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What Is Your Preferred Nail Shape?

BellaSugar — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 06:00:14 -0800

Short, square-shaped nails are in style, but just because young Hollywood stars are into this look, that doesn't mean that you have to like it, too. Long, manicured nails are beautiful, timeless and really show off dainty fingers and rings! Take this poll and let me know what your personal nail shape preference is.

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What Shape Do You Prefer For Your Nails?

FabSugar — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 00:22:22 -0700

How-To: Choose a Nail Shape

BellaSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:00:11 -0700

When I was little, I knew of only two nail shapes: dagger (like that of my then mean older cousin - ouch) and bitten down to the nubs (like me - also, ouch). While you can wear your nails however you please, I've got some guidelines on choosing which nail shape might suite you best.

Generally speaking, try to match the shape of your cuticle to your free edge (the part you are filing). This will give you the most complementary finish. Another basic guideline is to shape the nail to give the illusion of elongated fingers. Remember to file nails in one direction, and check out some more tips below:

Oval - Looks good on most, particularly short, wide fingers.
Round - Great for short nails and those with very active hands, since round tends to break less.
Almond/Pointed - Elongates petite hands and fingers. It's also a very of-the-moment style, according to nail guru Deborah Lippmann.
Square - Works well to balance out long, narrow fingers.
Squoval - Softens wide nail beds. Also works well for short, wide fingers or long, big fingers.

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Trend Alert: Metallic, Bejeweled Nails

BellaSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:59:37 -0800

Katy Perry isn't the only celebrity hopping on the sparkly, encrusted nail bandwagon. Beyonce had similarly wild nails with heart-shaped jewels on them last night at the MTV Europe Awards, and Kristen Bell was sporting iridescent foiled nails recently, too. I think this trend is so creative and cool, but what about you? If you want to get the look, try Lippmann Collection's Celebrate polish trio or OPI's Designer Series.

Fake 'Em Till You Make 'Em: Acrylic Nails 101

BellaSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:00:03 -0700

There are few people with long, perfect nails who aren't using at least a little - and usually a lot - of acrylic nail powder. Acrylic powder is a polymer that, combined with a setting agent, creates a resin with properties similar to your natural nails, except even stronger and more flexible. Which means it's a great way to cover up a myriad of nail issues, and a life-saver even for non-biters and people who've never had a chip. To learn about the best ways to use acrylic for yourself, keep reading

Best of Bella

BellaSugar — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0700

32 hauntingly fun halloween hair and makeup ideas!
Gossip Girl: The season's top 10 looks so far.
Look ghoulishly good on Halloween: 10 easy vampire hair and makeup ideas.
Get even more kawaii with my guess the Japanese beauty invention quiz.
The bow-ed and the beautiful: 14 stars with wild hair bows.
What does your hair say about you?
Oh no, she didn't: The Gossip Girl beauty quiz.
How to choose eyeglasses by your face shape.
Bobbing for apples: 15 apple-inspired nail polishes.
Discover three tips on choosing a red lipstick.

Witchy Makeup Ideas: Wicked's Elphaba

BellaSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:00:38 -0700

When it comes to Halloween, there are a few standards. You can't get any more classic than with mummies, vampires, and of course - witches. Last week, I was inspired by the White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia, a beautifully frosty costume choice. Today, let's go with a more standard interpretation, Wicked's Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. But this character is hardly witchy at all, just a little misunderstood. Beautiful in her own right, Elphaba's just not a hairy warts kind of gal. To get her look, it's all about going green, complete with emerald or gold nails, long wavy hair pulled back into pigtails, emphasized brows, and a cone-shaped hat. For Elphaba's schoolgirl look, wear wire-rimmed glasses, a blue beanie, and a braid tossed to the side.

To see more pictures of Elphaba in her full-fledged witchiness, just keep reading.

Best of Bella

BellaSugar — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:00:00 -0700

10 pretty, easy eyeliner shapes for Fall.
Four makeup tips you won't forget.
My awesome guide to Halloween nail polishes.
Seven pretty ways to wear the matte lip trend.
The exciting conclusion of . . . Can you guess the celebrities with these tattoos?
Five ways to make the Fall black lipstick trend wearable. For real.
21 hair and makeup looks you won't be wearing come Spring.
Get Kristin Bell's lovely updo from the Couples Retreat premiere.
Gossip Girl strikes again - this time with more Little J.
Got kinky, curly, or wavy hair? Read this.

Bella Donna: Florence Griffith-Joyner

BellaSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:00:03 -0700

Florence Griffith-Joyner, or Flo Jo, as most people know her, still holds the world record for the 100 and 200 meter dash 20 years after she last competed and 10 years after her untimely death at age 38. Although rumors of steroid use began to swirl after her stunning 1988 Olympic victories, and she retired only a year before steroid testing was to be implemented, the claims against her were never substantiated, and her records remain untarnished.

Besides being one of the fastest people ever to live, she was also a true beauty icon, an African-American woman with an athletic body and those signature long, perfect nails in a time when the first supermodels were emerging and the "right" look excluded most women of color and anyone who wasn't shaped like a very slender hourglass. She's a beloved figure for her sharp sense of style and work in the community, and she even had her own Barbie doll, outfitted in one of her awesomely '80s one-legged track unitards. Let's hope her records stand for a good, long time.

