And for that reason, we’re here to give you your Guide to Festival Nails:

Hand Wash

These days, most women carry small bottles of Hang Gels in their hand bags, so this onepretty much goes without saying really. The majority of festivals are renowned for being dirty, sweaty places, where you don’t know who or what you might find yourself touching or coming into contact with (hey,we’re not here to judge!) So, having a Hand Wash/Gel handy is going to have it’s uses.

The great thing about hand gels, is that they were practically designed for events such as festivals, or places where you can’t get a water tap, because they don’t require water, it dries instantly and kills anything that may have attached themselves to your hands.

There are so many different hang gels on the market today, but our favourite is definitely the Carex Hand Gel Aloe Vera. It professes to kill 99.9% of bacteria, and the Aloe Vera means that it will not only leave your hands looking and smelling fresh, but they’ll be soft too. It will last you ages, and if you buy it from your local Boots store, it will only cost you a mere 69p (down from £1.38) – brilliant!

3-in-1

Travelling light is the key when heading off to Festivals, so you really don’t want to be carrying around a sack full of base coats, top coats, colours etc. So, opting for a 3-in-1 polish is definitely a brilliant idea. Having a 3-in-1 also means that if you don’t have much time, or space, you’re only having to do each nail once, without waiting for them to dry before the next coat…that is just wasting valuable drinking/music/whatever time!

BarryM’s 3-in-1 Nail Paint, is perfect for this. Consisting of a Base Coat, a top Coat and a Nail Hardener, this little bottle saves the space of three annoying bottles, and ensures that your nails look great, whilst being protected against knocks, scrapes, breakages, nicks etc.

You can purchase BarryM’s Nail Paint, from Superdrug, Boots or the official BarryM website.

Nail Varnish Remover

A big bottle of Nail Varnish Remover and a bag of an adequate amount of cotton wool, really doesn’t fit in with the whole idea of travelling light, really does it? Yeah, we didn’t think so either, but there are actually several space-saving alternatives that you could try out instead.

1. Boots Expert Nail Polish Remover Pen. As you might guess, this is a pretty compact little device, in a similarsize to your bog-standard writing pen, so it’s a pretty handy sized gadget for a festival. It is perfect for getting rid of polish that has strayed onto your skin, cuticles or even under your nails.  At £5, it isn’t particularly cheap, but we think it’s worth it.

2. Quickies Nail Polish Remover Pads. These handy little pads, come in a travel-easy box containing 20, which doesn’t seem a lot, but one pad goes a long way. And at a dirt cheap £1.89, they’re not exactly going to be breaking the bank! All you do is wipe the pad across your nail, the same way as with cotton wall and all traces of polish has disappeared!

3. Pretty Quick Acetone Free Instant Nail Polish Remover. This is actually a product, that upuntil recently, I didn’t even know existed! All you have to do, is remove the lid, place your finger into the nail polish-rich sponge, twist your finger around and the sponge will remove your nail polish in a flash! What we love about this, is that it avoids making a mess from spillages, which is really great. Plus, at only £2.25, we think that this is an absolute steal!

And now your hand sand nails are ready for whatever is thrown at them. So, where ever you’re taking your hands this summer, remember to share your experiences with us, as you enjoy your nails.

Let’s face it, we all love buying beauty products (well, we hope you do since you’re reading this!), but we have to admit that sometimes we really hate paying the full price, because come on, these days spending any money sends a lot of us into an economic depression. This inevitably means that a large majority of us are drawn to signs screaming “Special Offer“, “Sale” and “3 for the Price of 2” like moths to a bright light!

Come on, admit that the big “Special Offer” logo on the left is what really drew you into reading more of this post!!

Well, that’s what we’re here for (for today,anyway…y’know, the day after that England vs. USA match…!). Konad nail art is no use without a brilliant regular polish underneath, so we’ve been scouring the internet for some fantabulous offers!

Psychologies Magazine – Subscribers to this mind-examining monthly magazine can join the Psychologies Club, that entitles members to money off various things, including 15% off products by Nails Inc. So, if you’ve tried out the limited edition Diet Coke nail polishes from Nails Inc, and enjoy discovering why you do what you do, there is lots to gain out of a subscription. And, if you subscribe before the 7th July 2010, you’ll also receive £32 worth of Melvita skincare products…yay, for the free stuff!

