Nail Art by Helena Biggs

As you’ve probably guessed, we girls at The Amazing Blog are HUGE fans of anything to do with nails or nail art and we are also avid readers of Scratch, the UK’s No.1 nail magazine, which focuses on the latest beauty industry news and nail trends. So when we heard that Scratch’s Deputy Editor Helena Biggs was bringing out her book, Nail Art, we couldn’t wait to get our claws (get it?) into a copy.

Nail Art is a fantastic book, not just for professional nail technicians, but for hobbyists too. The book is really thorough and begins with the basics such as the tools needed to create beautiful nail patterns and how to prepare your nails before you begin. Each chapter has a different theme and focuses on certain types of nail art. The themes range from ‘Fashion-forward fingertips’ to ‘Nail art from the underground’, and every single chapter is packed full of images of beautiful and often intricate nail designs from top nail art professionals. We think it has enough nail art inspiration to last you a lifetime.

Not only does this book show off some amazing nail artwork, but there are also plenty of nail art tutorials throughout the book to help you to recreate some of the classic and also fashionable nail looks. These tutorials include plenty of photos and a step-by-step guide to help you perfect your desired look, which is great for beginners but also helpful to improve techniques of those already involved in nail art. We were very happy to see some of our favourite Nail Techs featured with breathtaking work from the likes of Megumi Mizuno, Zoe Pocock, Marian Newman and Sam Biddle.

Our favourite chapters have to be the last two, ‘Intricate Nail Designs’ and ‘Fantasy Fingernails’. These chapters feature a range of stunning photographs of the most intricately detailed nails we have ever seen. Whilst they are perhaps not the most practical of designs they are beautiful pieces of artwork that we could admire for hours. If sculptured nails aren’t your cup of tea, you can find plenty of information and images about a whole range of techniques from dotting tools to nail wraps, to nail caviar. There really is something for everyone in this wonderful book and you are sure to pick up plenty of tips and tricks of the trade to include in your own nail art work.

If you are a nail art enthusiast too, we highly recommend that you get yourself a copy of this wonderfully informative book, we promise it will become your nail art bible. This fabulous book is so popular that it is currently completely sold out! However the book is being reprinted, so watch this space for more copies that will be available on Amazon and from Waterstones.

Fresh Therapies

Here at the Amazing Blog HQ, we're a little bit obsessed with nails. On any given day one pair of hands might be adorned with leopard print nail wraps, another sporting a french manicure, a third donning short, square nails and a pillar-box red shade. However, having a fairly hands-on job, what with the typing, the answering of phones, and, of course, the handling of all our lovely samples, it's never long before said nails start to chip. Which, I'm sure most will agree, is never a good look!

Picking at chipping nail polish is oh-so-tempting, but it's a bad beauty habit that's easy to do without even realising it. Unfortunately, as with all bad habits it has consequences: weak, brittle nails in need of some serious TLC. And with the majority of nail-polish removers on the market being laden with man-made chemicals, dehydrated nails can often be an unhappy outcome for nail-junkies like ourselves.

Thankfully, the crew at The Amazing Blog recently stumbled across the answer to our prayers - Fresh Therapies Eden Natural Nail Polish Remover. Unlike many of its competitors, it does not damage the natural oil within nails which is the main cause for leaving them weak, dry and brittle. Full of natural ingredients and vegetable derivatives, Eden Natural Nail Polish Remover actually moisturises the nail and its surrounding cuticle and with a fragrant smell and no artificial acetones, there certainly won't be any lingering reminders of nail polish remover!

LAQA & CO

With the latest nail trends being followed as closely as the clothes at last month's Fashion Week it seems as though there is a new ‘It’ manicure popping up every week. From nail wraps, cracked nail polish, dip-dye and ombre nails, metallic tips and nail art worthy of a Turner prize it is clear that nails are where it’s at this season.

LAQA & Co. is a range of bright, high–gloss nail polish in an easy to apply pen applicator. They work just like a real pen, only these pens let you quickly and neatly do your nails anywhere in a few clicks. The pen applicator let’s you click and colour so it’s as easy as putting on a lip gloss and great for throwing in your handbag for on-the-go touch-ups. What’s more, each pen is beautifully packaged in unique artwork from a host of young designers, making them more than just polishes and more like little pieces of art. Each designer has created artwork to suit their chosen shade and receives a percentage of the profit from every colour bought.

Choose from the trend-led nudes ‘Birthday Suit’ and ‘Pimpin’ or deep pinks and purples ‘Nookie’ and ‘Bells & Whistles’ which are perfect for Autumn. We’ve been coating our nails with ‘Toff’ a deep, glossy navy whose packaging has been designed by Tatiana Plakhova, complete with futuristic images including micro fibers, jellyfish, nets and other imaginable objects. Next on our shopping list is ‘Blurple,’ a deep purple shade with packaging designed by Nazario Graziano although with names such as ‘Tigerblood’ ‘Those Meddling Kids’ ‘Fancypants’ ‘WTF’ and ‘ I Want a Pony’ we think we will be adding the whole collection to our shopping cart very soon.

LAQA & Co are available from Selfridges and the W Hotel store or online here.

The mastermind of nail creations

Nail polish can be anything you want it to be from a finishing touch to an outfit, to a real style statement. I have always been a bit of nail polish addict, playing with different colours and designs. A few months ago I found the mastermind of nail creations, Megumi. I went to her this past Wednesday wanting something different to get me in the mood for summer. She decided on a nude Gelish and then finished off the look with tiny ice cream cones on my thumbs for a fun twist. Those aren’t stickers, what you see there is hand painted on by Megumi herself! Check out her other creations on Megumi’s website.