SHAPE_DECEMBER_2016

eauty playbook
Styling by Alma Melendez/Halley Resources
TThere’s something so refreshing
and modern about the
no-color trend. Instead of
shocking shades and elaborate
art, this one is all about showing
off the health of your
nails—and the effect is supereasy
to pull off. Innovative base
coats and topcoats give you
perfectly polished, lowmaintenance
nails in just a few
swipes. Here’s how:
Ace your base
The latest base coats do
more than just prime your
nails for polish. They’re laced
with vitamins, peptides,
proteins, or botanicals to
nourish and protect. OPI Gel
Break Serum ($14, ulta.com),
developed as an antidote
to the issues that crop up
after improper gel-polish
removal (namely weakened
nail beds that lead to peeling
and increased brittleness),
contains vitamins A, C, and
E, plus safflower oil, bamboo,
and cactus extracts. Or try
the keratin peptide-infused
Dermelect Launchpad Nail
Strengthener ($16, ulta.com),
which restores protein to the
nails, making them stronger
and more flexible.
Now polish it
If at this point your nails look
great, then just go with a coat
of clear. The wide, flat brush in
Sally Hansen Color Therapy
Top Coat ($9, drugstores)
makes application speedy,
and the formula contains
argan oil, acai, and evening
primrose oil to keep nails
moisturized and glossy.
For more help, try one or
two of these Zoya Naked
Manicure Perfectors
(pictured). Like photo
filters for your nails, the sheer
topcoats blur imperfections,
color-correct uneven tones
or stains, boost your skin tone,
and add subtle shine thanks
to smoothing ingredients and
reflective sheer hues. To offset
yellow-stained nails, start
with the lavender. Then opt for
the shade that best matches
your nail bed—the
pink for warm skin, the mauve
for dark skin, etc.—which is
what will look most natural. If
you want to brighten your
tips, finish with a swipe
of the sheer white
across the free edge.
Whatever you choose,
the result is your nails,
only better.
Zoya Naked
Manicure in Pink
Perfector, Mauve
Perfector, Lavender
Perfector, Buff
Perfector,
Nude Perfector, and
Tip Perfector
($10 each, zoya.com).
HEALTHIER
NAILS IN 2 STEPS
Nails have to be
healthy to look good
bare. “Dark polishes
hide issues; clear or
supersheer tints
expose them,” says
Teresa King, lead
manicurist at Van
Court salon in New
York City. Here’s how
to get yours in top
form:
Oil up nightly
Rub cuticle oil into each nail
before bed. “This gives it
plenty of time to be absorbed
while you sleep,” King says.
Vapour Replenish Organic Nail
& Cuticle Oil ($32,
vapourbeauty.com) boasts
seven oils to soften, plus
extracts of reishi mushroom
(to thicken nails) and horsetail
(to reduce brittleness).
Push back (don’t cut)
cuticles
It takes only 15 seconds
for cuticle remover (King
swears by Butter London Melt
Away Cuticle Exfoliator, $18,
butterlondon.com) to do its
thing. “And you don’t run the
risks that come with cutting
them, such as infection or
having them grow back thicker,”
she says. After applying,
nudge back each cuticle.
Sheer genius:
These shades
have just
enough
pigment to
enhance your
natural nails.
Photograph by CLAIRE BENOIST
SHAPE.COM DECEMBER 2016 13