The history of nail art
Nail polish originated in China which can be traced back to at least 3000 BC. The Chinese created varnishes and lacquers for the nails using new found ways and ingredients such as gum arabic, egg whites, gelatin, and bees wax. The Egyptians used a substance similar to henna to stain their fingernails. In China, as well as in Egypt, color represented social class. During the Chou Dynasty, circa 600 BC, gold and silver were the royal colors. Later, royalty starting wearing black or red nail color. Lower ranking women were only permitted to wear pale tones. Wearing royal colors without being royalty was punished by death. Modern nail polish is a actually a variation of car paint.

美甲的历史，只有一小段.

主要讲了美甲在中国和埃及（只有一句）的情况.写的是很早之前那些人用什么美甲.

nail info by rosenail

这篇是airbrush的发展史. 介绍了各个时期的airbrush.
The History Of Airbrush
Airbrushing was originally introduced into Australian some 12 years ago. At this time equipment consisted of industrial size compressors, poor quality paints and airbrushes not especially designed for the working nail technician.
Today things have improved 100%. Small compressors with little noise, airbrushes especially for the nail technician, paints of top quality made for fingernails
The First ever version of the air brush was invented by an eccentric jeweler from Iowa assembled in 1879 which consited of :
? A jam spoon
? A sewing machine needle
? A bent over screwdriver
? Old soldering pipes
? Some bent metal
and screwed it all together on some blocks of wood
1879 - the year of invention
In 1879 an eccentric jeweler from Iowa assembled;

? a jam spoon
? a sewing machine needle,
? a bent over screwdriver,
? old soldering pipes,
? some bent metal
? .... and screwed it all together on some blocks of wood!
Coupled with his own patented hand pumped air compressor he named it his;
"Paint Distributor"
for the painting of watercolours and for other artistic purposes.
1879 - How it works

Air is pumped by means of a footpump
and charges a specially designed container

By squeezing the handle air enters
the instrument under pressure

? 1 Pressured air leaves one pipe..
? 2 ..and spins the windwheel which has the needle fixed off centre
? 3 ..as a result the needle moves back into the spoon and collects some yellow ink

? 4 Then the needle returns, passing through the ink and collecting some colour at the tip
? 5 The air which is also blowing out of the second pipe blows a little colour off each time the needle passes in front of it.
1882 - Evolution and a New Business
Peeler's design, whilst proving the principle would work, still needed considerable development to make it a viable business proposition. Charles and Liberty Walkup were willing to invest in the idea and paid 0 dollars for the initial design followed by another 0 for two updated prototypes. Peeler signed over the invention to them in April 1882 and by August they were able to sell 63 of the paint distributors at a Photography convention in Indianapolis.
The next 3 years saw the formation of the "Airbrush Manufacturing Company" and the development of a true business that would distribute worldwide. This is the model that started it all...

1885 - Airbrush production
By 1885 Airbrush production was in full swing and Liberty Walkup was able to start marketing and selling his new and much refined single trigger design. Phoebe Walkup had great success with an acclaimed portrait exhibition at the 1884 World Exposition in New Orleans and this had been an excellant springboard from which to publicise the Company.
Small classes were set up to teach people how to use this new art tool but demand would become so great that within three years the" Illinois Art School" would be formed to accommodate all the interested students.

1893 and new horizons
With a remarkable few exceptions most Airbrush books that have any historical references (and few do) will inform you that the Airbrush came into being in 1893.
In truth a major historical event that overshadowed everything previously achieved. The Airbrush was represented at this event not only by Walkup, but by Thayer and Chandler of Chicago, an established art materials company who had built a reputation with ceramics painting and pyrography.
The event itself was monumental in the development of Chicago as a city, it was the "Columbian Exposition" or "World Fair". An aim of the Fair was to upstage the previous "Paris Internationale"of 1889 and to show the world what America could do. Chicago hosted the event despite fierce competition from New York.
For Airbrush historians the facts are quite straightforward. Thayer and Chandler stole centre stage leaving a much aggrieved Walkup threatening legal action over the use of the name "Airbrush". Their model was significantly different being more like a pen and acting more like an atomiser than the fan and needle design of Walkup. The designer Charles Burdick, had started his experiments by modifying the original Airbrush design to make it lighter and more like a pen to hold and had based his concepts and developments on the original work by Peeler and Walkup.

