Popular French Manicure Designs

Posted on 25th November 2010 in Uncategorized

French manicures are a popular trend among women in America today. And for very good reason – the French manicure is very universal, and is just as appropriate for jeans and t-shirts as it is a wedding or prom dress. The classic French manicure has a light pink or nude base coat, with the tips of the fingernails painted bright white. Nearly every nail salon in America is familiar with this manicure and provides them to clients on a daily basis. But sometimes women like to add a bit of glamour to the French manicure, and this is easily accomplished by incorporating designs to their nails.

French manicure designs are normally done in nail salons. This is because salons carry all the equipment (and talent) to create some amazing designs. A popular method of applying a French manicure is through an airbrush machine, which gives the nails a smooth, even line when painting the tips white. Often manicurists will use the airbrush machine to create stunning designs. For example, instead of airbrushing a classic white line on the tips, you can use a stencil to create upward points (resembling triangles). This gives you the classic look of a French manicure while providing a special and unique touch. If you prefer to add color to your French manicure, you could have the manicurist draw or airbrush a small design on your fingernail. Popular designs include symbolic holiday designs, such as Christmas trees for the winter, pumpkins for the fall, or hearts for Valentine’s Day. Other designs frequently used for French manicures are flowers, palm trees, or letter initials.

Other designs popular among French manicures include the application of tiny gems or stones. These add a small touch of “sparkle” to your manicure. The stones can be applied singly or with a painted design to complete your desired look. The manicurist applies them using small tweezers and a bit of nail glue, then coats them using a clear top coat. This helps to seal the stones and prevent them from chipping off. You can choose to add these to one fingernail on each hand, or apply them to all ten nails for extra special glamour.

Another popular design used on the French manicure is known as “nail tattoos.” These are transfers rubbed onto your nail directly from printed paper. They are very similar to the application of faux tattoos, and are then covered with a top coat to help maintain longevity. These come in a wide variety of designs, and the salon should be able to provide you with a selection of available nail tattoos.

Finally, for those looking for a more extreme approach to nail designs, a popular trend called nail piercing is now available at several nail salons. Nail piercing is usually done on acrylic nails rather than actual nails. This is because once a real fingernail is pierced, it is nearly impossible to repair the nail later without having to cut it down. Using a small ear piercing gun, the manicurist pierces the nail with a tiny earring. These are usually studs or small gems. This procedure costs about $10 extra to your manicure.

With so many options available for French manicure designs, women now have the ability to customize their manicure and go beyond the classic look. Ask your manicurist for ideas on different nail designs.

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How to Stay Skinny As a French Woman in 10

Posted on 18th November 2010 in Uncategorized

How to Stay Skinny As a French Woman in 10 Easy Steps

If you’ve ever been in Paris, I’m sure you have noticed that there are a lot fewer people running around with extra weight around their middles or their thighs or anywhere else. How, oh how, do those French women stay so slender?

Here are some of their tactics which you may like to adopt:

1. Start out with small bones. French people are small people naturally, their frames are narrow and not designed for carrying a lot of weight.
2. Smoke cigarettes. Ugh, I’m not serious, but it is a fact that the French in general smoke quite a bit, and it doesn’t have nearly the social stigma that it does in other parts of the world. Nicotine is a strong appetite suppressant.
3. Walk. I’m not talking about putting on your sweats and tennies and heading to the park. I’m talking about your next trip to the grocery store. And guess who’s carrying the groceries home? My French neighbor walks everywhere, including daily trips to the kids school and the bakery. She does that in high heels by the way!
4. Notice your food. What’s that on your plate that you’re eating? Take a bite and chew slowly. Comment on the flavors.
5. Eat slowly. Take hours to finish your meal.
6. Eat with your friends or if you don’t have any, at least with your family. Invite the waiter to sit a while. Talk. Talk. Talk.
7. Reject your food. I have been witness to so many scenes in French restaurants where food and drink have been returned to the kitchen judged inapt for tender palates. In general the waiters do not seem to mind this one bit. In fact, everyone seems to be enjoying themselves thoroughly over the matter; a small piece of theater over a burnt corner of potato.
8. Eat full fat cheese. Seriously. Stop eating low calorie anything. Until a few years ago, you’d be hard pressed to even find a diet Coke in France.
9. Have a glass of wine with your meal, but drink it so slowly that your glass is still half full an hour later.
10. If you gain an ounce, even if it’s just between your ears, complain about it pitifully. Discuss for hours on end how you just can’t fit into your dress anymore. Guess French women aren’t so different from other women on that point.

