With WAH Nails opening a pop-up in Leeds this weekend and the recent launch of WAH London, the Boots-stocked own-brand nailcare range, we decided it was time to take the businesswoman back to basics, with a simple as guide to Insta friendly talons.
Since opening the WAH nail salon in 2009 , Sharmadean Reid has taken on Topshop, a pop-up chicken shop and edited two books The WAH Book of Nail Art and The WAH Book of Downtown Girls, all the while redefining the term babe from a token sentiment to a positive attitude.
So we sat down with Sharmadean aka the nail queen to find out how to nail your nails. Could we say nail much more. Nail. Here is her manicure mantrass:
Your nails should be a pleasure not a pain
It doesn't even matter if they’re dressed up as long as they're done. A clean, filed, buffed nail is better than nothing, but with all the incredible colours in the world, wouldn't you wanna wear a different one every day?
Every nail kit should contain at least
File, buffer, topcoat (I don't even bother painting my nails without topcoat). A base coat, this will you need to help your polish stick to your nail and prevents staining of strong colours. Other useful pieces are cuticle pusher to help lift your cuticle off your nail plate so that you have a clean foundation for painting. Buffing also improves blood circulation to your nails and you can buff off cuticle if they're not that thick. All of this is to provide a clean prepped nail plate ready for your fave WAH polish.
Nail art pens are your best friend
Our nail pens have two functions, the striper brush creates straight lines and the pen nib allows free flow writing and designs. They're defo a good idea if you wanna jazz up your nails.
Never pick your nails
Don't pick off extensions instead of getting them removed professionally. It'll ruin your nails. Also don’t even think about it cutting the skin around their fingers thinking its cuticle but actually the cuticle is a silvery layer actually on your nails; the skin around your finger is called the EPONYCHIUM. It's important.
The five basic steps to Insta friendly nails are
- File and buff nails 2) Add a thin layer of baseocat 3) And two coats of your fave WAH polish and one layer of topcoat. 4) Use the WAH clean up brush to create a perfect line around the cuticle and tidy up any polish mess you've made. 5) Then find a good background, usually a magazine and SNAP!
My best trick of the trade
The WAH clean up brush with varnish remover makes you fake being a pro.
**What to do when they chipped! **
Just get our WAH Roma's Ruin gold glitter nail polish and do a gentle fade down the nail. Two designs in one!
Follow Zoe On Twitter: @ZoeWhitfield
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.