From the Vault

Today's post is a favorite from the vault, at first I thought the pictures I took were crappy, which some were.. since they were a bit blurry. But I found 1 good picture and it makes me reminisce about my long nails. I'm getting there! Unfortunately as I was running today to catch the train to work, my favorite ring fingernail on my left hand broke on the side! I had to shave it down a bit. But I definitely didn't want to chop all my nails, or I'd get sad again lol. I think long nails makes me happy :)

China Glaze Rainstorm

It's a cornflower blue type (similar to Essie Lapis of Luxury) with blue microglitters. You can't see the microglitters clearly but it's kind of subtle rather than the "in your face" glitters. :P I believe this was either 2-3 coats and 1 layer of top coat.

Hope you enjoyed & happy polishing!~

Don't forget my CSN giveaway is ending today at 11:59pm EST!!

and my 300+ follower giveaway will end on March 26, 2011

*click the pictures on the sidebar to enter!

<3katherine

Essential Nail Salon Supplies - 5 Essentials For a Great Nail Salon - NAIL SALON

Nail salons have become increasingly popular over the last several years. Competition is fierce, so having the "right stuff" can really pay off by attracting new clients and keeping them. Here are 5 products that can keep your salon ahead of the crowd.

Comfortable Furniture-A manicure or pedicure serves as a mini-vacation for many. And soft, inviting, and padded chairs that envelop a client can make a lasting impression.

Even while waiting, the chairs should be comfortable to make the wait less of an irritation, and more like the beginning of a great time.

All Things Sensual-Let's face it, manicures and pedicures are about the tactile-how things feel. So wonderful moisturizers, heated and/or scented creams and lotions applied gently can make for wonderful sensations.

Hygienic Equipment-Ultra violet lights, antibacterial solutions, and germ-killing cleaning agents for chairs, tables, and pedicure stations let clients know that they will not sacrifice cleanliness by visiting your salon. Sanitizing tools and providing proper disposal of tools that cannot be reused should be a matter of routine for every manicurist.

Wide Variety of Nails and Polishes-Having a wide variety of polishes and nails will do much to create "buzz" about your shop. Beautiful nails will do much of the advertising for you even without your customer being aware of it. Having your nails look beautiful enough to make others ask where they were done will not only help you make a repeat customer, but will send many new clients your way.

Nail Salon Air Purifier-Unfortunately, many of the products used in nail salons created chemical fumes and odors that smell very unpleasant when entering the shop. These fumes are not only unpleasant, but are harmful when inhaled for long periods of time.

Cleaning up the air in your shop by constantly filtering out the chemical odors and fumes is another way to put your salon ahead of the rest of the nail salons in your town. It is also a great way to recruit talented manicurists.

In order to be effective in a nail salon, an air purifier needs to be able to absorb chemicals with a carbon based filter with an additive that is effective at removing these fumes. It also needs to use a HEPA (or high efficiency particle arresting) filter that can remove fine particles generated by filing and sanding nails.

This type of filtration is also capable of removing normal indoor pollutants such as dust, mold and mildew spores, pollen and other particulates that are all too typical in indoor air these days. Continuously cleaning the air in your salon with a cleaner designed with nail salons in mind is a proactive way to improve the quality of service you provide.

My Space Nails

I've been meaning to do these nails for a while. SPACE NAILS and credits go to Asami's Space Nail tutorial. I hope you enjoy, they don't look much like space to me (compared to Asami's) but it reminds me more of a nebulous cloud in space, maybe because I sponged too much =P

Materials I used:

OPI Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees Suede (since I didn't have ManGlaze Matte is Murder or Zoya Dovima)

OPI DS Original (for the holo part)
Misa No Shrinking Violetta (for the sheer duochrome part)

Pa Nail Color A125 (for the stars)

I got a compliment today when I wore them out for the first day. :)
Hope you like them as much as I do!~

happy polishing

and don't forget to enter into my CSN giveaway (ends March 12) and my 300 follower giveaway (March 26)! Just to clarify, the picture is from google and it is not the actual polishes that I will be giving away :P
<3katherine

Illamasqua Nail Polish

I just love this color ! 

Its called Purity by Illamasqua.

Its from the Toxic Nature Collection.

It has not yet been released but

its a must have shade for spring !

Its a lovely pastel peachy/orange.

Of course you dont have to get this brand

but I realllly want it when it 

comes out !  Unfortunately its not 

sold here : (  Lighter colors like

this might not work on super

pale skin tones so you can just

hold your hand up next to the 

polish to see if it would suit you

or not. I think it would 

go great with warm skintones.

