The Essential Nail Tips You Need To Know About

Make mani mistakes the stuff of beauty past with a little help from Adam Slee, talon-ted manicurist to the stars, official Rimmel spokesperson and all-round nail guru (cue rapturous applause).

Single File
'A good nail file is essential to achieving runway-ready nails. Friction is the biggest culprit for dryness as it causes heat and because nails are made up of several layers of keratin, like sawing through plywood, it can cause them to flake up. Speed is the thing that causes the most friction so take it slow and always file in one direction.'

Buff Love
'Don't use polishing buffers more than twice a month as it removes the surface of the nail making them weaker.'

Well Oiled
'Oil is the most important thing you can do for your nails – you can never over-do it (especially as you creep nearer to 40 when the skin becomes drier as the natural oils start to deplete.). Use it on and around nails as often as possible especially during the day when it's more likely to get washed off. I recommend slathering it on even if you're wearing polish as your nail will still absorb the oil at the cuticle to improve flexibility. (Oil doesn't make the nails stronger but it does make them more flexible and ensures that the cuticle doesn't stick to the nail bed as it grows out, helping to keep it neat.'

Patience Is A Virtue
'Never expect miracles overnight, nail treatments need to be kept up over a period of weeks rather than days before you are able to see any real difference to the condition of your talons, as the nail takes four to six months to grow from base to free edge. Damaged nails don't repair themselves and will only improve with fresh growth, proving that good things come to those who wait!'

Lift Off
'Whatever you wear on your nails: be it polish, gels or acrylic extensions, removal of the product is as important as the application. Most people will bite, pick and pull off product and then complain their nails are weaker after wearing them but nails are naturally hard and although they will soften if they are covered for a period of time, exposure to the elements will ensure they harden up again.'

Fix Up, Look Sharp
'Nails look great with colour but the key is uniformity so make sure they're all the same shape and length and never touch the skin around the sidewalls as the colour will bleed and look messy. If your nails are in less than tip-top shape and you want an instant make-over, go for a textured look as it can hide a multitude of sins.'

Don't Blow It
'Your breath contains wet air so never blow on your nails to help dry them as it will simply encourage bubbles.'

Cuticle Care
'Although it's fine to cut off dead bits of skin and neaten up, don't cut the actual cuticle as although it may look good for a day or two, cutting it opens up the seal of skin which means that it'll look worse in the long-term. If you need to do anything, push them back as it's far more gentle.'

Shape Up
'Most people's nails are a mirror of their cuticle shape so try and keep them as near to that shape as possible – it's what will suit your hands best and will also keep them the strongest. Speaking of strength… Keeping the side walls running as parallel as possible will ensure the strongest shape. Too pointed weakens them as you're taking off the side wall so they're more prone to flipping over, whilst a square shape, although not the most modern, will ensure that the nails will stay very strong.'

Fake It
'The biggest problem with acrylics is the fact that the nail isn't exposed to air which means that it's not working as it should naturally, making them weaker. Nails don't breathe (they don't have lungs!), but the keratin needs air to harden up. Also if you go from really short to really long instantly, the skin at end of nail isn't prepared to bear the extra weight (with naturally long nails it grows out gradually which is what makes them stronger).'

Staying Power
'Never put oil on before polish as it forms a barrier which means that the polish will come off quicker. If anything, apply it afterwards which will help to protect the polish and decrease the chances of it smudging. A base coat is your best bet because the surface of nail is porous, it will protect it from the oils coming out from nail bed as well as keeping the nail stain-free. (Some people's nail beds are oilier than others which influences how long the nail polish stays on). Contrary to what many of us think, nail polish actually takes a total of 74 hours to completely dry – never attempt to dry it in direct sunlight as it will simply make the polish dry too quickly resulting in an uneven, gloopy finish.'

Here's what white marks on nails really signify

All of have noticed, from time to time, little white marks on our fingernails and have wondered how did they get there.

According to old wives’ tales, they are caused when people are suffering from calcium deficiency. However, it turns out that it s actually a myth and the real reason for the small specks on the nail bed is often a lot less serious.

Medically, these specks are known as punctate leukonychia and more often than not are caused after trauma to the nail.

Trauma doesn't have to be something as major as slamming your hand in a car door, but can be as simple as excessive tapping or chewing.

The white marks form at the very bottom of the nail and move upwards as it begins to grow.

In fact, by the time the white speck becomes visible, it is likely you will have forgotten what caused the mark in the first place.

However, if the whole of the nail turns white, it can be more serious and it is advised you go and visit your doctor. This is because white nails can be an indicator of serious conditions such as liver cirrhosis, kidney failure or heart disease. Also, if the white marks fall in lines, it can be a sign of low levels of protein in the blood.