Essentials Magazine – The current (July 2010)  issue of  the Beauty and Well-Being Magazine, boasts a spectacular offer of 20% off all OPI products, purchased through the Lena White website. Considering how expensive OPI lacquers can potentially be, the £2.70 magazine price is most definitely worth the 20% off at OPI. Trust us! And with collections inspired by Alice in Wonderland, Shrek and the World Cup on offer, it’s guaranteed that you’ll find something you’ll want!

Plus, if you subscribe to the magazine, for just £1.66 a month, you will receive a Free BarryM Gift Set, worth over £30 that includes two pretty nail polishes: Berry Ice Cream and Pink Flamingo…ooh!

Rimmel London – Check out the Rimmel London website, for your chance to win a free full-size sample of one of their brand spanking new 60 Second Nail Polishes. All you have to do is join (or login, if you’re already a member), answer a few easy peasy questions about your self and then decide which shade you’d like. This of course, is not quite so easy! Available colours are: Purple Reign, Blue My Mind, Sky High, Coral Crush and Grey Matter.

Boots - Head over to the Boots website to take full advantage of their current 3 for 2 offer on Selected Make Up and No.7 Products,which thankfully also includes a huge variety of nail polishes, from lots of big and small brand, including: 17, Rimmel, Ruby and Millie, BarryM and many, many more! This is definitely a brilliant opportunity to really update your nail varnish collection, by grabbing three of this years colours…whoop!

Superdrug - Superdrug are currently offering savings on a range of Rimmel products,including on their collection of nail polishes. Previously priced at £3.49, their entire range will now cost you a mere £2.49 each…fantastic!

Other offers at Superdrug include:

• 2 Revlon Nail Enamels for £8 (priced at £6.29 each).
• 2 Gosh Nail Lacquers for £8 (priced at £5 each).

If you find any more nail offers that you think everyone might want to know about, then please let us know, so that everyone can enjoy their nails.

But, that’s not all that Katy Perry has in common with the “Telephone” singers. Katy also shares their love for nail art, and regularly appears wearing some of the quirkiest sets of talons we have seen. The look pictured on the right is made of of hundreds of tiny Swarovski crystals, creating truly spectacularly sparkly look. But, that isn’t where the likeness ends, because Katy Perry also has her nails done by the celeb nail tech Kimmie Kyees.

So, who is Kimmie Kyees, and why are A-List celebrities going absolutely crazy for her do their nails?

Hailing from Columbus, in Ohio, Kimmie proclaims that she began doing nails following a bet with a girlfriend, before finding herself studying Cosmetology. Since qualifying as a professional manicurist in1994, Kimmie has spent the past sixteen years dedicated tonot only making women’s nails beauty, but promoting well being alongside it.

Since going freelance, Kimmie now works outside of the four walls of a salon or spa, opting to bring the spa experience to people where ever they need it. This is perhaps the biggest selling point of Kimmie’s services. That, and the fact that she has a special talent for creating some truly incredible nail designs, for some very big names and some very big companies.

And Kimmie really does have a long list of clients under her belt, including Kylie Minogue, Chris Brown, Kelis, Rihanna and Juliette Lewis. She has worked on hit TV show Desperate Housewives, and has done the nails for several music videos with the likes of Britney Spears, Alexandra Burke and Miley Cyrus, plus so many others.

Kimmie is definitely a real inspiration to all girls who are thinking about going into the beauty industry, or even those who are already in the early stages of their careers. And for that Kimmie, we salute you. Because, without people like Kimmie, the craze for nail art just wouldn’t be such a big deal. So, we honestly hope that Kimmie continues to spread the word across the globe.

If you’re a beautician/manicurist/nail technician, then we would love to see your work, so that together we can all spread the world about nail art, so even more women can learn to enjoy their nails!

