Fixing a broken heart (nail)

There was a mattress accident last Tuesday and half the nail of my middle finger (no offense intended) broke off. Ohhh it was painful. But the first thing that came to my mind was how I could still keep the nail on so the nail bed would not be exposed. Which is when I turned to nail polish, funny how my little hobby got me thinking on my feet!

So today I renew the process because the last one done wasn't very secure. Today, I got it all planned out :)

Step 1: Identify damage
See the crack line. It use to be higher up near mid-section but good thing my nails grow fast :)

Step 2: Add a tape to hold onto crack (like a band-aid!)
Start off with a base coat to hold nails, then when coat has dried (impt: must let it dry) you can add on the band-aid and put on another coat to make polish application easier

Step 3: Color it
You can start to apply 2 coats of nail polish to hide, and to strengthen the nail. Make sure the second coat is still wet before you proceed to the next step

Step 4: Fake nail it
Remember those fake nails I bought to use for practice? Life-saver they are, I put on one while the blue coat is still wet and then press it on tightly to stick it well. Excess polish will appear at side, you can clean it up later

Side profile of fake nails (see the bump?)

Step 5: Only if you're vain like me :p
Because I want it to look like the rest, I applied a pink french twist

Remember to cover the bottom edge of the nails too

Add blue dots and it's done!

Taadaa! Pretty nails. The blue dots are kinda '3D' here, by accident!
I oughta tighten up the QC :)

Nailing the Occasion

What's your take on your nail-do on a casual day out with the girls? Or a hot date? Or an important presentation? Here's my five cents worth of how to get creative and in tune with the occcasion :)

Wedding: If you're like me, going through that phase in life where everyone is getting married, you'd have a fair share of weddings to attend. Your outfit is the real focus in this event so let the nails take on a softer, complementing look. The way to go: nude (light pink, transparent) nails with colored french tips (examples) to match your dress and turn into Lady Elegant

Hot date: Adorn your nails with perky colors if you're taking on a awesome outfit. Are you going with bright striking colors or sleek monotones? The way to go: Wear that passion on your nails with some funky nail art, like what we have in our Love, Passion Series

Casual day out with your girls: A summer dress? Casual Tees and shorts? Or just a light-weight top with your comfy jeans? The way to go: Nothing complements casual wear like simple flowery nails, and if you're looking to have simple make-up the perky and funky nail art is the perfect fit.

Flying away for a vacation: Going into a land where nobody knows you? Don't worry, you'd leave a lasting impression with awesome nails like our summer collection, or show off your nails with colorful costumes with a perfect blend of watermark nails

Big Presentation/ Work: If work permits, go with french twist. Use more subdued colors, like white and everything else if you need to make a professional impression. It works even for after-work parties, and you don't have to worry about looking too childish with this sleek nail-do

I love DIY nail care tips!

It's usually simple, effortless and most importantly, absolutely cost-effective!

Nail care does not have to be cautious visits to nail saloons, or spending a bomb on expensive nail products on shelves. Do it yourself - this is the motto of Nailify, and we believe that lovin' your nails naturally is the way to go, meaning to say you go all organic on them!

Nailify believes -

1. Nothing a simple remedy of moisturizing won't cure! Did you know that if you use leather wallets or bags, your moisturizer would have them look good too? Chances are leather would absorb your moisturizer and exude a gorgeous glow and softness. So what kind of moisturizer? I recommend Kanga Organic's Skin Blossom range. Lovely packaging, comforting scenet and kind to your wallet :)

2. Look for good old natural recipes, if you have your nails hidden under nail polish for a long time you will have to restore them to their natural texture again and remove all traces of nail polish cleanly. What's the trick? Whitening toothpaste + lemon juice! Mix them together and soak in your nails for no more than 5 minutes and your nails will be all refreshed! Got this from wonderful Styles 101

3. Nail polish do not make your nails all brittle, it's the lack of moisture. In fact, after going nude-nails for a week, I have more cracks than ever. With nail polish, you get a protective coat on your nails against weathering

4. Bet you did not realize that many things you find at home will be good for nails. Milk, olive oil ( a good organic alternative to regular oil), toothbrush, toothpaste and teabags

Milk - Drinking it supplies you with calcium and thus, healthy nails. Soaking nails into it would allow moisturization and strengthening of nails

Olive oil - Is one of the best things you can find. It acts as a solvent and removes dirt, and also moisturizes! Just dab a cotton with it on your nails and watch some magic!

Toothbrush and toothpaste - Too lazy to buff? Just take out your whitening toothpaste and a toothbrush you're not using and scrub the nails

Teabags - Best way to mend a split on your nail? Use a teabag, cut out a small part of it and stick it to the split using clear nail polish. Cover up with any nail color and it'd grow out in no time (source)

5. Always clean your cuticles!

Tips for Water marbling

Watching Youtube videos is strangely addictive and illuminating at its best. You'd uncover secrets to other folk's success and you'd start to gain confidence on how the nails can be done because they just make it all look so easy!

So here I am with my list of tips for Water marbling, which I'm due for this Saturday!

1. Room temperature filtered water (in other words, drinking water) works best
2. Don't go too near a fan when at work because it can dry your polishes too quickly
3. When nail dipping, keep it in water for half a minute and do a few small swoshes while doing so to remove air bubbles - thanks Nailpassion!
4. Use a thin needle or toothpick, anything thicker than that would make design mapping too difficult
5. Have a base color, keep to your base coat and top coat too even for this technique!