1900 and beyond
There was a flurry of activity around the years immediately prior to, and following, the turn of the century. Many new names attempted to add their improvements to the airbrush in a bid to take advantage of the wonderful new art tool. Most were never to be heard of again but for those directly involved in the established companies the future held many opportunities. Burdick had moved to London to continue his work and left those in the US to fight over the growing demand for portraiture, showcards and most importantly photo-retouching. The airbrushing community grew rapidly and numerous improvements were patented by individuals trying to keep ahead of the competition. Duplication of ideas was commonplace.

An array of immediate developments from the 1886 model - shown to the right.

nail info by rosenail

Q&A问题和回答

• Can I get fungus from wearing acrylics?戴假指甲的时候会不会感染细菌？答案是不会并解释了指甲发生异常的真正原因。

Fungus is not caused by wearing acrylics. Occasionally, when lifting occurs and is neglected, moisture gets trapped in between the acrylics and the nail plate, creating "water moles" (green or tan in color). This is often mistakenly called "fungus". Water mole is not a disease or a serious condition if recognized and treated properly. The color stain can usually be buffed away, disinfected and will eventually grow out along with your nails. If left untreated, this can potentially turn into a more serious infection. Water moles should not occur if enhancements are done properly with regular maintenance.
2. Should I let my nails breathe or take my acrylics off every so often?是不是该让指甲透透气或经常把假指甲拿下来？答：指甲是不呼吸的。只要保持nails trauma处于自由状态（也就是不要太管它），指甲的健康状态就不太会受影响。
Nails, like hair are dead, they do not breathe. By keeping the nails trauma free, the healthy conditions of the nails should not be affected with regular fill maintenance.
3. How often should I get a new set of acrylics?多久重新弄一次假指甲？答：取决于个人的日常活动和个人对自己指甲的维护。推荐在假指甲内出现气泡（或彩色）或自然指甲脱落的时候进行。
This depends on each individual's daily activities and maintenance of their nails. A new set is usually recommended when there are air pockets (cloudy looking) in the acrylics or when the natural nails pull away from the acrylics underside. Air pockets indicate that the acrylic is not adhering to the nails bed. For an average person, a new set is usually needed every 6 to 12 months.
4. My cuticles are so dry and parched year-round... What do you recommend for improving this condition?我的表皮整年都很干燥发热……你能告诉我什么可以改善这种情况？接下来就是讲了导致这个问题的一些因素和几点建议。
Dry, chapped cuticles are the most common problems around. Chemicals, the environment, cold weather, or simply picking at them due to stress can all contribute to this problem. Besides being unattractive, this can also lead to hangnail.
The greatest damage to cuticles simply comes from lack of attention. Most people don't consider at-home maintenance important and figure that a trip to the salon will be the ultimate cure.
Here's a few easy suggestions you might want try at home:

• Use gloves when washing dishes
• Apply lotion after bath or when skin is still damp
• Leave cuticle-oil by your night stand and apply nightly
• Salt scrubs with essential oils are also great if used regularly at home (included with every hot-oil manicure we offer).
• Parafin treatments for intensive skin penetration.

5. I love the french manicure look or the light sheer colors, but my nails are so YELLOW , any at-home suggestions?我很喜欢法式指甲（样式）和透明的浅色，但是我的指甲很黄，有何建议？后面就是建议了。
According to Elle, manicurist for the Mark Edward Agency, NY city, you can try the following:
   1. Squeeze lemon juice on your nails ( the citric acid helps lighten stains).
   2. Add efferuescent denture cleanser to warm water and soak nails for 5 to 10 minutes.
   3. Protect nails with a base coat that's formaldehyde free.