Facts taken from the following websites:

• http://www.kimmieknails.com
• http://www.alllacqueredup.com/2008/05/nail-files-kimmie-kyees-celebrity.html

Lady Gaga is probably best known for her wild make up, completely bizarre outfits, and very odd behaviour: she walks around drinking tea out of a tea cup (and we don’t mean just around the house…we mean actually out in public, y’know…where people can see her!), and would rather collapse on a stage in front of millions of people, than admit that she is suffering from exhaustion!

Beyonce, on the other hand is best known for being one third of girl group Destiny’s Child, the prettier other-half of Rapper Jay-Z, and her incredible ability to belt out all of those corker high notes. And, she manages to do all of that, at the same time as being a true style icon.

It’s definitely fair to say that both Gaga and Beyonce draw a huge amount of attention from make up and fashion fans alike, albeit for entirely different reasons! And even, if like myself, you’re not necessarily a huge fan of either’s music,  it is still easy to appreciate the popularity, as Gaga encourages creativity (even if her creativity appears to be a little bonkers), whilst Beyonce encourages girls to be strong independent young woman. However, the pair also appear to be helping to boost the popularity of Nail Art too.

In their recent music video for Telephone, both Gaga and Beyonce sported amazing-looking finger nail art, created by celebrity nail artists Kimmie Kyees, and Lisa Logan, with both popstars sporting metallic American Flag designs from Minx.

In fact, looking back at all of Gaga’s music videos, you’ll be able to find several of Kyees and Logan’s incredible creations, featuring stripes, spots, hearts and a whole variety of styles.

Nail Art has become so popular over recent months, that even the leading fashion designers have been sending their models onto cat walks sporting some fantastic designs, and we just hope that as long as people as influential as Beyonce and Gaga continue to love nail art, the industry’s immense popularity will continue to boom. But, we think you’ll definitely agree that nail art’s creativity certainly fits into the mass appeal of Gaga’s desired persona.

So, love the or hate them, both Beyonce and Lady Gaga are at the forefront of a growing trend for decorated nails, and with Konad nail art, it is now easier than ever to copy your favourite looks, without worrying about having a steady hand. So, go enjoy those beautiful nails.

Farm girl Josie was the first contestant to enter the Big Brother house, and she was wearing a gorgeous blue maxi dress with red florals. The outfit is bright, just like Josie’s optimistic personality,and she has perfectly accessorised her outfit with red bangles and necklace. A red nail polish would be a brilliant complement to this outfit’s red design, as well as being a perfect match to her confident persona. The red would also work well with Josie’s warm complexion, and blonde hair.

As for nail art, a pale or pastel blue special polish would look great, in contrast with the colour of Josie’s dress.

Apparent “shy girl” Caoimhe (pronounced “Keeva”) arrived wearing a skin tight black top and trousers outfit that really exemplifies Caoimhe’s punkish personality,and looks great with her short dark hairstyle, and pale skin.

Inevitably, only one shade of nail polish really springs to mind for this outfit,and that is of course black. However, dark plum or pink (nothing bright or pastel-shaded) would also look great with this look.

Nail art would probably not work well with Caoimhe’s overall look.

Bright orange tangoed Corin arrived in what could potentially be my personal favourite dress (perhaps second to Josie’s, I haven’t really decided!!), in a gorgeous turquoise green colour.

My initial reaction would be to aim for a similar coloured nail polish for this look, and with her choice of skin tone and hair colour, I’m certain that a bright colour like this would look great.

Corin’s personality gives us the impression that she’s quite extrovert and likes to receive a lot of attention, so their is absolutely no doubt that this look would include eye-catching nail art designs, perhaps including sparkly rhinestones that scream “bling”.

Beyonce look-a-like, Hairstylist Rachael arrived in a very Beyonce-type skimpy pale pink dress, that despite it’s…um, lack…of covering anything, actually exudes class to is. Rachael has paired the outfit with simple bangles, and that is all it really needs, alongside her big-hair.

For this reason, we feel that a very subtle nail colour would work best with this outfit. Perhaps a pale, translucent pink. However, the best look is probably the simple French Manicure, with nothing more than a clear top coat.

There may be a little discreet nail art, and maybe even a simple rhinestone, but it wouldn’t be anything over-the-top or bright.

All-in-all, all of the girls looked fab (although, we’re not really sure what, if any, nail varnish would actually go with Shabby’s er…outfit. And, we really doubt that polish would really fit her desired look!). Only time will tell how each girls style will fare up.

