Neat modern manicure: ideas and techniques

Beautiful nails give self-confidence, lift your spirits, and increase the status of their owner.

But not everyone can afford to visit a salon all the time. For many, the topic of manicure at home is relevant.

To properly make a beautiful manicure, preliminary preparation is necessary.

It includes the purchase of manicure tools, disinfectants and related items that you cannot do without .

Necessary tools for manicure at home

Good, high-quality tools are the key to high-quality cuticle care, prevention of nail splitting and high speed of the procedure. For a classic edged manicure you will need the following tools:

Which manicure tools should you use and which should you not?

If you still have little experience in nail care, orange sticks will come in handy . They can move the skin near the cuticle and clean the eponychium.

nail scissors to trim cuticles This is acceptable, but the best quality manicure will be if you use tweezers . Scissors have straight blades, while tweezers have beveled blades. Therefore, it is the tweezers that cut the skin more and deeper , and after using them the manicure lasts longer.

Nail fork

Since we are talking about the cuticle area, no blade pressure is allowed. This can damage the matrix - the growth cells of the nail under the hole. As a result, the nail will grow crooked for the rest of its life.

Neat hardware manicure

A simple manicure has an important difference from a hardware manicure. The usual one is done using tweezers, a nail file and, of course, soaking. Hardware manicure is performed using special equipment (milling cutter). This is an amazing technique that, with the help of various attachments, can remove dead cells (cuticles) and give the nails shape. This type of manicure is considered dry. It is ideal for those girls who have rather delicate skin on their hands and close proximity of blood vessels. This is because the milling machine does not have any cutting or piercing objects. In principle, an edged manicure has a more well-groomed and finished look, but a dry manicure is considered more reliable for safety reasons.

Choosing a nail file, which one is used for what

Files vary depending on the grit. Grits measure the amount of abrasive applied to 1 square centimeter of a file:

The coarsest file is 80 grit. It is used to reduce the length of artificial nails;

From 100 to 150 – to give shape to artificial nails;

From 180 to 240 – for working with natural nails;

From 400 to 2000 – polishers.

It would be a big mistake to use the wrong saw. In stores you can see nail files without a grit mark. You shouldn't buy them. These can be rough files that will only “soak” the nail and it will crumble and flake.

there are files or clippers for this . He, like a guillotine, cuts the edge at the right angle.

The file moves in one direction . Then the edge of the nail does not become frayed. You cannot use a file on wet nails. Nails absorb a lot of water and become flexible. They follow the file and it’s impossible to make a good cut. Moreover, you can break off the edge of the nail. Therefore, use a file only on dry nails.

They also use a polisher on dry nails . This is a tool for the final stage of the manicure procedure.

I want to become a manicurist. Where to begin?

Manicure, like any other occupation, requires constant improvement and training, dedication and discipline. Many girls living their dreams take courses and even open a beauty salon at home, which ceases to exist after a maximum of a year and this is in 90% of cases. It's time to take off your rose-colored glasses and make sure that you really want to become a master, working 10 hours a day, at least until you get the hang of it and acquire a large client base to maintain a stable financial condition of the studio.

Becoming a good manicurist is not as easy as you think. And becoming the best of the best is a feasible task, but it requires complete dedication. First of all, decide whether you really need this specialty. In order to put everything into perspective, ProstoNail has prepared a very informative list explaining who will definitely enjoy being a nail technician:

• you constantly scour the World Wide Web in search of inspiring ideas for home manicures, new public pages offering various nail decor options, and also subscribe to newsletters from the world of the nail industry and updates to the feed of fashion bloggers who post their bright manicures with enviable regularity;
• you are always ready to listen carefully and with participation to the stories of friends and acquaintances, admire gossip and skillfully understand women's intrigues. And so on a million times a day;
• you know how to be disciplined and organized, while skillfully managing your personal time and not overestimating your capabilities;
• you cannot live a day without drawing, but not on paper, but on tips, and you also regularly turn on an LED or UF lamp, because you think that its light has a calming effect on you;
• you are neat and pedantic, ready to work on a perfectly straight line of French manicure or draw a lunar design for as long as the perfect result requires;
• it won’t be difficult for you to get a manicure (and maybe even a pedicure) not only for yourself, but also for your beloved friend or mother;
• you are stress-resistant and friendly, quite motivated and not only financially.

