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.

It seems like there’s a smartphone app for anything and everything these days. Now the beauty industry is even benefitting from our mobile devices.  You can check prices, read reviews, and test out hairstyles and nail polish colors with a simple click on your cell phone.  What’s next — sampling perfume scents and trying on lipstick?  Ok, maybe not yet, but here are our current top five favorite beauty apps for your iPhone or smartphone.

1. OPI’s iPhone app — Before you head to your manicure check out OPI’s iPhone app.  Instead of wasting time at the salon you can “try on” shades virtually.  The app gives you the chance to check out OPI’s latest colors without having to use any finger nail polish remover!

2. Sephora to Go — Our favorite beauty store now comes in the palm of our hand! Literally! This app allows you to shop, review past purchases, make a shopping wish list, post ratings and reviews, and scan bar codes for product information.

3. TotalBeauty.com — Never pay for a beauty product you don’t like or won’t use again! With this app you can read unbiased reviews of 45,000 products on your phone before you go shopping.
4. iStylist Makeover — This app allows you to load a photo of yourself and see how you’d look in a wide range of hairstyles and colors. Want to see what others think? Easy! You can post the potential hairstyle on Facebook.
5. MakeupTagg — With MakeupTagg, you can find makeup recommendations based on your eye color, hair and skin tone.  The best thing about it?  You receive three suggestions for each makeup category and at different price points depending on what you want to spend.

Ready to take your passion for the beauty industry from the smartphone into real life? Start looking into beauty school today!

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…)

Myth 1: Rubbing lemon on your teeth makes them whiter without damaging them.
FALSE. The citric acid from lemons will make them whiter, but it also wears away the enamel. Don’t make this a habit!

Myth 2: Special shampoos can fix split ends.
FALSE. Special shampoos that rehydrate your hair will only work to prevent damage after you cut your split ends off.

Myth 3: Sunscreen is unnecessary on a cloudy day.
FALSE. Clouds are just made of water droplets. And just like you wouldn’t forget sunscreen coverage for playing in the pool, neither should you for an overcast day. UV rays are the problem-causing light frequency and can easily penetrate any amount of cloud cover. Cover up!

Myth 4: Eating chocolate causes breakouts.
FALSE. As long as you don’t overdo it, chocolate is part of a healthy diet. Diet plays a very distinct role in skin problems. The best way to promote a healthy complexion is to eat a diet rich with anti-oxidants, nutrients, Vitamin E and simple carbohydrates.

Myth 5: Wearing acrylic nails too often will destroy your real nails.
FALSE. They actually do a pretty good job of protecting your real nails. However, you can certainly do damage to your real nails if you try to get acrylic nails off improperly, like picking them off piece by piece. Treat your acrylic nails with the same respect you give your real nails, and everything will be fine.

Got any more beauty tips passed to you that turned out to be bunk? Let us know about them!

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!

Green nails are all the rage!

I’m not talking about the color. I’m talking about eco-friendly nail salons and how they are the new trend in going green in the beauty industry.

A new salon in San Francisco, Nova Nail Spa, offers only organic and chemical-free nail products. The owners realized that not only were organic products and eco-friendly lifestyle were gaining steam, but they were uncomfortable with having employees and customers exposed to the chemicals that are found in polishes and acrylic nails.

The products in the salon are either vegan or organic, including the fingernail polish remover, which is not acetone but a vegan orange-infused product that smells like mandarins. In this salon, you won’t find products that contain formaldehyde, toluene, or dibutyl phthalate. These are the chemicals that are linked to cancer and reproductive problems. Nail technicians have also complained about the affect that those chemicals had on them, saying they can cause headaches, skin rashes and nausea.   

The salon itself is even an eco-friendly building. The interior is made up of non-toxic paint, recycled denim for the insulation, and slate and bamboo finishes. There is also a state-of-the-art ventilation system.

The salon features everything a typical salon has except for acrylic nails. Acrylic produces dizzying fumes, while filing creates plumes of dust. The salon does offer gel nails. Gel nails are used to coat a natural or fake nail. Then a UV light is used to ‘set’ the nail.

Tell us what you think about organic nail salons. Is this just a new trend that will blow over, or is it here to stay?

Now that has fall has officially begun, it’s time to turn our eyes to this season’s trends.

The September issue of Glamour highlights hot nail colors this season.  It’s no surprise that rich plums and burgundies are in, but some interesting colors made the list.  Blues and blacks, but these colors are glossier, making them more chic than Goth.  For those not wanting their fingernails to make such a bold statement, you’ll be happy to know you can still be trendy with shades of pink and nude.

Rich colors are not only popping up on nails, but hair too.  According to a beauty tips website, rich browns are hot for fall.  Even blondes will want to add some subtle low lights to add some richness to their color.  As for length, anything goes.  Long or short, as long you make sure the hair has volume. This can be achieved by razoring the ends and adding chunky layers, which looks just as great on long hair as it does on short tresses.

As we say goodbye to the hot days, we welcome in the fall with its warm colors and wait to see what will be hot in fashion too.

We all have them laying around the house – in our cabinets, drawers and shoe boxes. But, what do you do with your nail polish that just sits there? Well, I found a great article about just that! You don’t want to wait for your nail polish to fall over and leak everywhere, and you don’t want to trash it. So what do you do with the colors that are past their prime?

Instead of just throwing away good polish and money – try some of these suggestions. I found that some where very helpful, like:

• Use to stop runs on your stockings. Use clear nail polish for anything that will be showing; darker colors for runs hidden under clothes.
• Dab on to the end of frayed shoelaces or string to keep from unraveling.
• Use to mark work levels on measuring cups or buckets.
• Use as a carpenter’s mark on wood or other projects.
• Give to kids for art projects.
• Use to hide chips in ceramics and pottery.
• Use to mark your desired water temperature on the thermostat.
• Dab on warts. Disclaimer: I read several instances where this is said to work – I don’t know that for sure.
• Use to touch up worn spots on leather furniture, clothing or shoes.
• Paint over screws, especially those on sinks, tubs, toilets and outside fixtures, to prevent rusting.

And that is only half the list! And just think if you are a nail technician – the amount of bottles you might have could be endless! You could even donate some to friends and family so they can enjoy the features of nail polish!