This blinking eyeball nail art may haunt your dreams

Can we just go back to vulva nails and stop, right there, as nail art had reached its peak?

There’s no need to try to top that, really. We’re talking about teeny tiny labia on your nails.

But alas, the nail artists around the world are not ready to accept that vulva nail art cannot be topped. Instead they’re intent on taking the art of jazzing up nails much too far.

Behold eyeball nails.

Created by Nail Sunny, a nail artist in Russia, eyeball nails are, as the name might suggest, nails decorated with eyeballs – but not just any eyeballs.

Nope, these are Huda Kattan’s eyes (well, they’re fake eyeballs based on her eyes. Using her actual eyeballs would be pretty brutal), and they blink.

The nail art is created by drilling a hole into a fake nail, sticking in a fake eyeball, then applying makeup on to the nail to make the eyes look like Huda’s.

So no, it’s not something you can easily try at home.

Plus, we find them quite unsettling. We don’t particularly fancy having nails that can give us side-eye.

Snow Globe Nails Are the Festive New Holiday Manicure Trend

The latest curious beauty trend of 2017 is apparently snow globe nails. Marie Claire caught on to the trend back in June of 2016, but according to Bustle, this is the year — and the holiday season — they're really going to take off. Canadian nail vlogger Cristine Rotenberg's snow globe nail tutorial has garnered over 2.5 million views since being posted just a few days ago on December 16. But what, exactly, are snow globe nails?

In the video, titled "DIY Snowglobe Nails (I built a snowman on my nail)" (and, yes, set to the song from Frozen), Rotenberg explains, "So, I've seen snow globe nails around for maybe a couple years now, and it's basically just affixing a hollow ball...and then you put it on your nail and fill it with some glitter and liquid and you shake it around and it looks like a snow globe." Following a tutorial from Absolute Nails, she created the globe casing from glossy gel top coat and used a Saran wrap–covered eyedropper end for the shape. She then built a tiny snowman with polish, set the snowman on her nail, and covered him with the globe.

But first, and this is important, she covered her thumbnail with a peel-off base, because you definitely don't want this thing to be stuck on your finger for long after the New Year. Since she'd cut a small opening in the back of the ball, once it was stuck on her nail, she was able to pour liquid into it — baby oil, not water — and glitter for the snow, of course. Throughout, she "bakes" and "cures" the various elements of the design using a UV light. The video is just over 10 minutes long, but judging by how many different steps there are, it'll probably take you the better part of an afternoon.

Matchstick Nails Are a New Hot Nail Trend

There's been absolutely no shortage of unique, and even at times, brilliant, nail art to hit our Instagram feeds in 2017. And as we prepare to close the book on the great nail art trends of 2017, another Instagram user has stepped forward with an idea that is literally on fire.

As pointed out by Bustle, one Instagram user has turned a set of nails into a literal lighter with one nail featuring a matchstick and the other housing a lighting strip. In the video on Instagram, Tony Ly of Tony Nails shows followers an actual flame that forms in the process. Given that, it's understandable when we say you should absolutely not play around with this idea, or even attempt it, even for the 'gram.

Not only did Tony's nail catch fire, but he also blinged out his creation, adorning the matchstick nail in jewels and a fluorescent green polish. It appears that the way the nail works is by affixing a longer matchstick to one nail, and then lighting that stick on another nail that's covered in striking surface material. So, not only are Tony's nails beautiful, but they're also scientific. Tony makes burning out the flame rather easy, demonstrating that he simply flicks off the match head.

The nail artist offers no tutorial on how exactly to make the match nail, so it might be best to leave this one to the experts, but Instagram users are definitely intrigued. Others aren't totally convinced they wouldn't get burned in the process, with one user pointing out "that's not good, this fire burns." (Please, do not try this at home.) As for those of us still mastering the art of just getting the perfect brush stroke, we probably want to skip this one.

2018 Nail Trends Predict Soft Pink With Black Accents Will Be The New Year's Go-To Mani

So far, the biggest beauty trends for next year include anticipated cosmetic fads from glitter to gigantic graphic liner. Now, 2018 nail trends have been predicted, and let's just say that it will appease both the hard and soft sides of your psyche. Ballet pink polish with graphic black accents will become the new go-to; the combo strikes the perfect balance with the edgier beauty looks we'll be rocking in the new year. The look is clean and soft with just the right amount of polished edge. So if you want an understated mani that still shows you mean business, then rock this look for NYE — before your friends start stealing your style.