For the past few years, YouTube has been the success story for so many YouTube Guru’s, and one of my favourite Guru’s has to be the Irish-girl living in Hong Kong BubzBeauty. Bubz (real name Lindy), runs a channel with hair and make up tips, as well as running her own range of clothing. In the past, Bubz has done a few nail art tutorials, but unfortunately she hasn’t done one in a really long time. So, imagine our excitement, to discover that she’s just uploaded one. And, it’s something that can be achieved using Konad rhinestones…brilliant.

To see the video of Bubz doing the look herself, click the link below:

BubzBeauty\’s Pretty Japanese Nail Art

Otherwise, here is how to create our Konad look, fully inspired by Bubzbeauty’s Japanese look (seen in the image on the left).

What will you need?

• A Base Coat or a clear or pale regular nail polish.
• Selection of rhinestones
• Selection of large and small 3D Flowers
• Tooth pick and/or Tweezers
• Glue (optional)
• Top Coat or a clear regular polish

How to Re-Create the Look using Konad:

1. Start off by trimming and filing each of your nails, ensuring that they are neat, tidy and even.
2. Paint each nail using either a base coat, or a clear or pale nail polish. You could even apply both, to ensure that your polish doesn’t chip too quickly. Allow coats to dry thoroughly before moving on.
3. Next, spend some time choosing which rhinestones and flowers you want to use on your nails. Bubz encourages making each nail unique, and to just be creative, and we couldn’t agree more. So, don’t be afraid to mix up colours, sizes and styles.
4. Apply another coat of polish, and before it has had chance to dry, carefully place the pieces onto the wet nails, using either tweezers or a tooth pick. Always use whichever one you feel the most comfortable using. Allow the polish to dry completely.
5. Our rhinestone and flower sets come with glue, which works just as well as sticking them to your nails with wet polish. Whichever method you choose, is completely down to you.
6. Once your polish and/or glue has set, apply a top coat. A top coat is necessary for several reasons: Firstly, it adds a glossy shine to the look, secondly it ensures that the stones don’t fall straight off as soon as you move. And finally, it makes sure that the stones stay put for as long as possible.

So, there ya go! Just as Bubz herself says, this look is so easy to do, and it looks great too.]

If you try out this look, don’t forget to share it with us. Enjoy your nails!

According to something that I read recently, around 50% of women think they know what their skin tone is, but really they don’t. I for one, thought I had my skin tone sussed. I have always had a very “rosy” complexion, with red cheeks, chin and forehead, and this has always brought me to the conclusion that I have a warm skin tone. However, recently, whilst trying to find the best shade of foundation, I decided to find out for certain what my skin tone is, and I have to say, that I couldn’t believe that I was actually cool. This would explain why foundations never suited me….I was buying for the wrong skin tone.

There are a couple of things you can do, to find out for sure, which skin tone you have:

Look at the colour of your veins:

Green Veins = Warm Skin Tone

Blue Veins = Cool Skin Tone

Now look at which colour of jewellery suits you best:

Gold Jewellery = Warm Skin Tone

Silver Jewellery = Cool Skin Tone

Now that you know which skin tone you have, it’s important to choose the right shades of foundations, eye shadow colours, and nail polishes that will look great on you, and will make sure that your skin look naturally radiant and healthy, rather than looking dull and/or washed out.

Warm Skin Tones - Warm skin tones, like that of ex-S Club 7 singer Rachel Stevens, have an undertone of yellow to them, so any shade with yellow undertones will look fab. The best way to find out if a polish has yellow undertones is by either placing the bottle in front of your own wrist, or a white piece of paper.

Peachy colours, browns and oranges will also look great on anyone with a warm complexion. This is because these are all warm, earthy colours, so will really complement the colour of your skin.

Pink and purple shades, however, along with reds with traces of pink should be avoided.

This chart below, will show you which colours suit warm skin tones best:

Cool Skin Tones – People, like Lost in Translation star Scarlett Johanssen, have pink (or red)undertones to their cool skin tone. However, having cool undertones is not solely linked to pale skin. Dark complexions typically usually have cool skin too.

