Manicure

The girls from Made in Chelsea never disappoint when it comes to looking on-trend, which is why it's no surprise to see these amazing two cutting edge nail looks on Cheska Hull and Gabriella Ellis. Cheska dons a Dipped in Sugar Manicure from Original Sugar that she just tweeted about saying, "@OriginalSugar_ love my nails!!!! Thank you! Xxx", whilst Gabriella posted photos on Instagram with the caption, "My liquorice all sorts nails by @originalsugar_ love them x" about her Liquorice Bullionaire Mani. The Original Sugar team kindly explained how you can re-create the same styles at home in just three easy steps. Here's what to do:

Dipped in Sugar Manicure

• Begin with clean, dry nails. Apply base coat and one layer of polish
• Next, douse the glitter sprinkle over your wet nails
• Simply apply a layer of top coat to seal the glitter

Liquorice Bullionaire Manicure

• Prepare the natural nail by applying a base coat and one layer of colour to clean, dry nails.
• Gently press the bullion beads onto the wet polish so they lie flat
• Apply a layer of top coat to seal the beads and the polish

Not only are manicures time consuming, but they're also quite expensive, especially when you throw all of the new and amazing nail art on the market into the mix. There's nothing more frustrating then getting a manicure, only to have it chip or peel just a day or two after leaving the salon. Follow these five easy steps to make your mani last as long as possible!

• Don't soak your nails. I know it seems like you're breaking the rules here, but in actuality, there are no benefits to soaking your hands in warm soapy water pre-manicure. All they will do is absorb water, which can cause chipping and peeling once the water dries out.
• Use a base coat, not a top coat/base coat combo. A topcoat is formulated to dry the nails and add shine, but a base coat is designed to be tacky on both sides to give the varnish and the nail something to grip onto.
• Be patient. It's important to wait the 30 minutes that it takes for polish to fully dry. During this time, try and relax instead of typing on your phone or paging though a magazine which can chip or smudge the nail. Try bringing your ipod and unwinding to soft music.
• Clean your nail surface. Even the slightest traces of oil, soap, dust, or cream will deter polish from sticking to the nail bed causing premature chipping or peeling. Try swiping polish remover over your nails getting in every corner and crack to dry out the nail. Then, immediately apply a base coat followed by your colour of choice.
• Be sure to apply polish in thin coats. Thick or old nail varnish can bubble and peel almost immediately and should either be thinned out or discarded.

OnSugar blogger Lesleykat always has the cutest nail art ideas, like this one, inspired by Indian textiles.

To achieve this fade-to-gold manicure, Lesleykat began by applying two coats of Zoya's Areej, a creamy fuchsia pink, as a base. Next, she added two sheer layers of Petites by Scherer nail polish in Universe, a sheer gold shimmer with gold flakes. To deepen the gold near the cuticle, she then applied Gosh's Gold nail polish, followed by a couple of layers of Sally Girl's Gold Glitter (which has both small and large hexagon-shaped glitters) to the entire nail. A swipe of Seche Vite topcoat provided hold and shine.

Want to see more? Start following Lesleykat now. And when you're through, why not start a OnSugar blog of your own? You might just be featured here on BellaSugar, too.

Source: Learn This Dazzling Fuchsia and Fade-to-Gold Manicure

Katy Perry's long been on our radar as a crazy nail-ophile, but she just tweeted what are certainly her most absurd digits to date. They almost rival the lady with the 20 inch long nails from yesterday. Is there anywhere Katy can go from here, or has she basically reached the manicure event horizon?

How to make neutral nails stand out? That's simple: just add cocktail rings. At this weekend's Diego Binetti show, manicurist Roxanne Valinoti created manicures using baubles and fabric from the collection. To catch the light better, she layered CND's Perfectly Bare Shimmer, out next March — which gives all of us a few months to work on perfecting our nail-sculpture skills.

I've been completely addicted to Manicure's Best Friend from Bliss (on sale now for £7.50) ever since my best friend introduced me this tiny, yet precious cuticle cream a couple of weeks ago. It's been my saving grace for dry, swollen, red cuticles and it's amazing how much it prolongs the life of my manicures — I'm talking three, maybe even four days!

Maybe you don't pick and peel like I do, but after doing dishes and chores regularly, my cuticles tend to become cracked and straggly. Instead of leaving them alone, I have my way with them. This cream helps undo some of that damage and is most definitely buying me time until I can kick my hideous habit.

It's easy to apply with a dainty, pointed applicator (all you need is one teensy drop on each nail). It absorbs quickly, it's not greasy whatsoever, it comes in a portable tube small enough even for a clutch, and to top it off, I'm a big fan of the fresh, lemony scent. I keep it next to my computer and use it at least three times a day to help moisturise and sustain my mani's.

Do you have any beauty weapons to pass along that your friends have told you about?