In 2017, we saw the popularity of matte finishes and greige and neutral tones. We also witnessed the rise of nail polish powders to achieve chrome and holographic effects. Now that matte is becoming a little played out and shiny finishes are migrating up to adorn your eyelids, it's time to discover a new default mani. On the runways for 2018, many designers employed manicurists to douse model's fingers in shiny coats of soft, ballet pink. To modernize this classically feminine, '60s inspired hue, the artists decked nails with graphic, yet delicate accents of stark black polish.

For the Kate Spade Spring/Summer 2018 show, famous manicurist Deborah Lippmann applied an opaque coat of soft pink polish to all the models' nails before applying a thin racing stripe of black down each forefinger nail.

In a different post to her brand's Instagram account, Lippmann showcased yet another ballet slipper pink base with black accents. This time, each nail is adorned with a single dot of black polish close toward the bottom center of the nail. This pink has more warmth to it, though the stark contrasting effect is the same. Once again, the nails and clean and soft with an effortlessy cool-girl vibe.

For the Helmut Lang Spring/Summer 2018 runway, nail artist Naomi Yasuda designed some extra AF nails to pair with the designer's extra AF clothes. The pink hue is similar to the one seen in the Kate Spade show, but the design is distinctly Helmut Lang. Each nail literally says "Helmut" in the tiniest legible capitalized font you ever did see. When I recreate these nails, I think I'll be writing "hungry" instead of "Helmut." Might as well wear my heart on my sleeve... or nails. 

For the Tibi Spring/Summer 2018 show, artist Reiko Omae on behalf of JINSoon polish applied this pair of parallel diagonal lines to each pointer nail. The base here is a super soft pink, bordering on nude. The black lines are super glossy and starkly contrast the base beneath them.

Luckily, these looks are relatively easy to recreate. You don't need to buy any special gel polishes or sparkly powders. All you need is a pink polish, a black polish, and a tool to apply the accents.

How the Heck to Get Yellow Stains Off Your Nails - and Why It Can Be Dangerous

The next time you go free, consider giving your nails a polish time-out as well. Your obsession with getting gel nail-art looks at the salon or rocking a vampy lacquer look is great for the 'gram, but it also may be compromising the health of your nails. For the most part, wearing nail polish is safe — especially if you pick a nontoxic, five-free formula. But if you notice your tips looking yellow, you need a break.

Jin Soon Choi — a nail pro, a salon owner, and the creator of one of our favorite polish brands — says not to initially panic. "Using nail polish with dark color pigments for an extended time can stain nails yellow," she said.

Choi also explained why the yellowing happens: "When you have nail polish on for too long, it deprives your nails of oxygen, which exacerbates the yellowing, so make sure to avoid overusing polish and moisturize your nails even while wearing polish." Your skin gets to take a makeup break while you sleep, but if you always have polish on, your tips don't get that same benefit. Choi also noted smoking as a cause of yellowing nails.

"To remedy this, simply forgo polish for a while until the nail color returns to normal, or apply a whitening product like baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, or lemon," she said. "From my experience, it's best and easiest to use toothpaste that contains a whitening agent."

To DIY Choi's lemon hack, soak your fingertips in lemon juice for the citric acid. Then scrub them with a nail brush or an old toothbrush. Other options: saturate cotton balls in lemon juice and place them on your nails, or massage your nails with a lemon slice.

If you haven't been wearing dark colors or nail polish in general, then your yellow nails could also be a sign of something else. "Yellow nails are the result of a variety of conditions, from topical to internal," Choi explained. "If the yellowing is a result of overuse of dark nail polish, there is no need to worry. Nails can also turn yellow from fungal infections, or worse, from diabetes, in which case you should seek a doctor's advice."

You can blame unsanitary salons for these infections. Choi notes to be sure your technician uses only sterilized tools in a gentle manner. Some salons use sterilizing machines, while others open up a brand-new pack of nail tools for each guest. The safest bet is always to bring your own tools, and then clean them at home.

Blame also falls on your shoulders if you're a nail picker (you know who you are!). "Do not pull out your hangnails, which can cause infections," Choi advised.

To fix these very yellow nails, Choi has some easy remedies. "Try to nip it in the bud by applying tea tree oil. Or buff you nails very gently and either soak them in a liquid whitening (bleach) agent like hydrogen peroxide or denture tablets for about three to five minutes and repeat as needed."

At the end, your nails are telling you something — they need a polish vacation! "The first line of defense is to go polish-free until your nails return to normal color, but this can take a frustratingly long time," Choi said. "If these natural solutions aren't effective, it's best to see a dermatologist."