 |
|
At Delhi’s Nail Spa customers can go for embellishments like real diamonds, precious stones to floral and animal prints.Photograph courtesy Nail spa, Delhi |
Do you fancy bejewelled nails like the ones made famous by Lady Gaga? Or perhaps you’d like them to glitter courtesy Swarovski crystals? And how about flaunting animal-prints, no, not on your clothes, but on your nails? If you’re ready to give your hands a complete makeover, then take a cue from flashy nail art trends doing the rounds for that glamorous look.
Nail-decoration today has been elevated to a fine art with amazingly intricate designs. “Nail art has been refined over the past two years and style divas want to match their nails to suit their clothes,” says nail expert, Gurpreet Seble who opened her Nail Spa in Delhi a few years ago. She even embellishes some customers’ nails with real diamonds and precious stones.
There are multiple choices available in terms of designs including geometric shapes, florals, animal prints and even cartoon characters. And all you have to do is to decide on the look that best suits your hands. Expect to shell out anywhere between Rs 150 per nail to Rs 20,000 (for both hands) for the more intricate patterns.
“This season, baby pink, vibrant reds and oranges are the hot colours with glitter for effect,” says beauty expert Bridgette Jones. At her salon, ‘crackle’ nail polish which is doing very well is a rugged pattern created on the surface of the nail to reveal the layer of polish beneath it.
“This uneven effect on the nails gives a grungy look as compared to the smooth finish,” she says. Jones has also launched Kooky Wrap (priced at Rs 800 per nail) which is hard-wearing nail art that doesn’t chip. Jones says, “These are pre-designed, thin metallic foils which are applied on the nails. The foils are heated with a dryer and finally a top coat is applied to make it stay.”
However, beauty expert Keya Seth has a word of advice: “If you go for nail-art then remove it after a while to give your nails a breather and then go for reapplication. Prolonged usage is likely to damage the skin under the nails.”
 |
| Nail-decoration comes with amazingly intricate designs today |
At Keya Seth’s Aromatherapy spa, the most popular is transparent gel nail art in which the nails are given a slightly glassy effect with the help of special gels after which designs like flowers, portraits and even landscapes are made on the nails. “For weddings, brides are going for the application of coloured stones and even Chantilly lace designs on the nails,” she adds. Prices range between at Rs 1,000 and Rs 10,000 for both hands.
Three-dimensional art on nails is another new trend which comes with intricate details from rhinestones to bows and cartoon characters or floral motifs. This is a process of creating 3D artwork on the nails by using special acrylic powder or gels which when applied on the nails dry up and swell. After that the nail technician etches various motifs and patterns on the nails.
According to Seble, 3D has taken nail art to another dimension. At her nail spa, the regulation floral motifs aside, there’s a growing demand for various other 3D designs using crystals, dry flowers, mylars (polyester film), Fimo cane (a type of polymer clay used in nail art) and glitters. Her 3D nail art is priced upwards of Rs 2,000 for both-hands.
While 3D nail art may be a hot trend, nail artist Prashantt Sonavane who runs Nail Academy and Salon in Mumbai, says: “Eco-friendly gel nail extensions (fake or artificial nails) are in demand as they do not harm the natural nails.” He elaborates, “In gel nail extensions, at first a gel coat is applied three to four times over the nail tip. After that a design is created on the gel and then a sealer coat finishes the job.” And if you want to take the design off after a month you can easily do so by dipping your nails in a soak-off solution. The gel nail extension at Sonavane’s salon is priced upwards of Rs 2,000 (for both hands).
 |
The chip resistant Kooky Wrap is the latest addition to Bridgette Jones’s repertoire of nail art styles
Model courtesy Moumita Chakraborty
Pic by Rashbehari Das |
Beauty expert Ragini Bajaj of Indulgence Nail Spa in Mumbai adds: “Creativity has no limit when it comes to nail art.” According to her, spring-summer will see a lot of neon colours like oranges, greens, blues and blacks in terms of nail colours. It’s 3D nail art with designs of petals and leopard motifs that are keeping nail technicians busy at her salon. Prices range from Rs 150 per nail and can go up depending on the design chosen.
Nail art is however a high-maintenance job. Bridgette emphasises: “Always apply a base coat prior to any nail art and have a top coat to prevent the colour from chipping. Apply cuticle oil on the nail cuticles as often as possible.”
Time to do a rethink, if you thought that the French manicure was the best thing to happen to nails!
|
