We would love a few pro tips for preparing our hands for the big day..
It's ideal to focus on hydration and nourishing the skin on yours hands as much as possible as this will help with a nice, even skin tone. My recommendation would be to exfoliate your hands 2-3 times a week with a gentle mechanical exfoliating scrub, like a coffee or sugar scrub.
Focus on the any dry areas or calluses. Moisturise your hands with a butter or moisturiser that contains vitamin E to help repair and restore the skin.
Apply cuticle oil at least twice a day, morning and night (the more the better). Do not pick your product off, bite your nails and do not pick any hang nails.
Help! I’m a nail biter! Any tips for helping me grow enough nail so that I can have beautiful nails on the wedding day?
CUTICLE OIL CUTICLE OIL CUTICLE OIL.. and a lot of self control! For you it is so important to see an experienced nail technician and get yourself onto a strict regular appointment schedule. Every 2 weeks you will need to get your nails re-done for at least 3 months as this is how long it takes for the nail to completely grow from matrix to the free edge.
Applying cuticle oil twice daily will help grow a hydrated, nourished and healthy nail and product lasts well on healthy nails. Your nail tech should apply a strengthening gel or structure gel to give you more support.
When I am looking at vitamins to grow strong nails, any ingredients I should be looking for?
It is important to eat a healthy balanced diet as your hair, nails and skin will look their best if you are fuelling them with vitamins and nutrients from the inside.
Foods containing good fats, like avocado, salmon, nuts, seeds, olive oil etc. are great essential fatty acids which will help add nourishment to your hair skin and nails. A good collagen supplement can help stimulate nail growth too.
What nail shapes are there and how do I choose the best nail shape for my fingers?
Any nail shape can work for anyone, as long as the structure of the nail has been built correctly by the nail tech to give the nail strength. Correct structure, great products and after care will prevent breaking, snapping or lifting and help grow long beautiful nails. I recommend to trial a shape you like to see if it suits your hands and wear them for a few weeks before choosing it for the big day.
Why would you recommend Magpie Beauty Gel Nails?
Magpie Beauty products are produced in the UK to the UK/EU standards, which are the highest in the world. Magpie is a pure gel and contains no nasty harmful ingredients, it is highly pigmented and considered one of the most quality brands in the industry.
The brand offers a wide range of different gel products to cater for different types of nails, some nails need more flexible gels and some need hard gel, Magpie has it all.
We also have a highly experienced education team who train our new technicians as well as experienced techs, who are consistently up-skilling as it is so important to keep up with new trends and to learn new systems.
What are the most traditional or popular nail colour choices for Brides?
Brides usually choose nudes, whites, off-whites and pinks. As well as different variations of French or Ombre.
Should I have plain nails or nail art? There are sooooooooo many choices out there!
This is such a personal choice and depends on your personality and preference. Some clients find a plain colour more elegant and other clients love a bit of sparkle to make it extra special. It also depends on your dress, if the dress already has a lot of sparkle and detail then plain colour or French can compliment the dress beautifully. And on the other hand a subtle glitter fade or an accent nail looks amazing too. Do your research and trial a set of nails before the big day to be sure.
How long should gel nail polish last?
Depending on the natural nails and aftercare, a well applied set of gels will last 3 weeks. After 3 weeks it is important to get them rebalanced or re-done, as the structure grows out with the nail and makes them ‘top heavy’, making them very easy to break and damage.
Should I ask my man to get a manicure too? Is this common?
Absolutely! They don’t have to get any gel if they don’t want to, but a bit of TLC will make them feel great and their hands will look so much better in photos with their new ring.
Magpie Beauty has nail technicians throughout NZ, you can email Belinda here at info@magpiebeauty.nz and she will put you in touch with your closest technician.
Instagram @magpiebeautynz @nakedhome_body
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