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beauty
{ beauty fix}
If my dry,
brittle
nails had a motto,
it would be “Bend...
and snap!” How do
I get strong, healthylooking nails?
Natural, well-groomed nails and bare-hued polish are trending. At Chloé, Lanvin,
Bottega Veneta and Rochas, models showed off nails buffed to a smooth, shiny
finish. Not exactly a look to emulate if your parchment-paper-thin nails are
ragged and peeling. If the thought of going naked makes you gnaw at your fingertips in dread, here’s what you need to do.
NIP IT BEFORE YOU RIP IT Take your cue from your cuticles, which help protect nails
as they grow. “Use a curette, also known as a pusher, to pick up any loosened cuticle and remove it from the nail plate,” advises Jennifer Mather, an education
ambassador for CND. When it comes to cutting cuticles, be very (very) careful.
“There’s a difference between a manicurist trimming the tissue around the surface
of your nail, if it’s dead or hanging, and actually trimming the cuticle, which is the
text by joana lourenço; trunk archive
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beauty
barrier between your nail and your skin,” warns
Rita Remark, nail artist for Essie Canada. “When
you cut the cuticle, you lose that barrier. If you overcut your cuticles, bacteria can get in, and that could
lead to inflammation or even infection. It’s really
dangerous. When I think about what our nails touch
every day, it puts fear in my heart.” Mather recommends using a nipper for hangnails, but don’t overdo it: You could end up cutting live tissue. Follow
up by applying a product that will slough off dead
skin cells from nails and cuticles. Look for a treatment containing AHA, which Mather says acts like
“shampoo for your nails.”
T O U G H E N U P Nail oils moisturize the nail plate
(or nail surface), making cuticles softer and nails
more pliable. “With daily use, you’ll see a visible
difference on the skin surrounding the nail and a
general healthy appearance in seven days,” says
Remark. Look for a product that contains a quickabsorbing oil, such as sweet almond, and vitamin
E, a natural healer.
Jeff Pink, founder and CEO of ORLY, is all about
oils too. “I advise massaging one to two drops into
the matrix—the half-moon visible on the nail—and
cuticles several times a day. And to prevent peeling
and splitting, use a strengthening base coat.”
W E I G H T T R A I N I N G To bulletproof weak,
brittle nails, look for a treatment that strengthens
and boosts growth. (But don’t expect to grow
Guinness-record nails overnight; it takes time for
the nail to grow from root to tip.) There is a range
of options out there, with brush-on polishes that
contain antioxidants, calcium and keratin (a pro-
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tein) to help build and protect. And while some
research shows that biotin—a B-complex vitamin—
may help strengthen weak fingernails, it won’t increase the speed of growth. To keep your tips in top
shape, always wear gloves when cleaning or gardening and never pick or peel polish off your nails—
you might peel off a layer of nail with it.
O N E D I R E C T I O N Nails that are long are also
prone to breaking. Use sharp clippers or manicure
scissors to trim, and then gently smooth the nail
edge with a file. “File in one direction only, not in a
back-and-forth motion,” cautions Pink. Mather recommends a file with a grit of 240 or higher (look for
“fine” or “superfine” on the packaging); anything
coarser may be too abrasive and could shred the
layers of keratin that make up the nail. Try to resist
the urge to bite your nails or use them as a substitute
for a screwdriver. (There are better ways to assemble
your IKEA furniture.) With time, you’ll be rocking
a natural mani that’s as tough as nails. n
HELPING HAND
Keep these pint-size products nearby for
round-the-clock care.
CND Cuticle Eraser ($13.80); Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil ($10);
Quo by ORLY Argan Oil Cuticle Drops ($10); Sally Hansen
Ahead of the Curve Two-Step Sapphire File ($5); Revlon What
a Catch Nail Clipper ($6); Butter LONDON Nail Foundation
Flawless Basecoat ($21). For details, see Shopping Guide.
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