There's nothing like a quick
pick-me-up than a fresh pedicure or manicure. With that in mind, we thought
we'd share with you some creative ideas for decorating nails.
“Love You” nails for Valentines Day: (1) Paint all nails with white nail polish.
(2) Paint a small heart in the center of each large nail. For a real cute
look, paint your finger and toe nails the same way.
Christmas: Paint a small tree on one, or both, of your
large nails against a black
background. Put tiny dots of different nail polish colors for ornaments. Top
with a silver star.
4th of July: Paint red, white, and blue stripes on your
nails. Add streaks of different colors to represent a fireworks explosion.
Crackle Nails: For an easy crackle design, simply purchase a crackle design nail
polish. First apply a solid color polish, and then apply crackle
polish over the top as directed on the package.
Happy Spring! Bring in spring with a painted daisy on a nail.
Paint one or two nails white and allow to dry. Next, paint a few green flower stems; again, allow paint to dry before moving painting on your flower petals.
To paint the flower petals, use a toothpick to pick up a small amount of polish from the bottle and place the tip against the nail in a circular pattern of five dots per flower. You can use a fine
Don't forget to make a small dot in the center of your flower with yellow, or another color you have on hand that you believe will look good. As an alternative to the center dot, use a rhinestone instead.
Musical Notes: If you are into music, paint a simple musical
note on one or a few or your nails using a very fine tipped brush.
:-) Smiley Face Toe Nails: If you like to use smiley faces in emails or
text, paint a few on your nails. You can choose an smiley :-) or
even a wink ;-).
How to Place Rhinestones
to your Nails
When your favorite nail
polish dries, add a drop of clear polish to the bottom of a rhinestone or to
your nail, and gently put your rhinestone in place.
To pickup and place
rhinestones on your nails: Dip an orange stick in
water and then the rhinestone, or use a tool called the Pickerr Upperr.
With your wet orange stick or
your Pickerr Upperr, grab and place each rhinestone on the nail.
Tweezers can be used for larger stones.
Don't forget to add your
topcoats to "cement" the nails in place.
Add Bling to a French
Manicure: Dot along the
separating color line with tiny rhinestones.
This looks very feminine when
tiny rhinestones are used. Don't forget to set your rhinestones with two layers
of topcoat.
Wedding Toenails: A few weeks before your wedding, enjoy a
weekly pedicure at your favorite spa to soften your feet and get those toe
cuticles in shape. Beautiful toes start with beautiful skin.
Delicate Wedding Toenails:
If wearing a white dress, ask
your manicurist to paint a delicate white pattern on your nails and attach two
or three small pearls to each large toenail if you'll be wearing sandals or open
toe shoes.
Avoid wearing pearls on your
toenails if wearing closed-toe shoes; this could be very uncomfortable.
If there will be a flower
child in your wedding, consider having her nails painted to match yours. It
could be your little special secret - all little girls love secrets.
Instant
Nail Polish: If you
find it difficult to brush on nail polish, instant nail polish may be your
answer.
This “polish” comes in strips
shaped like nails and is laid across the nail for instant color. No need to
wait until the polish is dry. I find it wears and chips like regular nail
polish and it is relatively easy to apply. The French Manicure style is a
popular choice.
Artificial fingernails: If you're not one to decorate your nails yourself, and
really don't want to spend the time and/or money for a professional manicure,
there are numerous colorfully decorated artificial nails
on the market.
Artificial Toenails: If your nails are not what you want them to
look like, try wearing artificial
toenails. It’s a quick and easy way to beautify your
feet for open toe shoes and sandals.
The most important first
steps of any manicure or pedicure is to start with clean nails and a
base-coat. These will give you a good foundation to build on. Here's how to
begin after you've removed any old nail polish, clipped, and filed your
nails.
How to clean your nails
Soak your feet or hands for
20 minutes in warm, soapy water. Before drying:
Apply
two coats of topcoat for a protective finish and to add shine.
Always allow nails to dry
before applying your next coat.
Hint: A simple test to tell
if the polish is dry enough to add another coat is to barely touch two nails
together. If they seem tacky when placed against each other, they are
still too wet to proceed with your next coat.
“Love You” nails for Valentines Day: (1) Paint all nails with 
4th of July: Paint red, white, and blue stripes on your
nails. Add streaks of different colors to represent a fireworks explosion.
Happy Spring! Bring in spring with a painted daisy on a nail.
Paint one or two nails white and allow to dry. Next, paint a few green flower stems; again, allow paint to dry before moving painting on your flower petals. 
. It’s a quick and easy way to beautify your
feet for open toe shoes and sandals. 