Im obsessed with colors

like this these days !

http://www.illamasqua.com/shop/catalogue/nails

Gel Nails And Acrylic Nails - NAIL SALON

Artificial nails are recommended for you if you want to have longer nails instantly or that you want to have a set of more beautiful nails. There are two types of artificial nails, gel nails and acrylic nails.
Acrylic nails appeared earlier than gel nails in the market. Acrylic is formed by mixing a monomer and a polymer. The thick liquid is then applied to natural nails as artificial nails. Acrylic is a very strong and robust substance. Hence, when applied correctly and with proper care, acrylic nails can last a long time without breaking. However, some people may find some difficulty accepting the strong-smelling chemicals that are used in the application and removal process of acrylic nails. The prices of acrylic nails are usually slightly lower as compared to gel nails.

Gel nails are newer in the market. Gel nails are made up of premixed polymer and monomer gel that is applied to natural nails. The gel nails are then cured in two ways. The light cured gel nails are cured by exposing them to ultra violet rays after application. The no-light gel nails are cured with a gel activator that is brushed or sprayed onto the nails and dipped in water for a few minutes. They do not require strong-smelling chemicals to apply or remove, but gels nails are not as strong and hard as acrylic nails. The main advantage of gel nails over acrylic nails is they look much more natural than the latter. Often, they are even mistaken for natural nails and can even be worn without nail polish whereas acrylic nails look better when painted.

Gel nails do have their disadvantages too. Other than not being as long-lasting as acrylic nails, gel nails tend to be more expensive. It is also noted that nail polish tend to adhere better to acrylic nails than gel nails. When acrylic nail breaks, you can almost always fix it back yourself temporarily.

However, when gel nail breaks, it is usually quite impossible to fix it yourself and you would have to go back to your manicurist. Both acrylic and gel nails have their own advantages and disadvantages, so it is up to the individual to choose which is more suitable for you.

While we want our nails to look perfect and beautiful, it is important to note that artificial nails should not be worn for a prolonged period of time, or else the natural nails will be suffocated and deprived of the chance to breathe freely. Do go to qualified and reputable manicurists who are skilled and experienced to do artificial nails.

If the nails are not glued properly and there are gaps between the artificial nails and natural nails, it may result in discolorations. Gaps are moist and warm environments which encourage the growth of bacteria and fungi, and could eventually result in nail infections. Reputable manicurists will also sanitise their tools regularly.

This is important because while we want to look beautiful, we do not want another customer's fungi to be spread to us in the process.

The Best Way To Remove Acrylic Nails - NAIL SALON

If you are removing acrylic nails it actually is beneficial for you to shield your nails along with the skin around your nails from damage. Thse are the right actions and painless techniques used when completing the process of taking away acrylic nails. You must not pry, tear or try to chew off of your acrylic nails. The subsequent steps outline the processes in depth.

To begin with you actually are going to need to get one hundred percent genuine acetone. Acetone is an natural composite and is the recommended item used to detach acrylic nails correctly. You really can buy acetone at your nearby drug shop and / or beauty supply shop and it's relatively easy on the pocket. Make sure you handle the acetone with extraordinary caution. Acetone is a relatively dangerous product and should preferably not be in reach of adolescents or any household pets.

Make absolutely sure you have a nail file ready as it will be a very important tool needed to take out your acrylic nails. You will also have a need for vaseline petroleum at the time of the procedure. Vaseline is applied to shield your skin throughout the removing of acrylic nails. Additionaly you will require an old glass bowl in which you will pour the acetone.

The bowl needs to be made of glass and never ever can be made of plastic. Help to make sure that the particular glass bowl you utilize is something you can throw out immediately after using it to get rid of your acrylic nails. The glass bowl is certainly mandatory because if you make an attempt to use a plastic-made bowl the acetone would really melt that plastic bowl.

Now that you have the acetone, nail file, vaseline along with the glass jar you would need to get a hold of 2 bathroom towels and arrange 1 large towel on a work desk and set the glass dish down right on top of the hand towel. File all your nails all the way down as short as you would be able to. It is actually now the time to pour the acetone straight into the dish. Fill the acetone at least one inch deep inside the bowl. The subsequent thing to do is coating your skin close to your nails using vaseline. It's crucial considering that the vaseline does indeed protect your skin area from damages due to the actual acetone.

You should at this time pick up the other bathroom towel and position the bathroom towel on top of your hands and fingers with all your acrylic nails facing downwards in the direction of the bowl. The simple reason for the towel on top of your hands as well as acrylic nails would be that the acetone is actually very strong and can make you nauseous. Your towel helps to keep the fumes in and makes the procedure substantially simpler. What you will have to do immediately is place your acrylic nails inside of the acetone pan and what you should have is your nails inside the bowl having a towel over your hands and nails keeping out all of the fumes from your face. You actually are going to maintain your acrylic nails within the acetone bowl for 10 recommended minutes. Exactly what you are doing at this point is putting your own nails inside the acetone solvent. The actual acetone is reducing the acrylic product away of your nails.

