Personally, Sally Hansen has always been a brand synonymous with some of the best nail treatments out there. On almost every visit to drugstores, I find myself checking out their products, all of which can improve the appearance of my nails which have long been neglected since I wasn’t into manicures until this year. Of course, Sally Hansen offers more than just nail treatments and some of their nail polish have also caught my attention.
Of late, there has been a rapid growth in the number of nail salons and many hair salons have started renting part of their salons to nail service providers. It’s actually a good idea as it’s a one-stop shop for grooming. Who doesn’t want their nails to look their best? It’s all part of being perfectly groomed from top to toe and I must admit that I do love choosing nail colours.
Sally Hansen’s Australian Nail Expert, Alison Bowhill-Hayes was in town a few days ago to conduct a media workshop on anything and everything to do with nails. Alison joined Sally Hansen in 2010 and brings with her a diverse range of experience gained from over 25 years in the beauty industry.
Alison’s involvement in Sally Hansen Australia ranges from Brand Ambassador, Desk-side Manicurist and Trainer. In consumer & media workshop, fashion festivals & seasonal events, Alison’s role is Sally Hansen Brand Ambassador and the main contact point to both manicurists and consumers & medias regarding the brand & products at the same time giving expert advice on nail problems.
To begin the workshop, Alison introduced us to Sally Hansen’s 3 key pillars:-
1. Beauty Tools
2. Nail Treatments
3. Nail Colours
There are 3 simple steps to beautiful nails:-
1. Shape : Sally Hansen has a range of expert beauty tools for cutting, buffing and clipping such as nail clipper, cuticle scissors, nail boards. Alison recommends using a hard, sturdy nail file for toe nails and a gentle file for weak, brittle nails. The perfect manicure starts with beautifully shaped nails. It takes about 6 months for nails to grow from cuticle to tip. Nail growth is influenced by nutrition, general health, age and medication. The average nail growth is 0.3cm per month. The older you are, the slower your nail grow.
2. Treat : Depending on your nail problem, Sally Hansen has the treatment for it. Sally Hansen has treatments to help nails grow faster, strengthen weak and brittle nails and address common problems such as weak, chipped, split, ragged and thin nails as well as dry and rough cuticles. The golden rule is not to cut your cuticles as your cuticles protect your nails and when you cut them off, they lose that protection. Cuticles act as a barrier to bacteria and without your cuticles, you are much more susceptible to getting an infection. That makes me wonder why it’s the common practice to cut cuticles in most nail salons here. Alison advises pushing back cuticles instead.
3. Colour : Sally Hansen has quite an extensive range of colours. I was fascinated by their Fuzzy Coat which is a special effect textured nail colour. Because of the fibers, one might have a tough time getting it off though as is the case with any nail polish with additional glitter, sparkles etc. Do we really need a base and top coat? Alison informed us that a base coat is compulsory as it helps keep the nail polish colour strong, protects nails from staining and the nail plates, fills in lines and ridges, prevents streakiness and provides a flawless canvas to work on. Ideally, apply 2 base coats. As for the top coat, Alison advises applying it the day after colour has been applied as the colour may not look as good and shiny the next day. Also, apply top coat every 2 days.
Colour trends now are whites and nudes. Next year, the focus is on finishing treatments.
How to paint nails properly? Lean arms on a table so that arms don’t shake. Paint down the centre in one stroke, then the edges. To prevent chipping, sweep the brush across tip of nails.
Overall, this was a very enlightening/informative workshop which I am sure all the participants benefited from greatly. Even if we don’t have manicures regularly, it’s good to gain some knowledge regarding nail health.