If you think that at least 4 points out of 7 are your characteristics, then feel free to read the article further and find out what this mysterious profession of manicurist means. Naturally, the first and most important step you can take in this direction is to enroll in training courses that provide basic knowledge. And then try to apply them in reality, not forgetting about our useful tips, life hacks and announcements.

How to choose the shape of the free edge of the nail

The shape of the nail can visually lengthen the fingers , making them thinner and more graceful. But often you see nails of different lengths, asymmetrically filed or too short.

The fingers on the hand are all different, the nails are also different. The nail on the big toe is wider than the others, but longer. The little finger has the most beautiful, narrow nail. The ring finger also has a beautiful nail. But the index and middle ones are usually shorter than the others. This happens because they have a lot of work to do. They are hard workers and therefore do not have time to grow up.

Short nails should be trimmed to length. Especially if you are going to cover them with clear varnish. The free edge will show through and it will become clear that it is not the same length on all fingers.

The shape of the free edge is:

A square is sawed like this : first the length is removed, then several movements are made with a file on one side and the other to emphasize the square shape.

Soft square : made from the previous shape, slightly rounding the corners and giving the straight cut a slightly smiling line.

Oval: made from a square shape, at the corners the file is placed at an angle of 45% and the corner is sawed off. Then the resulting obtuse angles are smoothed with a file.

Almonds: First a square is made, then a file at an angle of 60% cuts off the corner on both sides. Then all the corners are smoothed out. The almond shape is only given to long nails. On short ones it looks awkward.

After shaping the nails, you need to remove the sawdust from under them. This can be done by placing the file perpendicular to the free edge of the nail and making several upward movements with the file.

How to glue it correctly?

The standard step-by-step technology for how to carefully attach marigolds is indicated by the manufacturer on their packaging. However, there is a standard technology by which you can artificially increase the length of your manicure.

Be careful - not enough glue or too much glue will negatively affect the quality of the work, so you should always pay close attention to the manufacturer's instructions.

How to choose false nails?

Not all types of overlays may be suitable for you, since they differ in many respects from each other, which determines the complexity of their attachment, so first pay attention to the choice of the base material.

There are several basic recommendations for choosing overlay plates:

• Inspect your natural nails and choose the length of artificial nails you want to secure. When first attaching, the length of the free edge should not exceed the size of the nail bed, so you should first choose short options;
• Figure out what shape you want it to be. There are three main shapes that are offered to manufacturers: square, oval, almond. If there are transitional options, they are quite difficult to find;
• Choose a design. In this regard, overlays have a wide range - from plain coatings to a wide variety of designs, including French manicure, rhinestones, sparkles, foil, etc.;
• If you plan to cover your nails yourself, make sure that their color matches the shade of the natural nail bed, as it may be noticeable under a light tone of varnish.

You cannot independently adjust the shape and length of the overlay plates, as this will ruin their quality, so when choosing ready-made options, you need to immediately imagine how they will look in the fixed state.

When choosing a brand whose tips you will buy, you need to pay attention not to the price, but to the reviews of other craftsmen, since the price does not always indicate the quality of the product.

Trim manicure at home

Technique for classic edged manicure:

Hand washing
Step 1: Wash your hands thoroughly with soap, remove old nail polish and give them the desired shape;

Removing varnish

Step 2: Completely remove the old varnish;

Nail polish removal

Step 3: Lay out a towel and place a bowl of hot water on it. You can add a little liquid soap;

Soaking hands

Step 4: Place your left hand in a bowl of hot water (if you are left-handed, your right hand);

Step 5: Remove the little finger from the bowl, dry it with a towel and push back the cuticle with a pusher;

Pushing back the cuticle

Step 5: Use a hatchet to clean out the pterygium (eponychium);

Cleaning the pterygium

Step 6: Using tweezers, trim off the white dead skin on the rollers and cuticle area. Hold the tweezers on the rollers with the blades parallel to the nail, and perpendicular in the cuticle area. This results in a smaller cut and there is no chance of accidentally touching the roller with the back of the blades;

Cuticle removal

Step 7: Take out your ring finger and repeat steps 4 to 6;

Step 8: Take out your middle finger and repeat steps 4 to 6;

Step 9: Take out your index finger and repeat steps 4 to 6;

Step 10: Take out your thumb and repeat steps 4 to 6; Step 11: Change the cooled water and put your other hand in it;

Step 12: Repeat steps 4 to 9.