The pink undertones, mean that pink shades of polish will look gorgeous on you.

As a rule, pastel shades generally look best, with post lighter shades of pink, purples, blues, greens etc working nicely with your skin tone. Yellows and peach shades however, should be avoided at all costs.

To help you find out which shades will suit your complexion the best, the chart below features shades that look great on cool skin tones:

So, whichever skin tone you have, you now have no excuse not to know which shades of nail polish will look spectacular on you. This means no more comments of “You look ill, are you okay?” So, go on, go and enjoy those nails!

Choosing a polish based on your skin tone might initially seem bizarre, but many of us choose our hair colour, lipstick, make up and clothing colour based predominantly on which colours match our natural skin tone, and this is exactly the same for nail polish too.

Have you ever noticed that you look better when you wear gold or silver jewellery, or black or white tops? Well, nail colour is pretty much the same thing. I, for one, love wearing black nail varnish, but on it’s own (meaning, without a white or silver pattern created using one of Konad’s image plates), I always find that the colour of my hands look pale and a little washed-out. This is most likely to be down to the fact that I have a naturally pale skin tone.

So, what colours look the best with your skin tone?

Light/Fair Skin Tones – Typically, this means that you have quite pale skin. So, if like Will and Grace star DebraMessing, you are quite pale, wearing dark colours such as black or navy blue will risk making you look even paler. However, if like me you love dark shade, then choosing a dark colour with a pale glitter, or paired with a light nail art, can take the attention away from the contrast with your skin. Yellow and gold shades are also the biggest no-no’s. Other than that, fair skinned ladies can wear pretty much any colour, from bolds to pastels depending on your personality, and how “rosy” your complexion is. However, it’s important to remember that pale pinks and purples look best for a subtle look, whilst dark plums and burgundy shades work better for grabbing attention.

Dark/Tanned Skin Tones – By tanned, we mean a dark tan, rather than a subtle tan. Dark skinned women, such as singer Rihanna, have the honour of being able to pull off virtually any dark nail polish, from black, navy blue, dark pinks etc. Practically any dark, rich colour will look fabulous with your skin tone. You should avoid paler, pastel shades, which will appear washed out by your dark skin. Bright colours, such as oranges and  neon-shades should also be a n0-go area for you.

Natural Sunkissed Tanned Tones – This skin tone, refers to women, such as Home andAway’s Martha, with sun or bottle tans, that are relatively pale and natural looking. Warm, but pale shades of nail polish look absolutely perfect with tanned complexions, as they complement the tone.

The Secret to choosing colour: Just remember, that typically, although not always, pale skin matches pale shade, whilst darker skin matches dark shades.

Whatever your skin tone, wear whatever you feel best suits you, and enjoy your nails.

Every nail care company and blog will tell you that it is vital to take care of your hands and nails, through manicures, scrubs, cuticle pushing, nail art etc. However, so many of us still don’t look after them quite as much as we probably should.

You might not believe this, but I haven’t always given my hands and nails the real love and care that they deserve. I rarely moisturised, and only ever used hand cream when I started working for a company that had me handling hundreds of moisture-absorbing books every single day, and my hands just couldn’t handle to lack of moisture. However, that occasional moisture certainly did not include my nails…in fact, the thought that my nails might been moisture too, well, it just never crossed my mind.

I have always been a nail biter, that I will confess. And so, I’m quite familiar to hang nails which are so painful and they don’t look very nice either. Being a nail biter, I always thought that the only way that I would ever look good with nail art would be to wear acrylic nails, but when I was younger, I just couldn’t get “comfortable” wearing false nails. I think it’s because I’ve always been a nail biter, which means that I have never gotten used to having nails other than short ones, and longer nails always felt so heavy,because I just wasn’t accustomed to them. And, the idea of decorating short nails just sounded ridiculous, and I always felt that this would draw bead attention to them, and they would look ugly.

Fast forward a few years, and moisturising my hands is now as much a part of my daily routine, as cleansing, toning and moisturising my face. Whereas in the past, I just could not understand what the point was of doing all of these things. Today, the idea of not doing them is even more absurd. And I not only take care of my hands, but my nails too.

