Fifty-Two Weeks

I Bring My Own Tools! Just recently a friend of mine mentioned that she brings her own tools with her to the nail salon. I couldn't help it, but I cringed a bit and she asked me to explain my sour face.  Bringing your own manicuring tools isn't necessarily safer. In fact,  you may not be doing yourself any favors. It is more likely that your personal tools are more unsanitary than salon ones. But how can this be??  After appointments, customers usually seal their tools (including non-cleanable files) back in the bag without sanitizing them, which becomes a breeding ground for bacteria—even if it’s just their own. Or they decide that they will clean them when they get home. At home, you most likely do not have a hospital grade disinfectant, which is just one step of the required cleaning method. And once you wash the tool off, you most likely stick them right back in the same contaminated bag or box.   After each client, professional salons (discount salons are sup

A Radiant Two-Hour Lunch Hi everyone! It's another week of Purple! However, this week I am recognizing the fact that Pantone's Radiant Orchid consists of not just purple, but also fuchsia and pink! This week's color is an Orly color called Two-Hour Lunch . It i a lovely pink color!  This color looks great on my nails but it definitely took two coats of color to look good. It also dried pretty quickly.   I have had this color on for three days now and I haven't even had a chip yet! And I must also admit, I didn't use a base coat and I also used a knock-off brand top coat! So I for one think this polish is a keeper in the long lasting department! I purchased my bottle of Two-Hour Lunch at  Sally Beauty  but you can also pick it up at your local Ulta store or on  Amazon.com .  Have a special color your using for Valentine's Day? Share it with me! I would love to post about your chosen color! Be Radiant! Amanda

The Radiant Charity Good Afternoon! Its week four of the Fifty-Two Weeks of Purple! This week's color is a nice Zoya color called Charity.  I got Charity from Zoya during that special Zoya Steal I posted about! It is an absolutely lovely color that has a beautiful gold like shimmer.  When applying this color, I also used the Zoya Anchor and Zoya Armor for my base and top coat. So as a lovely Zoya sandwich I think it has caused me to have such lovely nails! To top off my Charity mani I used the Zoya Fast drops so I could keep on with the rest day without delay.  You can purchase a bottle of Charity  zoya.com   or at your local Ulta store or on Amazon.com. The Zoya  Anchor ,  Armor  and  Fast Drops  can also be purchased at Zoya.com. If you try your local Ulta store though you can find one of the travel packs! They are great if you don't paint your nails all the time and just need a small set to use.  Be Radiant! Amanda

A Radiant Mani in One Bottle: Update! It has been almost One week since I painted my nails with Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure and I am so impressed!! There is a little bit of wear off on the the tips of my free edge, but it isn't really noticeable unless I'm poking you in the eye.  This excites me because I really have put some mileage on my nails this week. I have done tons of dishes, showered a bunch, cleaned up after 170 preschoolers, had chemicals on my hands from cleaning, used an exfoliating face scrub and much much more!  The color itself has stayed so so beautiful, although I do feel that it has dulled a bit faster than polish with an actual top coat painted on top.  All in all, I would give Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Mani a Thumbs Up! (yes...I am a diehard Supernatural fan...) I also would totally recommend this nail polish product as a great polish for a quick, but also lasting, simple manicure.  Interested in getting a bottle of

I Want to Know! Hi everyone! This is a request to my readers to Please Please Please take the Poll on the right side of the blog on the Home Page.  I really want to know what your favorite polishes brands are! If you want, after you vote, post a comment to this post and tell me why you prefer that specific brand. Like a brand of polish that isn't an option to pick from? Let me know! I would love to get a bottle and try it out and post about it on the blog! Be Radiant! Amanda

Keep That Callus First off, a callus is a thickened and hardened part of the skin or soft tissue, esp. in an area that has been subjected to friction. In regards to nail technology, most calluses that are seen in the salon are found on the bottoms of the heels, and sides of the feet and toes. Many common calluses are also found on pressure points on the bottoms of the feet. I always get  them on the backs and edges of my heels.  Sometimes, we notice that calluses cause us agitation or pain, and thus we wish to reduce them.  Have you ever gone into a discount nail salon and seen one of these tools used on your feet? At some nail salons, your pedicurist might offer to shave your calluses with a credo blade (that handheld device that looks like a cross between a razor and a vegetable peeler seen above). But, however tempting the allure of callus-free feet may be, I suggest you turn down the offer immediately! You see, in most states, having a pedicurist shave your calluse

