A vampire Halloween costume is a pretty popular item, especially considering how vampires are still all the rage with the True Blood and Twilight franchises everywhere. Plus, if you’re running short on time before the big Halloween party, vampire costumes can be an easy option to put together on the fly.

But we know beauty professionals, and you guys know the importance of cool details, even if they seem small. So how about putting some pop into this year’s vampire costume with sweet, Halloween nail designs. YouTube user goldiestarling has a cool tutorial for vampire nail art featuring blood-red lips and vicious fangs grinning up from each gorgeously colored digit.

A costume is all about execution, and great execution often comes down to unique details. Spice up your costume this year with Halloween nail designs that will have your friends mesmerized.

As a present or future cosmetology or esthetics professional, chances are you have an arsenal of unique talents and a strong creative mind. So in the Internet Age, how can you share what you have to offer and gain a wider fan base? The answer could lie in blogging!

Recently, I came across an entertaining blog called The Daily Nail that inspired me to think about what makes a blog fun to read. Though the author of The Daily Nail does not claim to be a professional nail artist or technician who has graduated nail technician school (just a nail polish addict), she has committed herself to creating 365 new nail designs in 365 days. So even if ninja nails or mustache nails aren’t your thing, you may be able to find a novel nail polish idea within these webpages.

Now do you feel inspired to start up a blog of your own? First, think about what you’re good at – executing great hairstyles, trying out new makeup looks, or just doing wacky beauty things. Creating your own blog could be the perfect way to put yourself out there, and even gain devoted clients and readers.

Need some tips for your own blog? Here are a few ideas to get started: (more…)

About a year ago, there was a new trend hitting the nail salon circuit – but now, it might be in hot water: fish pedicures.

A salon in Gilbert, Arizona, which is a suburb of Phoenix, is suing the Arizona State Board of Cosmetology for overstepping its legal authority to stop fish pedicures from being offered at area salons. The board has shut down a Fish Spa where small Garra Rufa fish, or small carp, eat away dead skin from the bottom of feet.

The board claims that when exfoliation is being administrated, it’s falls under the board’s rules and regulations, which essentially is what the fish do: exfoliate feet.

The lawsuit states that the salon acknowledges that the board is entitled to regulate pedicures. But it specifically argues that having fish eat away the dead skin on a patron’s feet is not a pedicure and, therefore, outside the board’s jurisdiction.

The board claims that since the fish cannot be properly stored and sanitized, they are a health code violation. Is this going to be the new trend following the fish pedicure around? There are several states and cities that allow fish pedicures but since this is a new area of beauty treatments, it’s difficult to tell whether other cosmetology boards will follow suit.

Tell us what you think! Are fish really performing pedicures or just exfoliation? Should the beauty service fall under the rules and regulations of the board?

From sleek and professional to fun to funky, the possibilities with nail art are endless. And, it seems like these days America’s demand for nail technologists is dang near endless, too!

In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment of manicurists and pedicurists will grow by 28 percent thanks to the continued growth in the number of nail salons and full-service day spas.

And this demand has a lot of business-savvy personal appearance workers returning to beauty school for nail technology programs. It seems like a logical career step – these programs are relatively short-term, but adding nail care to your repertoire can have long-lasting effects on your career prospects.

Whether you’re already in the beauty industry, or you’re an artistic individual looking for a fun, creative outlet with potential for career success, think about enrolling in a nail technology program. It makes sense – beauty is one of today’s fastest growing fields, but manicures and pedicures are topping the list of consumer demand. Give the people what they want and benefit from working in a growing field!