Beauty & the Beach: Nailing down your tips and toes

Cute isn't just about the bikini and the tan. You gotta have cute toes to show off your flip flops, wedges, and hawt (healthy) tan!

And don't forget the manicure. Not only does that look nice, but it also puts you in a pampered mood. Perfect for vacation.

If you missed my post on How to Have Less Ugly Feet for Summer, you should go check it out. It talks about whipping those dogs into shape (the only dog whipping I advocate).

When it comes to color choices, I've called in The Nail Ninja. Take a peek past the jump for more!

Key Things to Consider:

- Yellowing from the sun and chlorine
- Breakage
- Styling! Do you care about color coordination?
- Chipping

The Nail Ninja says...

Consider the sun!
Like you need protection from the sun and elements, your polish needs protection from them, too. It's an easy fix, though. Using a topcoat that has UV protection is key!

Try: Nail junky fave Zoya Armour*, Nubar Diamont, and Ninja fave Poshe quick-dry topcoat!

***

Broken Nails. Ugh.

Make sure you take an emery board or crystal file with you in case of the worst case. The Ninja hasn't really caught on to crystal files, but lots of nail junkies love them.

Also, just because you're on vacation doesn't mean it's time to get sloppy with your good habits! Don't use your nails as tools, even if it's to open a cold beer. And make sure you're using your cuticle oils or creams and hand lotions even more than usual to combat the drying effects of sand, surf, and pool. Lassies- don't forget your toes. They need some love, too.

Try: For cuticle care, try Lush Lemony Flutter* (also great because it smells so lovely in the summer!), Burt's Bees Cuticle Cream* (again, nice lemon scent!), and Ninja fave Solar Oil*. The Ninja also uses CND's Cuticle Eraser religiously. For lotions, The Ninja is a new convert to Jurlique's Citrus Hand Cream, and has a mini-store of Lush goodies she loves for hands; the standouts: Smitten* has a great almond-y lovely scent and is great for normal hands, but Handy Gurguru* is best for dry ninja hands! And then there's the best hand cream The Ninja has ever used (but it's really hard for her to find!): Les Couvent des  Minimes Hand Lotion*. The Ninja uses cheap emery boards. :)

***

Stylin'
You've got to get yer cute on for vacation! But how do you pick your colors?! The way The Ninja looks at it, there are a few ways to go:

1. Neutrals don't show chips as clearly as brights or darks do!
   Try: peaches, nudes, sand, soft pinks or anything sheer.
2. If you're cooped up in an office all year, vacation is the time to bust out the brights!
   Try: Neons (China Glaze's summer collection, Poolside, is great- swatches here, available at Ulta* and some Sally Beauty locations), or any fruitlike shades. The Ninja loves bright orange on toes or shades of the ocean all around. For an extra blast of fun, check out the cool color-changing Del Sols (one color inside, another outside, and for sale at most beach locations)!
3. Maybe you don't normally have the nerve to try a new trend, but why not bust out of the box at the beach?
   Try: Glitters are always fun (though a hassle to take off!). The bonus with them is that if it's a really chunky glitter you can repair chips without leaving very obvious signs of patchwork! Blues are a great trend this Summer, and purples and teals are always on-trend. It may be unusual (The Ninja likes "unusual"!) but try the greige trend if you haven't yet. It's a nice unexpected counterpoint to the bright colors we usually wear at the beach! Or, try some nail art! Too timid for these suggestions? At least put a bright color on your toes. :)
4. Take a polish break and get naked!
   Try: Buffing your nails and letting them get a break. The cuticle oils and lotions will help build up the nail. Beware, though: nail polish sometimes provides a bit of support to the nail and prevent chipping.

For this year's summer vacation The Ninja has chosen bright toes and neutral fingernails. Stay tuned later for the pics and color details! Oh, and she always takes her polish remover and base and topcoats with her - one never knows when one needs a change or might stumble upon a new find!

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Chipping
The Ninja does not enjoy chipped nail polish. She is 100% happy that the alleged trend of having jacked-up nail polish is over.

Prevent chips by carefully applying a basecoat before polish, and carefully applying a topcoat after. The Ninja strongly recommends using the topcoat every other day to maintain the nails.

Also, practice using The Wrap Method of polishing the nail.

1. Apply base coat. Let dry.
2. Apply one coat of polish. Let dry.
3. Apply nail color to the free edge of the nail, wrapping the edge, taking care to get some under the nail as well.
4. Paint the rest of the nail.
5. Apply top coat, wrapping the edge first then finishing the whole nail.

You can also attempt the Stickey Sandwich Method.

1. Apply CND Stickey basecoat*.
2. Apply one coat of color. Let dry.
3. Apply CND Stickey basecoat again.
4. Apply another coat of color. 
5. Apply a topcoat.

The Ninja at times makes a Stickey Wrap. :)