Fancy tartan prints, exotic animal-skin prints, or summery flowers for your nails?
It's the latest mani/pedi hit in California, and girls who want a complete look from head to toenails now can opt to get their nails Minx-ed.
Designed to be fun and easy to apply and wear, Minx is a nail range made from flexible film that looks like regular nail polish but without the fuss of application and is available in a myriad of prints and colours. It is being offered exclusively at Vedure Nail Spa, and you can find designs that have adorned celebs the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Katy Perry.
When Diva was there to check out the service, there were even World Cup inspired designs that you can choose from to pretty up your nails. Designs are varied and range from sweet to bold to cater to a wide spectrum of tastes, whatever your fashion bent may be. And for brides who want an easy and quick solution to beautiful nails, there is even a lovely floral design that looks like it was done over a French manicure to help you complete your look, without wasting precious hours at the nail salon.
|
|
| My nails got a Minx makeover. |
The good - and fun - aspect of this service is that you can opt for designs that are impossible with your normal nail polishes, and even acrylic nails, minus the hassle and the time-consuming efforts of the latter.
Because the designs are printed on film, there is no need for your nail technician to labour over hand-painted designs or to paste on fake flowers and crystals to your nail. And better yet, you don't need to worry that you might destroy these painstaking creations with a careless move. It was also easy for me to care for my nails after that. I did not have to worry about chipping the paint, or be extra careful as I handled items with my hands. The stickers are pretty tough to remove after they have been applied and will only be removed by soaking your fingers in warm water for an extended period of time.
The process of sticking the film onto my nails, cutting it to fit the shape of my nails and setting it by having a Minx lamp that emits high heat to melt the glue on the film, before finally having them stuck to my nails took about 20 minutes. But the time was elapsed since I had two nail technicians work on my hands at the same time.
On the whole, the process will take about 90 minutes, which includes shaping nails and trimming your cuticles, if you don't already have manicured nails. A sliver of glue is then painted onto the free ends of your nails to help keep moisture out and the film in place.
While I was advised that Minx nails can last for up to one and a half weeks, exposing them to constant washing does shorten its lifespan considerably. By this, I mean washing your hands every half an hour, or if you do heavy washing in the process of household chores at home. My Minx nails began to fray, with the sticker's design fading at the free end of the nail after three days, since I didn't have the luxury of someone doing my dishes at home for me. However, the damage was minimal and I managed to disguise the frays quite well since the design I chose was a busy floral pattern.
Another thing that does quite considerable damage to these nails is washing your hair. The nail technician warned that these activities were not too friendly to my new Minx nails, and she was right.
But considering the convenience that comes with these nail films, plus the fact that you can indulge in some truly wild designs and pander to the fashionista in you, I would say that Minx nails are a perfect solution for events or dos where you want your nails to make an impact, but you just don't have the luxury of time to spend sitting for long hours with your manicurist. Another boon was the tons of compliments I received from fellow female colleagues and girlfriends after my nail job. Some of them had thought the design was painted on, and had to take a second look to verify that my nails were indeed stickered.
Minx make the best impression on nails that are slightly longer, so if you tend to keep yours short or have a short nail bed, but want to try this out for yourself, do consider letting your nails grow out a little before heading down to the nail spa, so that you can afford to pick out larger designs that can only be shown well on longer nails. But if you're not about to wait, there are prints with tighter and smaller designs that would look just as adorable on short nails.
Minx is available from $80 for a set of hands onwards.
Vedure NailSpa is located at Wheelock Place, #04-06. Tel: 6732 6448 Visit www.vedure.com
