Ok I know that last scan is really rubbish but it really is too late in the day to do it again! Here is a close up of the couture Ralph Lauren Jeans on the cover.

…..created by hairdresser James Pecis

I know I have posted a lot about the LV show last October…..but it was amazing and I still love seeing good pictures from it. Came across these 2 spreads in the current issue of 10 Magazine. (Oh and did I mention I got one of those actual bows for my hair last week?!)

This has to be one of the questions I get asked more than any other and I hope to dispense with a few commonly believed rumours here.

Firstly, chemically it makes virtually no difference which product is used on the nail plate. Both Acrylic, Gel and the old fashioned fibre glass or silk wrap technique are all variations of the same substance. It is a very refined form of plastic similar to what is used in dental veneers or false teeth. I am no chemist but I think the way the molecules are grouped together determines the hardness of the product when it is dry. Therefore Gels (which normally have to be cured under a UV lamp) are generally the hardest wearing out of the lot which through clever marketing has translated to the publics mind as somehow being “better” for the nail. Although the nail has less chance of breaking with a gel overlay, the actual substance it consists of is no better or worse for the nail underneath.  What I dont like about it as a product is

a. You have to carry a UV light around with you which in my working life would not be at all practical.

b. You can not sculpt it into a curved enough shape which reflects the contours of a natural nail and therefore looks much more real, as it tends to sit flat on the nail plate leading to an overly thick nail extension. The nails I did on Erykah Badu in the above picture where sculpted with customised white and clear acrylic and I would not have been able to get them so real looking with a gel system, or completed them so quickly.

c.Also a lot of gels cannot be soaked off in acetone which again rules them out in my line of work, as sometimes I am required to remove the extensions at the end of the shoot. Lets be honest, filing off is time consuming and a pain in the ****!

The simple fact of the matter is acrylic is the best solution for any nail technician with the artistic ability to sculpt so it mimics the shape of a natural nail, whatever the original length of the original nail it is being applied to. It takes TECHNICAL SKILL to judge how thick and how long the overlay should be applied so minimal lifting occurs.

In my whole career, I have known of one case of a client who’s skin had an allergic reaction to the acrylic liquid during the application process, and considering how many sets of nails I have applied that is fairly rare.

I have also been able to help fix several injured big toenails by applying an acrylic overlay to whatever “stump” is left of it (due to injury, running, skiing, judo or other drunken accidents!) which has allowed and stimulated a new nail to grow back underneath, sometimes for the first time.

One last thing I should mention….I have come accross many people who have claimed nail extensions have ruined their nails permanently. The first thing to remember that it was probably the person who applied them NOT the product which damaged the nails. Filing with drills is the most common cause as it is a learned skill and difficult to do without touching the actual nail plate.

Also inapproriate removal such as pulling, biting or picking off is also a bad idea as it nearly always takes the top layer of the nail plate with it which WILL make your own nail much thinner or weaker. In the same way that pulling hair extensions out will tear the hair underneath.

A brand new nail normally takes about 6 months to grow from scratch so any damage should not last any more than that!

My advice is to keep the nails neatly filed short after removing extensions and apply nail strengthener religiously for a few weeks after while you get used to not having them on. Scientifically there is no reason the nails should not be perfectly healthy afterwards, however if the nails were in a bad state to begin with the extensions will certainly not improve their condition, just the length.

Hope this helps…very interested to hear comments on this topic. SR

Saw this montage in Vogue of all the girls on the Topshop runway that I blogged backstage here..

Who the is Riley Keough? UMMM she’s Elvis ‘ Grandaughter….She’s a cool chick.

You kno where you saw this first! Lovely Ieva..