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Nail abnormalities

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:07:49 -0700

HEALTH GUIDE REFERENCE FROM A.D.A.M

Definition

Nail abnormalities are problems with the color, shape, texture, or thickness of the fingernails or toenails.

Alternative Names

Beau's lines; Fingernail abnormalities; Spoon nails; Onycholysis; Leukonychia; Koilonychia; Brittle nails

Considerations

Just like the skin, the fingernails tell a lot about your health.

Pitting is the presence of small depressions on the nail surface. Pitting nails are often accompanied with crumbling of the nail. The nail can becomes loose and sometimes fall off.

Ridges are tiny, raised lines (linear elevations) that develop across or up and down the nail.

Beau's lines are linear depressions that occur sideways (across) on the fingernail. These lines can occur after illness, injury to the nail, and when you are malnourished.

Leukonychia is white streaks or spots on the nails.

Koilonychia is an abnormal shape of the fingernail where the nail has raised ridges and is thin and concave. This disorder is associated with iron deficiency anemia.

Brittle nails are often a normal result of aging, but may also be due to certain diseases and conditions.

Common Causes

Injury:

Crushing the base of the nail or the nail bed may cause a permanent deformity.
Chronic picking or rubbing of the skin behind the nail can cause a washboard nail.
Long-term use exposure to moisture or nail polish can cause nails to peel and become brittle.

Infection:

Fungus or yeast cause changes in the color, texture, and shape of the nails.
Bacterial infection may cause a change in nail color or painful areas of infection under the nail or in the surrounding skin. Severe infections may cause nail loss.
Viral warts may cause a change in the shape of the nail or ingrown skin under the nail.
Certain infections (especially of the heart valve) may cause splinter hemorrhages (red streaks in the nail bed).

Diseases:

Disorders that affect the amount of oxygen in the blood (such as abnormal heart anatomy and lung diseases including cancer or infection) may cause clubbing.
Kidney disease can causes a build-up of nitrogen waste products in the blood, which can damage nails.
Liver disease can damage nails.
Thyroid diseases including hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism may cause brittle nails or splitting of the nail bed from the nail plate (onycholysis).
Severe illness or surgery may cause horizontal depressions in the nails (Beau's lines).
Psoriasis may cause pitting, splitting of nail plate from nail bed (onycholysis), and chronic destruction of the nail plate (nail dystrophy)
Other conditions that can affect the appearance of nails include systemic amyloidosis, malnutrition, vitamin deficiency, and lichen planus.

Poisons:

Arsenic poisoning may cause white lines and horizontal ridges.
Silver intake can cause a blue nail.

Call your health care provider if

If you have pale nails, clubbed nails, blue nails, distorted nails, white lines and horizontal ridges, or a white color under the nails, consult your health care provider to determine the proper way to treat the underlying cause of the problem.

If you have splinter hemorrhages, see the doctor immediately!

What to expect at your health care provider's office

The health care provider will look at your nails and ask questions about your symptoms. Questions may include:

Type
- What is the abnormality?
- Are the nails an abnormal color?
  - What color are they?
  - Are there red lines running the length of the nail (splinter hemorrhage)?
- Are they an abnormal shape?
- Has the texture changed?
- Has the thickness changed?
- Are the nails pitted?
- Are the nails detached?
- Are there ridged nails?
  - Which direction does the ridging go?
- Does the whole end of the finger look enlarged?
- Is there a lack of luster?
- Are the nails brittle?
Location
- Is it the hands?
- Is it the feet?
- Is it only on one side?
- Are both sides the same?
- Is it only one specific nail?
Aggravating factors
- Have you had an injury to the nail?
- Do you bite your nails?
- Do you pick your nails or rub the fingers or toes chronically?
- Are the nails frequently moist?
- Do you use nail polish?
Other
- What other symptoms are also present?

Diagnostic tests will depend on what other symptoms, if any, exist. These may include x-rays, blood tests, or examination of parts of the nail in the laboratory.

Prevention

Do not bite, pick, or tear at your nails. In severe cases, some people may need psychological help or encourage to stop these behaviors.

Keep hangnails clipped.

Wear shoes that don't squeeze the toes together, and always cut the nails straight across along the top.

To prevent brittle nails, keep the nails short and avoid nail polish. Use an emollient (skin softening) cream after washing or bathing.

The vitamin biotin and clear nail polish that contains protein can help strengthen your nails.

Review Date: 4/12/2007

Reviewed By: Kevin Berman, MD, PhD, Associate, Atlanta Center for Dermatologic Disease, Atlanta, GA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

A.D.A.M. Copyright

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997-2009 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

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PopSugar

What Is Your Preferred Nail Shape?

What Shape Do You Prefer For Your Nails?

How-To: Choose a Nail Shape

Trend Alert: Metallic, Bejeweled Nails

Fake 'Em Till You Make 'Em: Acrylic Nails 101

Best of Bella

Witchy Makeup Ideas: Wicked's Elphaba

Best of Bella

Bella Donna: Florence Griffith-Joyner

Nail abnormalities

Overview

Illustrations

Definition

Alternative Names

Considerations

Common Causes

Call your health care provider if

What to expect at your health care provider's office

Prevention