If a manicure is being done for a man or a child , the next step is polishing the nails and massaging the cuticles with oil.

Moisturizing with oil

If a girl does not want to paint her nails, then they are covered with a colorless base for natural nails. This will keep them from being dried out by detergents and washing powders . And also at the end, massage the cuticle with oil.

Neat French manicure

French manicure has always been the most neat and excellent manicure. Nowadays, it is especially popular among girls who are office workers or simply love a calm and relaxed manicure. French is performed on both long and short nails. As for color shades, it all depends on the requirements of the future owner and the creative abilities of the master. But for a more delicate and neat French manicure, you should choose a soft pink, white, pastel, nude or light gray shade. These colors are considered universal, as they will suit any wardrobe style.

Unedged manicure at home

In the salon, unedged manicure is performed using a special device. It has a cutter, different attachments and speeds. You can do this manicure at home using files of different shapes and sizes. There is a file that is called “a file for European unedged manicure . It is small, square or rectangular in cross-section and often has a rounded end. It is convenient for them to move the roller in the cuticle area.

Ceramic hoof

Another tool that can be useful for removing eponychium is a ceramic hoof . It should not be confused with a silicone hoof. They are very similar in appearance, but the silicone is very soft. They cannot clean the nail from the dried skin that has stuck to the nail. It is only suitable for pushing back the roller in the cuticle area. Unedged manicure is performed without soaking, on dry skin. Special products are used to soften dry areas.

Cuticle removers

They produce two types of products: alkaline and acidic. Both of them work well to soften hardened skin areas with hyperkeratosis. You should ask the seller whether you need to wash off the purchased product and after how many minutes to do this. There are also products based on fruit oils ; they do not need to be washed off the skin. They will not dry out or cause inflammation if they are not washed off. On the contrary, they nourish and moisturize the skin. Such cuticle removers are applied between manicure procedures to prevent the growth of eponychium (pterygium). High-quality and inexpensive cuticle removers can be purchased here.

Technique for performing European unedged manicure at home:

Step 1: Wash your hands with soap;

Hand washing

Step 2: Apply cuticle remover;

Applying cuticle softener Cuticle treated with cuticle softener

Step 3: Starting with the little finger, use the rounded tip of a file or an orange stick to push away the roller;

moving away and grinding the roller

Step 4: Remove the softened thin skin from the surface of the nail;

Cuticle removal

Step 5: Process the rollers with a 180 grit file;

processing rough rollers with a file

Step 6: Wash your hands with soap; Step 7: Degrease nails with an alcohol solution;

Degreasing nails

Step 8: Apply varnish.

Varnish coating

Neat manicure on short nails

The short length of the nails deserves considerable attention. After all, many girls believe that if their nails are very short, then they are not worth doing. It's not like that at all. Any size of nails requires care. Many serious organizations simply demand that all employees have neat, short nails. The main thing in this manicure is the calm tone of the varnish coating. Some masters are able to choose such a manicure option that the nails even take on an elongated appearance.

How to paint your nails evenly and beautifully

There is no difficulty in painting your nails easily and quickly and doing it exactly at home, without using a brush on the roller.

First of all, the varnish must have a certain consistency. The new varnish applies well and dries quickly because the solvents have not yet evaporated from it. If the varnish has thickened, add 3-5 drops of varnish solvent to it.

Do not try to thin the polish with acetone or nail polish remover. These products will cause the varnish to curl.

Technique for applying varnish in bright or dark tones:

Step 1: Dip the brush into the varnish, squeeze out the excess with the back of the brush onto the bottle in a forward motion.

Step 2: Place the brush in the middle of the nail at a 45 degree angle and move towards the cuticle. Before reaching the roller, stop the brush and move towards the free edge of the nail. This entire double movement must be done without lifting the brush from the nail or stopping it.

