Buff is Beautiful: Get Sophisticated Nails in Minutes Flat!
Monday, September 22nd, 2008Style mavens know that a manicure can add the perfect finishing touch to an ensemble, whether you’re headed for a day packed full of back-to-back boardroom conferences or gearing up for a glamorous night on the town. But despite the obvious charms of colourful fingertips, sometimes bold manicures can be a time-consuming mess. And who has the time to colour-coordinate their nails to their wardrobes?
The perfect solution to this quandary just happens to be one of the hottest makeup trends for autumn: experts are predicting that buff manicures will be all the rage this fall. If you want a polished look, but you have neither the time nor the inclination to mess with boldly hued lacquers, nearly nude nails just may be the happy medium you’re looking for.
Even if you’ve never attempted a buff manicure before, take heart — the process is fairly simple and straightforward, even if you’re not exactly a whiz with nail polish. With these simple guidelines, you’ll have an elegant, stylish manicure in no time at all.
- Buff, buff, and buff some more. In order to pull off a buff manicure, you first need to get your nails in tip-top condition. This look only works well if you’re starting with smooth, flawless nails. Begin with a coarse file to gently shape the tips of your fingernails, and then use a very fine buffer to polish and smooth the surface of your nails.
- Shape your nail beds and cuticles. The next step on the path toward flawless nails is lavishing some attention on your nailbeds and cuticles. Gently push back the perimeter of your cuticles with a cuticle tool. Trim any loose and unsightly skin in the cuticle area, but don’t cut the entire cuticle. Alternately, you can use a liquid cuticle remover to speed up this step.
- Massage and moisturise. Soften your nailbeds and cuticles a generous dollop of moisturizing cuticle cream or oil. Use your fingertips to gently massage the cream into your cuticles. Finally, use a buffer once again to polish your nails to a gleaming shade.
- Colour is optional. If you’ve followed each step to the letter, your fingernails should be getting closer to the gleaming, healthy-looking ideal that defines the buff manicure. If you’d like, you can put the finishing touch on your nails with a coat of clear, opaque, or barely tinted polish. If you have problem nails, you can use a corrective clear-coat formula. If you prefer a touch of tint, use a light coat of a buff or nude shade of lacquer.
Need to restock your manicure supplies? Be sure to check out Blush’s full selection here.