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French Manicures

Posted on 11th November 2010 in Uncategorized

Mention the words “French Manicure” around nearly any woman, and you’ll immediately see their face light up like a kid on Christmas morning. This is because many women regularly indulge themselves in this classic beauty routine, whether they go out to a salon or do it themselves at home. It has become known as a common form of manicure in the United States, as it most resembles a “natural” look for fingernails. It’s very universal in that the look is ideal for day-to-day life, weddings, proms, special events, or nights out on the town.

The history of the French Manicure is thought to go back to the mid 1970′s when a man named Jeff Pink, president of the popular manicure company Orly, attended a fashion show where he noticed several of the models were using a white pencil to whiten the tips of their fingernails. He immediately realized this could be major fashion trend and brainstormed a way to recreate the look. The result was a kit that contained two shades of polish; a light pink base and white polish to paint the tips of the fingernails. He also included adhesive strips to place at the baseline of the nail so that women could effortlessly create a stunning, perfect look when applying the white paint.

French manicures are still sold in this form today, but have varied slightly since their beginning. Today you can choose from a classic light pink shade, a nude base, or you could even choose a pearl-based shade to add a bit of glamour to this classic manicure. Several kits contain jewels or other accents to add to your newly manicured nails if you are looking to “kick it up” a notch or two. Of course these kits are meant to be applied at home, but if you’d rather head to a salon, you’ll find French Manicures to be a popular choice among salon clients.

Sometimes nail technicians at salons will use acrylic tips when providing a French Manicure. This is usually done when the actual nails are not long enough to get the stunning white tip look. The technician will place long tips on your fingernails, cut them down to your requested size, and sand them down so that tip blends with your actual nail. They will then apply an acrylic foundation that hardens your nails to make it smooth and even, then proceed with the French Manicure techniques. After painting your nails with a base shade, the technician will then add the white paint to your faux tips and finish them off with a drying spray.

For a French Manicure without acrylic tips, prices usually range from $10-$15. You can expect to pay around $30 at a salon for a French Manicure using the tips. The kits to do it yourself at home are sold at any drug or department store for around $8. If you decide to go to a salon, you can rest assured that nearly any nail salon will be trained in the French Manicure application.

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French Women’s Secrets To Not Getting Fat

Posted on 4th November 2010 in Uncategorized

Have you ever wondered why French women are slim, despite the fact that they eat anything they want: butter, cream, cheese – you name it; basically everything that your diet instructor would restrict you? Let me reveal to you French women’s secrets to not getting fat.

The top secret of French women is living a worry-free lifestyle. Just like Timon and Pumbaa’s motto: Hakuna Matata. Americans tend to live in a fast-paced world, making them busy and stressed all the time. Author Mirielle Guilliano says that people should integrate the French women’s habits to stop calorie counting and other forms of dieting which could lead to more frustration. You just need to eat more fruits and vegetables (as always), eat only 3 meals a day without over-sized servings, drink lots of WATER, and EXERCISE.

This diet plan lets you enjoy the foods you eat and only consuming the amount of foods enough to satisfy your hunger. One tip is that instead of weighing yourself using a scale, use your pants. If it doesn’t fit you anymore, it’s time to change your diet and eating lifestyle.

One other thing I also learned is that French women eat very slowly. I don’t know if you noticed it, but I did. They actually eat a lot, but they eat their meal slowly. When you eat slowly, it gives your stomach more time to digest. When I heard about this, I understood why I don’t get fat. I eat a lot but I eat slowly. I could say that this is really true.

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