Positioning the brush Smooth movement towards the cuticle Movement of the brush towards the free edge

Step 3: Place the brush on the nail in the cuticle area so that the brush lies in the hand perpendicular to the finger. Make a stroke with the brush along the cuticle to the side roller, round the stroke along the contour of the nail (the brush changes position - now it lies in the hand parallel to the finger) and finish it to the free edge of the nail.

Movement to the side roller

Step 4: Repeat this movement on the other side of the nail. If you run out of varnish on the brush during the process, turn it over and continue.

Moving in the other direction

Step 5: With a well-pressed brush, brush along the end of the nail, sealing it.

Result

Technique for applying varnish in nude and dense pastel colors:

Nude polish
Step 1: Dip the brush into the polish, squeeze out the excess with the back of the brush onto the bottle in a forward motion.

Step 2: Place the brush in the middle of the nail at an angle of 5 degrees and move towards the cuticle, holding it almost suspended. The brush does not put pressure on the nail, only the polish touches the nail. Before reaching the roller, stop the brush and move towards the free edge of the nail.

Step 3: Bring the brush to the cuticle area. Keep the hand parallel to the finger. Barely touching the nail, move the brush towards the side roller and down to the free edge. The brush should go along the side of the nail without touching the roller.

Step 4: Repeat this movement on the other side of the nail. If you run out of varnish on the brush during the process, turn it over and continue. Step 5: With a well-pressed brush, brush along the end of the nail, sealing it.

Materials and tools

After we took care of our nails, it’s time to choose materials and tools to do your own manicure. You can now work with the prepared nail. If gel polish is chosen as the coating, then a manicure like a pie consists of several layers. It includes:

• primer;
• base;
• 1 layer of color;
• 2 layer of color;
• top;
• clinser;
• lamp.

The primer strengthens the adhesion between the nail and the polish. It is best to use acid-free ones. It can be applied to the entire nail or to the tip. Some masters and girls neglect the primer. But with the first piece of gel polish that flies off or peels off, the situation changes.

A beautiful DIY manicure starts with a base coat. It provides a strong connection between the nail surface and the gel polish. It is applied in a thin layer. The base dries in an LED lamp for about 10 seconds, and in a UV lamp for about 1 minute. After drying, it is recommended to remove the sticky layer using a lint-free cloth.

Painting has its own subtleties. Before starting work, you need to lightly shake the bottle, rotating it in different directions to avoid bubbles. If there is too much varnish, then there is a high probability of getting a wavy and swollen coating during polymerization in a lamp.

Remember that 3 thin layers are better than 2 thick ones.

When the shade density is sufficient, you can apply the top. It can be either glossy and catches glare, or noble matte. The top is dried in an LED lamp for about 30 seconds, and in a UV lamp for about 2 minutes. When the manicure is finished, it is necessary to remove the dispersion (sticky) layer with a cleaner.

Nail designs at home

There are beautiful design options for which you don’t have to go to the salon. They can be done at home: rhinestones, glitter, gel pen painting, stickers, bouillons, varnish painting, craquelure, velvet, cat's eye.

Cat's eye - stripes Cat's eye - waves

1. Cat's eye design . For it you will need to purchase magnetic polish and a Cat's Eye nail magnet. They also produce variants “Wave”, “Stripes ” and others. But the most spectacular is “Cat's Eye”.

Cat's eye - made with gel polish

It is done on the newly applied layer of varnish. The magnet is brought to the nail so that the strip is along the nail. Hold for 1 second.

If you hold the magnet closer to the nail, there will be a clear line, further away it will be blurry.

If you bring a magnet first vertically and then horizontally, there will be a bright point.

Gel polish - made with ordinary varnish

2. Craquelure design . A new product, hard varnish, has appeared on the product market. More details can be found here. This is a special cracking varnish that is applied to the dried previous layer.

Substrates made of gold, white, and black varnish look good. Crack polish dries quickly. It can be thinned like regular varnish.

If you apply it in a thick layer, it will crack into large pieces. If in a thin layer - into small ones. You can combine it: make one side of the nail with large fragments, and the other with small ones.

Craquelure - large, medium, small.

3. Velvet design. The varnish for this effect is called “Satin”. After drying, it becomes matte, hiding all the unevenness of the nail.

If you apply a top coat on it, it becomes shiny, like regular varnish. You can make two nails shiny and leave the rest matte. This design looks good in dark or bright colors. On pastel colors it is almost invisible.

