5 Signs of a Bad Manicure

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Wednesday, March 12th, 2008

5 Signs of a BAD Manicure

Raise your hand if you’ve ever popped into an obscure nail salon in hopes of getting a quick, top-quality manicure at a ridiculously cheap price, only to be left disappointed with less-than-stellar results… Yeah, it’s happened to all of us.

Meet Nicole Dinh, a manicurist to the stars (Christina Aguilera and Dayna Devon, host of Extra TV show); she shares five signs of a bad manicure. While sometimes you may not notice manicure mishaps immediately, closely check your nails next time to see - it may be time to change nail salons.

1. Poor shape of nails.

Solution: Your hand size and nail bed should be assessed first, then shaped according to their size and proportion.

2. Ragged cuticles or hang nails.

Solution: Hang nails should be gently trimmed, never pulled on with cuticle nippers. The cuticle base should never be cut, only trimmed where there is excess skin.

3. Unfinished nail edge.

Solution: When filing natural nails, always use a fine emery board. Emery boards should be appropriate to the specific nail type, either fine quality for natural nails or coarse texture for artificial nails.

4. Poor polish color quality and application.

Solution: make sure your manicurist exercises proper technique to paint the nails, so that the nail bed is completely covered; the nail bed should not be visible on the sides of the nail. Only professional quality nail polish should be used in order to prevent streaking and/or uneven color texture.

5. Chipped polish the day after.

Solution: Nails should always be cleaned before polish is applied and a professional quality base coat should always be used. Manicures that incorporate proper tools, professional quality products and appropriate techniques typically last at least one week.

For more information about Nicole Dinh or the Nelson J Salon (350 N. Bedford Drive in Beverly Hills), please call 310.274.1553 or visit the website at www.nelsonjbeauty.com.