Do you have more to add? Feel free to pen them on the comments box on our right! :)

Au Naturel

Who says no color is bad color?

Au Naturel, once in awhile, you need no color to show what you truly have.

Formula: Nail buffer, lots of moisturizer, nail clipper and happy smiles!

Summer Edge

It's insanely hot these days. Sometimes as I head back for the office post-lunch, I can literally feel my eyeballs boiling inside-out.

So I made some new nails! A close friend asked me how I managed to keep changing the nails. The answer is Youtube, filled with cute videos to inspire you. I'm not exactly showing you girls a good tutorial here, but most importantly if I can paint these nails so can you! It's not difficult, and practice is the key. And I will keep on adding to the palette for you to get inspired.

Summer nails for the summer days. Colorful, simple and sweet.



Initially I wanted to do a simple gloss French Tip. But, it was really boring, with the shimmery nude base and white tip. So I colored it, and unable to single out one color, I took on four shades.

Things you need:
- Deep blue, Sunny Yellow, Orangey from FaceShop
- Jade Green from Etude House
- Shimmery nude from FaceShop
- Base and Top Coat of your choice
- White from Chatmignon

Beauty Regime:
1. As always, prep nails with a good base coat
2. Fill in the nails with shimmery nude
3. Using white, sketch out a rough line on your nails of where the stripes begin
4. Mentally divide each nail into four lanes
5. Take one of the colors, and fill in the stripes at random lanes on every nail
6. Do the same for the other colors for all nails
7. When it has dried, finish it with a good top coat



And you're done!

For people with shorter nails - you can do it too!
I swim twice every week and I soon realize that the chlorine damages my nails extensively. Imagine if I didn't have the polish on, my nails will be inevitably brittle. It started eating into the edge:



I trimmed them all! It still looked great, so short nails can use this look too! :) For swimmers, always always have your top coat refreshed every few days!

Funky French Tips

I notice that nails would turn slightly yellowish when you leave the nail polishes on for too long. The supply of vitamin D usually provided by the sun is cut off thus, the nails start to change in color.

Then I thought about the French Tip technique, and decided to make it look a little more funky. Using a transparent coat for the nails, you continue to supply vitamin D to retain the pretty pink in your nails. But it's not boring due to the edgy stripes of blue right at the edge of the nails.

Here's what you need -
- Base coat and Top Coat of your choice
- White Nail Polish
- Colored Nail Polish of your choice (Mine is Deep Blue from FaceShop)
- Cotton Sticks (the type you use for cleaning ears)
- Nail polish remover

Beauty Regime:
1. Using the base coat, layer your nails with one light coat. This gives it a slight gloss without 'suffocating' your nails
2. Line the edge of your nails with white polish (use a really light dose of white to roughly paint it on before you fill in the colors. This prevents mistakes)
3. You may correct the extra smudges with a cotton stick and some nail polish remover
4. Before the white dries completely (mildly sticky), add stripes of your choice nail polish to create the above pattern
5. When all is done, coat the nails with a layer of top coat and double coat the pattern edges for a stronger coat

And you're done!

Nails Buddy love:
If your nails are really brittle you can opt for this because the polish helps to harden the nails as the new nails grow into place. It is also less obvious to spot the new grown nails when you use a transparent base. If you nails are severely discolored, stop all nail polish application immediately and have a good session of nail nourishing and cleaning. See here for more info

Love and care for your nail buddies!

Truth be told, your nails are your best buds. They are crusted tough to protect your pretty fingers and become the perfect accessory for crazy color splashes.

If you're not gonna shower them with lots of love, chances are they are not going to be there to protect your fingertips or when you wanna splash on some lovely shades for the next beach party or scrabble-sleepover.

So here I am, to share with you how you can give them your love.

Here's what you need
- Hand and Nail Lotion (I use Almond Hand & Nail Moisturizer from BodyShop)
- Cuticle Remover (I use Sally Hansen's)
- Cuticle Cleaner (or the small blade on your nail cutter)
- Cotton Wool
- Water

What you would NOT need:
- Nail chewing
- Nail scrapping
- Nail biting
- Pulling at cuticles
- Glove-less when washing or cleaning (cleaning products are sometimes acidic and will harm your nails and cuticles)

Everyday basis:
1. Clean hands, and nail areas diligently
2. Unless required otherwise, dry hands minimally or let them dry naturally. This will be good for dry hands with cracking nails
3. Apply moisturizer onto hands, and rub them on the nails (including edges of the nails) until it is absorbed properly
4. Apply Sally Hansen's Nail Harderner if you have nails that crack easily

Once a month:
1. Remove all nail polishes, including the edges
2. Clean and wash hands
3. Apply cuticle removing cream (I use Sally Hanson's Gel Cuticle Remover)
4. After the timing recommended by the cream, with the cuticle tool, remove hardened cuticles and clean by-products with a cotton wool
5. With a moistened cotton wool, cover thumb nail for 15 seconds before moving to the next nail
6. Apply moisturizer on hands, including nails and nail edges
7. I follow up with an application of Sally Hansen's Nail Nutrition Green Tea + Olive Oil Treatment

Before Applying Nail Polishes:
1. Clean and wash hands, dry hands properly so nail polishes stays on longer
2. Coat hands and nails with a thin layer of moisturizers
3. Apply a base coat of your choice, for longer nails, apply two layers

There you go! Now you're ready to love them all! :)