You will remove your acrylic nails outside of the bowl and furthermore begin to file down and clean off this dissolved layer on your nails. You will definitely recognize that your acrylic over the nails is beginning to just turn gooey and is starting to melt off. You may now put the nails again in the acetone container for 4 min's at a time. Every several minutes you'll just take your nails and scrape the rest of the layers and buff all of them with the nail file.

After the acrylic is almost completely cleared from your nails you possibly can oil, polish and sculpt your nails. I tend to suggest that you allow a lean layer of acrylic and utilize a buffer to smooth out your nails. The thin layer will shield your nails and aid in making sure your nail polish stays on. Thoroughly clean your hands absolutely free of the Vaseline petroleum. You now will want to dry off your nails and dispose of the acetone in addition to the bowl carefully. At this time you may let your beautiful nails grow out wholesome and damage free.

Cute Packing Method

So, in Asia, they have the cutest ... 
well ... EVERYTHING.
Instead of having silver and boring
mundane kitchen items you can get  
for example - cute, pink, lovely ones. 
They have amazing packaging for the 
most random beauty products and 
everything we have...they seem
to make it better, cuter and its always
cheaper ! Gosh I just love it !
So, I found another thing
that is so cute, makes so much sense
and of course is Korean.


Look at the way some girls pack :

Isnt it so adorable !?

Some ppl put their items into little 

vinyl bags. Usually you buy them in a set 

in Korea which comes in diff sizes...

big ones for pants and tops and 

smaller ones

for bits and bobs. 

First the roll up their tees and pants
and then they pop them into the
bags so that everything is organized.

They also have drawstring bags for 
shoes which is so smart as shoes have 
a ridiculous amount of yucky dirt on them. 
You wouldn't wanna just throw them
in with your undies and clothing. Of 
course you can just use normal 
plastic bags but these are sooo cute. 

Late Post

Helloooooo everyone! Sorry for not posting in a while, I've been busy a lot but that doesn't mean I've neglected my nails! :P This is from the vault, you might be able to know that it's been a while - Zoya 3 Free Nail Polishes because they reached 20,000 Facebook followers. So here are my swatches, which weren't that great, in my opinion since I'm looking back at these. :P

First one is Astra, it's mostly a clear base with red/fuchsia packed glitter and there's barely any clear spaces. The swatch is 2 coats and 1 layer of top coat, pretty nice and shiny :)

The second, which is my favorite, Crystal. I've been wanting this for a long time after seeing it on blogs *drool* and I jumped on this chance to get it :) It's a metallic blue with gold flecks and silver glitter packed in. VERY BEAUTIFUL. I believe the swatch is 2 or 3 coats and 1 layer of top coat, which looks the same to me :P

The last one is Nova, my least favorite of the 3 :\ but it's a red-purple but more purple tone jelly base with silver glitters packed in. The swatch is 2 coats and 1 layer of top coat.

hope you all enjoyed & happy polishing! :)

<3katherine

p.s. don't forget to enter into my CSN giveaway (ends March 12) and my 300 follower giveaway (ends March 26)! :)

300 Follower Giveaway update

Update: For my 300 follower giveaway, the last day I will accept entries will be on March 26, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. And don't forget to enter into my CSN store giveaway! :)

<3katherine

{Giveaway} CSN Stores!

Things at home are so crazy and my previous desk was driving me nuts! Sharing one small desk with my brother?! The idea of the L shaped desk lets both my brother and I share a desk together with enough space for both of us! :)

CSN Stores has offered to sponsor a giveaway for necessary★nails readers, $50 for you to spend at CSN! What I would get with $50 at CSN, take a look:

These cherry blossom wall decals are beauutiful! And I'd definitely love to cover my boring light pink walls with this baby right here! :] I've always loved cherry blossoms and it would make my room amazing... SERIOUSLY.

or maybe... this big flower wall decal :)! This wall decal would do the same exact thing to my boring walls like the cherry blossom wall decals but this one is customizable, which is even better! But you aren't limited to only wall decals, check out their website and you'll see tons of items that will maybe interest you!~

I will be randomly picking ONE lucky winner to receive the $50 promotional code to spend on whatever you want from CSN stores, which has over 200+ stores and TONS of awesome things to drool over! :)

To enter:
1. You must be a follower, comment with your follower name & email.
2. Go to CSN stores and tell me what you would get from there with $50.
3. {optional} 'Like' CSN store on Facebook! Don't forget to tell me the name you're following them with.

Giveaway will end on March 12, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. I will post the winner the following day from random.org.

Don't miss out on this great opportunity! :)


<3katherine