Magic manicure tools
In beauty, I’m one for marching to the beat of my own drum. I love waking up in the morning, looking in the mirror and saying, “OK, who do I want to be today?” Same goes for my nails.
I rarely follow what’s “in” and instead choose a particular theme — often based on music I’m listening to, a movie I’ve recently been moved by, a book I’m reading — to inspire my nails. It takes a little extra effort to search for inspiration rather than passively following the season’s trends but, when you do, you feel an extra sense of satisfaction.
So I thought I’d provide three tools for making your next manicure feel more magical. Take an extra 30 minutes, grab three or four bottles of your favourite polish colours, sit down to create — and have fun. 1. Revlon File ’N Peel 6-in-1 file, $4 at drugstores Seriously, why wasn’t this invented before? This emery board has one super-textured side and one slightly-less textured side that peels away to reveal a fresh new layer after the grain softens too much to be useful. It’s brilliant! 2. Essie Matte About You Matte Finisher, $10 at professional salons and
drugstores Typically I’m a fan of wet-looking lacquers that shine and glisten in the sun like diamonds. However, there are designs that totally suit a matte finish like the “secret code” manicure that nail artist Rita Remark painted on my nails. Because we were creating our own version of a secret society code language, we wanted it to appear “set in stone” — this matte top coat did the trick perfectly. PS: I also love matte black or grey nails. 3. I Heart Nail Art Tool Kit by Sally Hansen, $6 at
drugstores Toothpicks won’t cut it. Striping brushes are made specifically for nail art and come with extra-long bristles and pin-fine tips. Dip them in the bottle or make little paint splotches on a piece of plastic wrap and pick up the pigment from there. Buying a multipack of brushes of different widths or a double-ended tool, like the Sally Hansen Dotter tool, makes designing artful nails a cinch.