Lezah Grimason from Glamour Lounge and Lisa Acton from Gelish NI chat to Local Women about the current and upcoming trends and what we can do to keep our manicures looking like we’ve just walked out of the salon!
What are the current popular colours and styles?
Lisa says: “We’re finding short square or rounded going into almond style for the natural nail seems popular at the minute.
“Ladies tend to keep the square nails short to minimise catching on the corners, while those with the longer natural nails tend to round them off to eliminate this issue.
“Also Builder Gel clients on the natural nail love to see their nails grow and also tend to move towards a rounded shape eventually.
“Coffin is the most popular shape for the longer lengths with the sides tapered in, again because there is less chance of catching them.
“The damage that can be done with longer nails on something as simple as a car door or a child’s car seat can be horrific and long-lasting for the client.
“Popular colours over the winter were dark greens, navy, reds.
“It feels good to be moving into brighter, fresher tones. The Pantone colour this year is magenta, although we haven’t had much demand for it.”
Leezah says: “Spring summer always brings out the pastel and nude shades, clients are keen for a lighter fresher appearance after the darker colours of winter nails and glitz for Christmas!
“So we’re seeing a big increase in paler pinks and nudes, and the french manicure is always popular.
“This year again we are seeing a trend for the micro french mani, which has smaller finer white tips.”
What styles and colours can we expect to see this spring and summer?
Lisa says: “We’re brand linked and we tend to follow the seasonal releases from Gelish.
“This spring, we’re seeing a brand-new collection of pastels, but not your standard pastels – these are bolder, brighter.
“Think lush leafy green, dusky pink, steely blue, a pure pink, a vibrant purple and a nude to finish the collection.
“Previous years have seen sometimes wishy-washy pastels but these colours have more depth and we’re excited to work with them.
“Summer is always a favourite season when the brights come out to play.
“Neons are always popular, especially for holiday nails – colours like corals, pinks, lime green, yellows and bright blues, we use them all the time.
“We’re also noticing that French nails are making a massive comeback, but not just French white, but funky French in all different colours and styles.
“Animal print also seems to be having a revival, especially tortoiseshell nails.
“We see it all in the salon and clients bring reference photos, which we encourage.”
Leezah says: “I think we will continue to see a preference for lighter more sophisticated manicures.
“I’m also seeing a definite increase in sheer colours and shorter more manageable lengths.”
How important is nail health?
Lisa says: “We recommend all clients attend for maintenance – some clients require two weeks, some require four, but three-weeks is the sweet point.
“It’s very important to maintain enhancements and extensions at this point due to the apex, the strength point, of the nail growing up.
“If you leave it too long you can run the risk of snapping the nail and doing serious damage.
“It’s essential to backfill the nail and return the apex/strength to its standard place on the nail plate.
“With gel polish, we recommend coming in after three-weeks, simply because it’s normally ready to be replaced and the clients tend to get bored and want a change.
“We recommend removal with your gel polish service and we offer it for free to our regular clients to encourage them not to pick and to let us look after the health of the nails.
“Picking and peeling can remove three to six layers of your nail plate at a time, which can seriously weaken them over a matter of months.”
Leezah says: “It’s extremely, extremely important and thankfully we’re seeing much more awareness from clients recently on what is and isn’t good for their nails.
“The rise in popularity of Builder Gels has seen more clients ditch extensions and want to work on growing their own nails stronger and healthier.
“Nail maintenance depends on a few factors, including how fast the client’s nails grow, what product they’re wearing and how hard they are on the nails, such as it they have a labour-intensive job.
“On average we would see the majority of clients once every three weeks.”
What are your top tips for nail health?
Lisa says: “Ensure you know what products are being put on your nails.
“Any products from the USA, UK or EU are safe and all chemicals are regulated by law, while products from China aren’t and can be full of nasty chemicals like formaldehyde and most recently are starting to cause global allergy issues.
“It’s your right to ask details about the procedure you’re paying for.
“Also make sure you’re sitting in front of a properly qualified nail technician with the correct insurance.
“Proper maintenance is crucial and you should also ask your nail technician to recommend the best aftercare, which should include daily use of cuticle care.”
Leezah says: “Ensure the salon you go to uses professional brand products made with safe ingredients and practises excellent hygiene standards.
“Maintain regular appointments to ensure your nails are kept at their best. “Look after your nails in between appointments with regular cuticle oil and don’t use them as tools to open cans, boxes and things like that.”
