth edges then apply two thin layers of colour and a topcoat
• Dark polish can stain nails, swab nails with hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball to remove discolouration. Do this once a month (you can buy home use strengths where home hair dyes
are sold)
• Apply cuticle oil at least twice a day
• Mixing is a fun way to add more depth and dimension. Pick a solid colour as your first coat and add a dark sheer colour as your second coat
• Inky nails draw attention to hands so keep them looking soft by exfoliating once a month and moisturise frequently
The best colours on the market
Zoya – a world leader in Toluene Formaldehyde and DBP Free nail polishes and care - has some excellent colours. My favorites have to be:
• Zoya Lael – great for olive skin
• Zoya Raven – needs 2 coats for a good lacquered finish
• Zoya Indigo – a single coat leaves nails with a dazzling finish or mix it with another colour
Essie
• Essie Sole Mate – divine colour - a sort of chocolately purple – a good colour for people wanting to be a bit safe
• Essie Licorice Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme wear in Black Out is surprisingly effective giving a good colour with just one coat OPI – boy I love the names this company comes up with and their nail polishes are not bad either
• OPI Russian Navy – an excellent colour for dark skin
• OPI Lincoln Park After Dark – a good deep purple
• OPI Black Onyx
Chanel Nail Colour 461 Blue Satin – A sophisticated, seductive deep blue YSL Long-Lasting Nail Lacquer Black Tulip 34 – great for medium to olive skin, an excellent shade of purple
Other essentials
4 excellent cuticle oils/gels:
• Qtica Solid Gold Cuticle Oil Gel
• Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil
• Sally Hansen Vitamin E Nail & Cuticle Oil
• OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go
Best Nail Polish Remover – Zoya Remove, great stuff especially the bottle, no spillage or wastage!
Best Nail File – Essie The Crystal File – No messy Emery Boards, a good file that gives results time and again
Best base Coat – Zoya Anchor Basecoat
Best Reviver – Essie Shine – E, the perfect polish refresher; apply every other day to keep manicure going strong
Some Top Coats
• Sally Hansen Diamond Shine Base & Top Coat
• Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti Chip Top Coat
• Sally Hansen Mega Shine
• Zoya Armor Top Coat/UV Block
Stockists
Chanel – Myer/David Jones and selected pharmacies
Essie - (02) 9477 6900
OPI - 1800 358 999
Qtica- 1300 855 644
Sally Hansen – 1800 251 010
YSL - Myer/David Jones and selected pharmacies
Zoya - 1300 855 644
Special thanks to Sue Karvelas for her manicuring expertise – 0402 048 640
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