4. Leopard design. On a dried substrate (for example, coffee-au-lait color), uneven spots are applied with a brush with a slightly darker (beige) varnish and, without waiting for them to dry, a black dot is added to each spot. Using an orange stick, each dot is given the appearance of a comma.

Leopard design

This design is classic. It can be performed not only in natural tones, but also in avant-garde ones. A turquoise backing with blue spots and black commas looks good.

5. Zebra design.

Zebra design

Black lines are applied to a dry white substrate with a thin brush. There are varnishes for design, they have just such brushes.

The lines are drawn diagonally on the nail. The first line is drawn simple. The second, parallel to it, with a thickening coming from the middle of the line. It looks like a very narrow triangle. The third line is drawn simple along the previous one. The fourth is drawn with a thickening on the other side. The fifth is simple.

You can draw with a regular black gel pen. When the drawing is dry, simply seal it with topcoat. One zebra nail looks good, the rest are white.

Nails with rhinestones and bouillons

6. Design with stickers, bouillons and rhinestones . It is used on special occasions (weddings, graduations) and requires a beautiful dress.

Decorate two nails, tightly covering them with rhinestones of different sizes . Swarovski rhinestones are suitable; they can be purchased in a set. The largest stone is placed in the center, closer to the cuticle. Near it on both sides there are smaller stones.

The smallest stones are placed on the edge of the nail. The space between large stones can be filled with golden broths . On the remaining nails, place one small stone in the center near the cuticle.

Pencil for rhinestones

Place the stones on the wet varnish . The stone is taken by simply bringing an orange stick moistened with water or a special pencil for rhinestones to it and it sticks to it (there are special pencils for attaching rhinestones on sale). It is placed on fresh varnish, corrected, trimmed, it sticks to the varnish and releases the stick.

Light neat manicure

Accuracy of manicure is implied in the correct selection of the color shade of the varnish coating. Light colors have always been considered fashionable and attractive. Moreover, real manicurists are able to improve these colors and complement them with various decorative elements. Particularly gentle and interesting light colors are combined with sparkles, foil, rhinestones, various ornaments and monograms. The nude shade looks quite original, having a decor in the form of a sweater made in a matte style. This option is great for the cold season. For warmer days, a pastel or light pink shade with a decor where shining rhinestones and acrylic paintings play the main role is perfect. Light colors are also used to perform ombre and French manicure. All of the above decorative options are considered the most accurate types for design in light colors.

Not every girl prefers to perform a bright and provocative manicure on her delicate hands. Fans of a calm and neat manicure are quite reserved and calm individuals. This option is also used by quite wealthy and adult women who are trying to have a stylish, but at the same time modern image. A neat manicure is an excellent option for attending educational institutions. After all, the word neatness also implies a calm shade of the varnish coating. Moreover, accuracy is the key to any beauty.

Sterilizing instruments at home

In nail salons, instruments are sterilized in a dry-heat oven.

Manicure tools

At home, you can use the oven for these purposes. Place metal tools in a specially designated bowl, turn on the oven at 250 degrees and heat for 15 minutes.

If during the procedure a wound was caused and blood came out, before sterilization the instrument is soaked in a chlorhexidine solution or wiped three times with 70% alcohol (if special pharmaceuticals , it is better to carry out treatment with them, according to the instructions).

Files and orange sticks can also be soaked in a disinfectant solution . But if there was no blood while working with them, it is enough to wipe them.

Below you can watch a detailed video about sterilizing manicure instruments; some information will be useful to you at home.

What pharmaceutical products may be useful?

In addition to chlorhexidine, you can buy hawthorn tincture 70% in the pharmacy. This alcohol solution can be used as a disinfectant.

The professional line of pharmaceutical products for sterilization is very diverse. Disinfectants are divided into two types: for hands and for metal tools. The pharmacist at the pharmacy will always tell you what products are available. You may also need BF-6 glue . This is a medical glue for treating wounds. It is convenient for cuts, disinfects and seals the wound instead of a band-aid.

It’s good to have on hand the remedy for warts “Mountain Celandine” , a brown herbal balm. If a wart is discovered during the manicure procedure, you can immediately cauterize it with this balm.