Your best foot forward

We all love a good manicure and even better is a pedicure to go with your fantastic new nails. The Footsie Bath Beverly Hills Foot Spa is the way forward for pedicures. Sleek, professional and durable.

The bath comes with 10 disposable liners which are fitted to the tub making it look professional. The liners also help with cleaning and tidying too with them being one use.

The bath also has a generous 7 foot long retractable cable meaning that there are no dangerous cords lying on the floor and it also helps keep to you station tidy and professional.

The tub is 6" deep offering enough water to give a therapeutic soak and allows for foot treatments such as masks, creams and scrubs to be washed away easily without spilling.

The bath has vibration function offering your clients a gentle massage during their soak. The "noise reduction" system ensures that the vibrations are as quiets a possible helping you maintain your calm an relaxing atmosphere and station you need. The bath offers four vibration functions meaning you can choose one specially for your clients needs. The functions are "heat and vibrate", "heat only", "vibrate only" and "off". Perfect for ultra relaxation. You can even control the temperature of the water to suit your client!

I'm certain this will be huge or pedicures in every salon and used by nail technicians everywhere. Remember to sparkle to the tip!

The inspiration

Leighton Denny is the story that no one would ever expect a nail technician to have. With his previous occupation of the occupation he had before becoming what he is today. Leighton Denny has his own line of nail polishes and tanning range with a list of celebrity fans as long as his arms. Celebs such as Geri Halliwell, Dita Von Teese and even Kate Moss line up to have their nails done by him. His work has even been features in magazines such as Marie Claire and Vogue. This is the unlikely story of a beauty icon.

His past occupation was a forklift truck driver. On a job in the USA he discovered the world of beauty and nails. Then on returning to Bradford he give up his forklift truck driver job and trained as a nail technician. He then practised his craft by doing the nails of guests on cruise liners before opening his first salon in Bradford Yorkshire. His salons are now in Urban Retreat Harrods and he has given expertise and guidance to the Urban Retreat Hand Nail Line. It was Leighton the recommended that the range should focus on three main hand and nail treatments and combined with key nail polish colours. It is now a range of seven versatile hand and nail products that will suit any mood and any woman. Even becoming on of the British Beauty Experts with access to the Urban Retreat Hand and Nail Line. Leighton then moved on to open his own bespoke salon in London. In 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 the Health and Beauty Awards awarded Leighton ‘Nail Technician of the Year’. In 2004 he was made a judge and entered the Beauty Hall of Fame.

His story is both interesting and inspiring. A man who became a nail icon from being a forklift truck diver. With stores all over the UK and his name widely known in the nail world his story has inspired many nail technicians including me. I can't wait to see what other products he will release and how the brand will grow even further. Be sure to check out the ranges you will be blown away. Remember to sparkle to the tip!

Euro Centerle Anyone

OPI have launched their new collection for spring and summer 2013 called The Euro Centrale Collection. The collection of 12 nail lacquers was inspired by the deep history and modern design of the European region of Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania, where classic meets contemporary. The collection boasts a wide variety of shades, ranging from pale nude to deep blue, and featuring everything from shimmering copper to aqua each perfect for the upcoming spring and summer season. There's something for everyone's taste and style. This limited-edition collection features 8 cream, 3 shimmer and 1 chunky glitter polishes and is available at select spas, salons and other OPI retailers. Amazing.

As always with an OPI collection the names are classic. This collection includes titles such as "Vant To Bite My Neck?", "A Woman’s Prague-ative" and "Polka.com". The shades are good quality just like any other OPI nail polish and only requires two coats. The Polka.com polish is a blue and violet chunky glitter polish that looks stunning over the off white shade "My Vampire Is Buff". A great contrast. Whatever shades you choose for summer from this collection you know your nails will be stunning. Remember to sparkle to the tip!

Ombré

Ombré nails have been everywhere lately. Ombré is French and is used to describe anything such as hair, nails or fabric when the colours morph from one to another. The ombré trend has been in fashion, hair and now it's overtaking the nail world. Ombré nails were seen every where on the runway this season with designers having ombré tips and intricate colour merges. Stunning. Here ill be showing you how to create the ombré nails look at home. The first method is if you are wanting a basic one tone ombré nail an the second shows you how to create a more tonal and deep ombré nail design.

For both methods you will need a base coat, nail polish colours which will become the ombré design, a makeup sponge and a top coat. If you wanting a deeper blend of colour then use 3-4 shades of the same colour ranging from dark to light.

Firstly make sure all basic nail care is done before applying colour such as removing any polish already on the nails, pushing back the cuticles, trimming, shaping and base coat.

For the first method choose your first ombre colour and this will be the base colour for the nail. Then choose your second ombre colour and place a small amount on a make up sponge. You need to "dab" gently on your nail starting at the tip and working your way half way up the nail. Continue to do this until you are happy with the ombré effect. Finally cure the nails and apply a top coat. The top coat will also help make the nails look more blended. Then you have simple easy to do ombré effect nails.

