Nail Trends: Healthy Nails, Express Manicures and 10-minute Extensions Real Reviews July 3, 2013 Makeup & Accessories views: 19753 We don’t talk about nail health in India. It’s all about colour, especially bold reds and pinks and greens and blues. And have we ever heard about brands that sell products for nail care? Sure, they are targeted at salons, but rarely the end user. But luckily – for those of you in the cities – these products are available at a mall close to you. At a recent beauty event, Real Reviews met Ruchi Kalia, Brand Manager, Pan-India, Sally Hansen India, a brand that specializes in both nail beautification and nail treatments. Kalia says that the Indian woman’s love for deep colours often leads to brittle or yellow nails, and household chores mean an increased likelihood of fungal infections. For that the US-based brand offers a range of treatments that can be done at home, if you don’t mind investing a little time. Snappy DIY On the Go is In We also spoke to Dinesh Bhatija, Marketing Manager, Pan-India, Nubar, about trends and new technologies in nail art and nail care. Both Kalia and Bhatija chose to talk about DIY nail stuff that can even be done on the go, both for a price and time investment far less than a visit to the salon would involve. Quick Dry Manicures at Home Another new concept that even long-time salon owners haven’t heard of is dry manicures. Sally Hansen’s ‘Express Manicure’ needs no long soaks in water or a 30-minute manicure routine. As you see in the video, all you have to do is put a few drops of the solution around the cuticles, leave on for a few seconds, clean it with minimal fuss and you’re done. Follow it up with light massage with a hand cream, paint your nails and you have only lost about 15 minutes of your time. Cheaper, Faster Nail Extensions Nubar has come out with ‘Impress Manicure’, which is stick-on nail extensions – both long and mid-length – that have a sticker-like adhesive that you can peel off the back of the nail extension and stick on your nail. These can then be prettied up with a range of 40 nail stickers – both in solids and prints. Bhatija claims that getting nail extensions done at a salon takes 2-2.5 hours on average, but extensions in the Impress Manicure take under 10 minutes, even though it lasts only a week, unlike permanent extensions. And these you can just peel off when you want. It even costs far less. Even though it’s not the same as permanent nail extensions, these are meant as a quick option. Real Nail Paint Stickers Nail stickers so far were made from metal, silica gel, acrylic and so on, but the nail sticker the Sally Hansen representative demonstrates in the video is made with real nail paint that you can stick on and take off with acetone.