Since I started using Hand Cream first thing in the morning, last thing at night and (nearly) every time that I wash my hands, I’ve noticed several changes in my hands:

1. My skin feels softer
2. Hangnails still occur, which is inevitable since I am still a nail biter (apparently research suggests that the majority of nail biters will have stopped completely by the age of 30…brilliant! Only four years to go!!) but are less painful, less likely to become infected and seem to last a much shorter period of time
3. My nails feel stronger and healthier, and less likely to break

When I got my first Konad Nail Art Kit, I will admit, that I felt incredibly apprehensive about using any of it, and convinced myself that I was going to have to give it to my mum (who has lovely long, well looked after nails). However, I’d come across blogs featuring other girls with short nails, and their nail art looked really nice.

From my experiences using the nail art kits, the real secret to beautiful nails, is not necessarily about having really long nails, that are manicured and perfect, but just keeping them looking as neat as possible. The nail art looks fantastic on my short nails, which thanks to my now regular use of nail polish, are growing much longer than I’ve ever had them, and as I said before, the moisturising is keeping them strong, and less prone to becoming weak and brittle.

I look after my hands, so that when people look at them, they’re intrigued by the art, rather than how ragged they are.

Why do you look after your hands? Confidence? Youthful hands? Combat dry skin? And, enjoy your nails.

Perfect Mani and Pedi Categories

Best Multi-Purpose Base/Top Coat

Orly Top 2 Bottom Basecoat & Topcoat All-in-One. £9.25. Not a cheap option, by any means, but it is prevents our nails from getting stained by our favourite dark shades of nail polish, so it really is worth every single penny of our hard earned money. Plus it makes our nails perfectly chip-free!

Best Nail Polish Salon Range

OPI Nail Lacquer. £9.95. OPI offer a beautiful range of colours that work so cutely together, and the ultra wide brush allows for a much quicker application, than the majority of other polishes, making this a great nail polish, used by professional and perfect for us too.

Best Fast-Dry Manicure Treatment

Nails Inc Kensington Caviar 45sec Top Coat. £11. Not only voted Essential’s Favourite Fast-Dry Manicure Treatment, but also the Editor’s Favourite, with Ed Jules declaring this as everyone’s “must-have product”, purely because the product is pretty much perfect.

Best Nail File

Leighton Denny Crystal Nail File. £12. Crystal nail files are popular, not only because they inevitably have a longer lifespan for a typical nail file or emery board, but is also gentle on your talons, ensuring that when you are filing your nails, you aren’t damaging them, making them brittle and/or weak.

Best Nail Treatment

Jessica Restoration. £16.65. Anyone who suffers from weak and/or brittle nails, or has damaged nails due to long usage of acrylic nails, would be lost without this product in their collection. Quite simply, this will nurse them back to how your nails should be; strong, beautiful and undamaged.

Best Nail Polish High Street Range

Revlon Nail Enamel. £6.29. Admittedly, to us, this is one of the higher end high street nail varnishes (with many brands being cheaper, despite Essential Magazine’s proclamation that “You can’t beat the price [of Revlon Nail Enamel].”, however, anything that doesn’t chip has got to be a god-send to us nail polish devotees.

Fab Feet and Hands Categories

Best Foot Cream

Origins Reinventing the Heel. £19. Sore feet from walking/dancing/working/chasing the kids around? Perhaps you have cracked heels, rough patches and blisters that are making your life a nightmare. This product will have your feet back to their old selves before you know it, meaning you don’t have to stop life to have healthy feet.

Best Hand Cream

Yes to Carrots Hand and Elbow Moisturising Cream. £8.99. The long hot weather can be hell for our hands, as the heat dries our skin out. This product not only keeps your hands nice and soft, but your elbows too, and if you’re anything like us, you will know how dry elbows can get!

We think Essentials has picked some great products that will have your hands, feet, nails and elbows in tip-top condition, but don’t forget, once you have finished with your manicures and pedicures, to add a little touch of colour with some Konad Nail Art, using one of our brilliant Image Plates. With nails like these, you are ready for a summer of fun in the sun, confident in the knowledge that your hands are being well looked after. So, what are you waiting for slow pokes? Go enjoy your nails!