A Radiant Mani in One Bottle Hello All! Its week three of the Fifty-Two weeks of Purple! This week's color is something I am very excited to share with you. Sally Hansen has created a "Complete Salon Manicure" in a bottle! In one bottle of nail polish you can get Seven of the same benefits you can get from salon manicures.  This bottle of I Lilac You by Sally Hansen packs these Seven benefits, while also being a really lovely color that fits in well with Pantone's Radiant Orchid: Base Coat Strengthener Growth Treatment Color Top Coat Chip Resistant Gel Shine With this product you can practically skip the salon and get some of the same results. Try using a polish like this while practicing some of my Lasting At Home Mani tips! I am excited to see how long this polish will actually last and whether I will notice a difference in my nails.  When putting on this polish I definitely noticed that it was going to take more than one coat of polish to have

Trending Now: The Color of the Year I have noticed that a couple of nail polish manufacturers are catching the Radiant Orchid color bug! This excites me because I genuinely want to try these new colors, especially since they are inspired by Pantone's color of they year! The first set of colors I am super excited to see are  Cuccio's   Cheeky in Helsinki and Bali Bliss . These two colors are two colors chosen for this year. They also come in the gel color too!  You can find  Cheeky in Helsinki   and   Bali Bliss  at  Cuccio.com  or even on Amazon.com at this link for  Cheeky in Helsinki  or  Bali Bliss .  The second color I am so excited to see is from a personal favorite polish brand of mine, Butter London! The colors go on great and are long lasting! Plus, I just have a little secret obsession with the bottle shape...  Butter London has released Molly Coddled a beautiful nail lacquer that truly hits the target for the color of the year, Radiant Orchid. 

Tips about Tipping Before studying nail technology, I never knew what the appropriate amount of tip should be for a well done job at the nail salon. I would always get ready to pay and then try to rush for my Tip Calculator App to make sure I gave the right amount. But what really is the right amount? For your nail tech, the standard tip is 15 to 20 percent before taxes.  This rule applies to both high-end spas and discounted nail salons. Unfortunately though, discount shops cheat you, and it is usually in regards to the products. For example, they may be using an cheap non effective off brand lotion, or skimping on cleaning supplies  by using cheaper and also less effective chemicals for disinfecting. (But don't get me started on that topic! Another post, for another day!) However, if you are receiving more complicated services, like a pedicure, acrylics or nail art, Or had an amazingly wonderful experience, consider tipping above 20 percent.  Well, what do you

Zoya Steal!! Are you a Zoya Nail Polish fan?! If so, you should check out this amazing deal at  zoya.com ! You can get three bottles of Zoya nail Polish for only the cost of the shipping and handling! Just use the Code: COLOR2014 . Plus, if you spend $25 more dollars (making it a purchase of $37), you get free shipping! This means you could get up to 7 bottles of Zoya polish! At $9+ dollars a bottle, this is a great steal! Here are a few of my purple choices for the year!  Aurora Demi Payton Also, don't forget to check out Zoya's  Dreamboxes ! The colors in the sets are great! Happy Shopping! Be Radiant! Amanda

The Radiant Joy It's the second week! For this week I picked a lovely mauve color by Julep named  Joy.  Mauve is described as a  moderate purple, violet, or lilac color, and   I think that Joy fits the bill for being compatible with the Radiant Orchid and purple theme for the year. Want to purchase a bottle of this for your own polish stash? Unfortunately it isn't sold by Julep anymore, but you can still get a bottle from  QVC ! If you don't know about Julep, you should check t out! I'm addicted. Once a month I get to choose a box of goodies that are then mailed directly to my home. Yes, you have to pay to sign up, but each month thereafter you can choose to purchase the box, decline the box, or send it to someone else. If you become a  Maven   you also get special discounted prices and are invited to special sales events. If you are interested, check out  julep.com . (tip: sign up for the emails but wait until they are offering the boxes at super low price

A Lasting Home Mani Before learning about nail technology I used to get so frustrated when I would paint my nails just to have the polish chipping off the next day. Since I have started appling the following simple techniques I have found my at home manicures last almost three times as long! Here are some tips and tricks to making the most of your own at home manis. Tips:  Take off all of your old nail polish first, then try using a nice hand exfoliator. I personally like Juleps Glycolic Hand Scrub, found here at  julep.com . This helps clean your hands of debris, as well as makes them feel soft and smooth.  When painting your nails, always cap the ends! This means that when applying base, color, and top coat you run the brush along the tip of your fingernail. This seals the polish making it harder for moisture and general wear and tear to chip away at your polish.  Using a specific brand of nail polish? Always try pairing it with the same brand's base and top co