How many times have you got bullied for nervously biting your nails in the midst of the film climax or during a close cricket match? Well, those are matters of the heart best known to it. Then there are also those embarrassing moments in a glittering party when the last thing you'd want is people noticing your chipped nails. Trying to hide them behind your clutch bag won't help but what will is getting a set of nail extensions with some creative dashes of nail art.
With the city fast taking on a cosmopolitan look, the worshippers of fashion are busy conjuring up nouveau ideas on how to be trendy. They are now turning to fingertip art. If the Seventies and Eighties saw the immense popularity of false eyelashes, this is the era of false nails and stylish designs on them. Wake up to the new fad of nail art — a whole range of glamorising paraphernalia to give your nails a facelift. Colouring with various motifs and designs, tattoo stickers, laces and diamonds and nail piercing are on the top of the fashion list. Flaunting glittering long nails with trendy artwork has become the style statement. “Right from college goers to party hoppers are quite eager to experiment with their nails and play around with colours,” says Roopa Raju of Raghavi Beauty Salon.
These are the times for sleek, flashy and trendy shades of nail paint, with a variety of textures like matt, pearl, gloss and glitter flooding the markets. Wild funky colours embellished with rhinestones, beads, stickers and crystals, nail piercing or studded with gold glitter is the order of the day.
The designs range from abstract art to floral motifs. “The fashion is to match the nail colour and motifs with the dress combination you are wearing. For instance, during the Valentine season, we saw a lot of red colour, heart motifs and silver glitter painted on the nails,” she says. Twenty one-year-old Preethi was thrilled to get a black and white theme done on her nails aptly matching her birthday dress. “The monotone nail enamel gives such a mundane effect. But this one is cool and very stylish indeed!” she says.
Nail art can be done in different designs and colours to suit the occasion. A French nail polish with a tiny design done at the tip can give a very stylish look that will go with a formal outfit too, suggests Roopa.
For a single nail art sitting on both hands, Raghavi charges Rs.500. The cost goes up to Rs. 2,000 with more elaborate designs. “We are also introducing a special set of nail art at Loreal Beauty Salon that is coming up this month at The Landmark,” says Roopa. Well, for all that money spent, the effect can last for a few weeks. A transparent nail polish coat is used on top of the nail art for a long-lasting effect.
Check out the mind-boggling range of designs from simple dots, straight lines and geometric patterns, stars and hearts, to abstract motifs in a series of colour combination. Designs like single fine petal flowers on one nail block, floral stems with thorns, stripes interspaced with silver stars, diagonal lines teamed with random dots, contrast coloured waves or your name spread over ten nails - all these could be either picked up from a catalogue and indicated to a professional, or could be customised by you as well. French manicured extensions are a hot favourite as they give a natural and uncluttered look.
Nail art goes very well with nail extensions as it lasts till you remove them. On natural nails, the art begins to wear away in a week's time.
“People like to have long nails but maintaining them becomes difficult if they have the habit of nail biting or have brittle nails. We use artificial ‘fibre' nails that are glued over the original nail. These nails are soft yet sturdy and can last for two to three months. Many approach us for nail fixing especially brides since small nails don't give a striking effect with the mehendi designs,” says Roopa.
A set of artificial nails comes for Rs. 1,000. Simple maintenance tips like avoiding too much of water contact should be followed for a long lasting effect.
