Emerson Salon – Capitol Hill Seattle

Say farewell to Winter and hello to Spring with the new Hong-Kong Spring 2010 collection by OPI! I really like this new collection of nail polish, which offers a wide variety of shades suiting any style and the perfect accessory to any outfit. Worried about spending too much money to get a manicure? By following these simple steps below, you can get a professional-looking manicure in the comfort of your own home and at a fraction of the cost.

• Cut your nails the length you want them, being careful to avoid going too short. To file your nails, use the curve of your nail base as a guide. Avoid filing them too square-this can make your fingers appear chubby.
• Never shake the nail polish bottle. This causes air bubbles to form which will cause nothing but problems once you begin applying the polish. Try rolling the bottle between your palms instead.
• Dip a cotton ball into nail polish remover and swipe over your fingernails. This will remove any remaining polish as well as any excess oil on your nails.
• Hold the polish brush whatever way you feel is the steadiest. I’ve found that holding it between my middle finger and thumb really helps to minimize any shaking.
• Apply a thin layer of the OPI Start to Finish Base and Top Coat to your nails. Apply two coats of polish, making sure to wait about a minute or two between each coat. Finish with another layer of Start to Finish. If you’ve found that your polish tends to chip faster than you’d like it to, try using Chip Skip Nail Lacquer by OPI to finish.
• Dip an orangewood stick in nail polish and rub along the sides of your nails to fix any mistakes made while applying polish.
• You can use a blow-dryer set on cool to help speed up the drying process. You can also soak freshly polished nails in really cold water for a few minutes. I do this after painting my nails and it ALWAYS works.
• Once your nails have completely dried, rub OPI’s Avoplex High-Intensity Hand and Nail Cream on your hands and nails. This will soothe cracked, rough and reddened hands. I also recommend using OPI’s Avoplex Nail/Cuticle Replenishing Oil to help with dry cuticles. Apply the Start to Finish to your nails every few days to preserve your manicure.

These vibrant colors from OPI are a breathe of fresh air and the perfect way to welcome Spring!

Post by Andrea