6. Why do I still get SOFT, PEELING NAILS even though I've always use good strengtheners?在使用了很好的助力器（不知什么东西）之后，为什么我的指甲还是这么软，还是会剥落？后面是原因和一条方法。
According to Olivia Pop, manicurist at the Peter Coppola Salon, NY city, the culprit could be your facial moisturizer if it contains glycolic acid. This ingredient, though effective at exfoliating dead skin on your face, can get under nails causing them to split.
Solution: Wash hands immediately after applying your cream; Also, use hand products with gentle ingredients like aloe vera.

nail info by rosenail

How to replace a broken corner of a nail with fibreglass.
怎样用fibreglass来修复破损的指甲角
下面就是整个过程和步骤。

Can I replace a broken corner on my nail with fibreglass?


Yes you can.. .....Helpful Tip: use at least 2 resins with different viscosities.

Choose a system that gives you at least two resin options; a thin resin for great absorbtion and a gel viscosity or thicker resin for building the nail.


· Prep the nail as usual.

· Apply a layer of thin resin to the nail.

· Apply a piece of fibreglass to cover the broken corner. Pat in place using a piece of backing strip.

· Apply complete strip of fibrglass to the nail. Pat into place.

· Apply a layer of thin resin slowly to the two layers of mesh, let the mesh do the work for you.

· Apply a gel-type resin and brush it out with the brush on activator.

· Shape the nail so the fibreglass is in line with the natural nail.

· Buff the nail so it is smooth. Apply a coating of gel viscosity resin. As you brush this over the nail with the Brush-on Activator, make sure you brush a litte under the added fibreglass corner as well for additional strength.

· Buff and finish to a high gloss shine.

nail info by rosenail

Choosing The correct Length for Balance and Beauty
3/4主要讲美（指装扮自己）要有规则和尺度。举了一个具体的例子：要选择适合的指甲长度。

We have all heard the expression, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, but there are times when creating nail enhancements, that we need to be a bit more disciplined and apply ‘rules of design’ in order to please our clients and sometimes, to please the judges of a competition!!



It is even more important to understand that the ‘rules’ need to alter a little bit when the technician is using the French application of whatever product he or she uses. When the tips of the nails are whiter-than-white, it tends to distort the balance of the overall look and very easily makes an enhancement look top-heavy and ungainly.

I judge many technicians’ work; in competitions and even more often the photographs they submit to me for a critique. Most of the time the technical work or the application of the product is excellent. The thing that most often lets a technician’s work down in my eyes, is that the length they have chosen is just too long and the symmetry and balance of the finished work is not as attractive as it could be and would have been if only the free edge had been made shorter.

In competition work, some technicians produce an ‘extreme’ smile line in order to ‘strut their stuff’ and show the judges the consistent control they have when using their white product to create ‘smile lines’. Although this extreme look can be used successfully on a model whose nail beds are extremely long – it is a look that can actually foreshorten the look of a normal, or shorter-than-average nail bed length, and make the nails look less attractive. The same thing of course also applies to clients in the salon where it is more attractive to stick to a natural smile line shape (which accounts for 99% of cases) unless the client has ultra long nail beds.

Barring the odd instance where a client is one of those ‘extreme’ clients and likes to break all the rules; for the prettiest look and the most practical ‘real life’ length:

The free edge of the enhancement should never be longer than half the length of the nail bed.

The length can of course be anything shorter than this length that compliments the hand of the client or model.

When using the ‘French Look’ with a brilliant white free edge, the rule should be altered to:

The free edge of the enhancement should be just a bit shorter than half the length of the nail bed.

Making the enhancements just that tiny bit, or more, shorter, creates the perfect combination of balance and beauty for which we all strive.

nail info by rosenail