For the second ombré nail effect use the small end of the make up sponge and paint about three or four strips of colour side be side ranging from dark to light. This will become the ombré effect. Use scotch tape around your nails to avoid getting the colours all around your fingers. Then stamp the sponge onto your nails and press it over and over moving the sponge up and down slightly to get the fading effect instead of stripes. Cure your nails and remove the tape. Then apply the top coat for added shine. Perfect and simple ombré nails.

Ombre nails can also be done by painting each nail a different shade of the same colour. These nails will be stunning all season long and will go with any outfit or event. Stunning. I'm sure you'll have a great time experimenting with different colour combinations. Remember to sparkle to the tip!

Florals

During the spring and summer season floral prints become a staple in fashion and beauty with out fail every year. Floral prints create a very summery and girly look. They are also perfect for any occasion, whether it be a vintage party, a wedding or everyday. Here I'll show you what the most popular types of floral nails are out their and other ideas for interesting floral nails.

Floral nails are probably the most girly types of nails you could have. Use pale background colours to make the flowers stand out, colours such as grey and mint, are very popular background colours with them creating a fresh and vintage look. Mint is also a great colour for summer because of how bright it is. To create the perfect vintage looking nail use colours such as light pink, red and green for the nail art flowers. The mint will help the flowers stand out. Use accenting colours such as yellow too.

If your looking for a little more prettiness and femininity in your nails then why not try glitter. You could use glitter to add a little bit of sparkle on the flowers or if you want even more then you could use the glitter for the entire background. Also if your wanting your floral nails to be more interesting then why not apply some acrylic 3D flowers to your nails. Amazing for a summer wedding. If your going on a tropical holiday this summer then why not use background colours such as yellow, red or orange. Then use a white nail art pen to draw on small Hawaiian flowers on top . This creates a stunning beach nail look.

Also you could try having other prints such as stripes and polka dots for a print clash effect. Or why not add other small 3D accents such as gems or pearls.

Looking forward to summer already ! Remember to sparkle to the tip !

The Velveteen Manicure

An amazing new trend has emerged in the nail scene. Many nail technicians claim to have created it but whoever originally did it is a genius. The Velveteen Manicure gives your natural nail or nail enhancements the effect of velvet fabric. They appear soft and slightly fury just like velvet but is very hard wearing. This product us even waterproof!

Whether your having The Velveteen Manicure on your whole nail or incorporating it into nail art they're sure to look stunning.

This needs nothing more than a UV lamp to cure the gel sealer required to bond the fibres.To apply on to a gel polish, sprinkle the powder like material onto your wet gel and then cure for 2 minutes. Brush away the excess and return to the jar. You can also apply Velveteen with regular top coat over polish. Then you have amazing textured nails! Who says nails have to be either matt or shiny why not go Velveteen.

Remember sparkle to the tip!

Male Nail

Nowadays it's not enough to simply judge a man on how shiny his shoes are, today his nails also have to be well-attended too. The male manicure differs from the female one. The male manicure is simpler and more natural. There is also no colour applied. Men prefer to focus on the all natural look of the nail but that look cared for. They also prefer to have a low maintenance nail care regime until they next have a manicure. We all use our hands 24/7 and all want our hands and nails to look presentable and neat so here are some simple steps to creating a male manicure.

Overall men prefer to have short and rounded nails. This is because it looks cleaner, neater and more office fit. But always be sure to have a free edge on the nail for protection of the nail. Once shortened and shaped the nails then need to be buffed with or without oil. The oil helps to maintain the health of the cuticles. Many men would prefer only cutting and buffing and not have products applied to keep things simple. It is helpful, however, to use a clear base coat and top coat. It won't be obvious but can offer some protection and shine. Applying moisturiser to your cuticles will keep them soft and healthy.

A male manicure is simple and easy to do and can be done weekly so the man in your life can have great looking nails everyday just like you.

Remember to sparkle to the tip!

Wedding Bells

On your special day you want everything to be perfect. Down to the smallest detail. Each flower, the venue, the outfits and of course your nails. Delicate and beautiful. Natural.

For amazing wedding nails focus on looking natural and not over done. The most popular wedding nails are classic French tips with delicate nail art. Floral nail art designs emphasise the pretty and girly look of the bride. Try having gold highlights or glitter for added glamour and sparkle. Some brides have even had 3D acrylic flowers applied to the nails along with small pearls. You could even have lace nail art to add to the delicateness of the bridal gown.

You could use your wedding colour scheme in your nail art too. If you have purple flowers, chairs etc you could have purple nail art on your ring fingers to coordinate with the venue and emphasise the ring. Hope you get some inspiration for great bridal nails for your special day.

Remember sparkle to the tip!