Get Mani-Smart: 5 Mani Tips From the Pros

Two things are clear from the #RinglyLove photos you’re posting on Instagram. 1: You guys get up to some pretty cool stuff (hi, Tony Awards, guitar-strumming, VIP tea parties). 2: THOSE MANIS. At first we were suspicious: how do you all find time to always have killer nails? But then we reconsidered: there’s obviously a link between the type of woman who takes her priorities into her own hands and the type that prioritizes… her hands. Hence the rad nails. Which, we should add, make quite the accessory to a Ringly — nice work.

So just like Ringly keeps you focused and even more poised to get sh*t done, we polled the experts at two of our favorite nail salons on everything you need to know about keeping your nails smart — from chip-fighting tricks, to the latest in nail products, to productivity tricks for an unlikely place: the salon chair. Let New York City’s Paintbox and Los Angeles’s Olive & June show you the way.

Make the most of your time in the chair: “A lot of my clients are on their phones handling emails, answering calls, or even writing reports on their laptops,” says Maira, one of Paintbox’s lead artists. “Since we are in the city that never sleeps, this is completely normal.” Out in LA, the Olive + June team sees their share of careful finger pad-typing, but also some major moving and shaking. “We literally see business deals going down,” says the company’s CEO Sarah Gibson Tuttle. “It’s been so amazing to see guests not only loving their nails at Olive & June, but also collaborating and creating magic, as well.”

Keep the magic going: “Cuticle oil” isn’t the sexiest-sounding product but it’s the one both women swear by to keep those manis looking perfect — and, prevent hangnails and promote healthy nail growth. They also endorse your mom’s favorite trick: applying a fresh clear topcoat every other day — with Maira’s reminder to include each nail’s “free edge” (the tips!) in your painting.

Prevent chips: Cuticle oil again to the rescue! Seriously: if you don’t have this stuff, grab a bottle. Life changing. Maira also recommends drinking plenty of water (yet another reason to flex that habit). And if the chip does happen, follow her lead and apply thin layers on top of the nick until it looks even, before topping with a clear coat. We also co-sign Sarah’s brilliant tip to keep a bottle of glitter polish at home just in case. “Nothing ever looks chipped with a glitter topcoat,” she says. We feel like that’s also a potential title for a self-help book we would definitely buy…

Trend-Watch: In a word: COLOR. At least for Sarah, who even launched a hashtag (#OJColorCrush) to keep tabs on the salons’ favorite color of the month. June is a just-past-nude light pink, like RGB’s Moon, but remember: “July is around the corner, so fun bright colors are coming!” In terms of art she’s feeling simple, geometric designs “think 80’s graphics — but chic! — on your nails.” Out east, Maira’s spotting marbleized nail designs — specifically ones that mirror natural stones, which we can’t help but feel like would look amazing with an Into The Woods Ringly. She’s also seeing a matte comeback, with some shimmery metallics (like Orly’s Mirrorball) and bold colors (Christian Louboutin’s Batignolles) thrown in.

Product-Watch: Maira’s especially impressed by Nails Inc.’s new spray-on nail polish. (Milk Makeup also makes a similar product.) And since Sarah’s in summer-pedi mode, she’s obsessed with the Fig + Yarrow foot pumice scrub they use in the salon. “It’s a grainy manual scrub that does all the work that a foot file would do, but hydrates and repairs skin to prevent cracking too.” Genius.

Next steps: Add their favorite Instagrammers to your feed for additional mani inspo.

Sarah’s picks: @nailsyall,@nail_unistella, and @palemoonseattle

Maira’s picks: @sohotrightnail, @nail_swag, and @celinaryden

Thanks Maira and Sarah! And while you’re ‘gramming, don’t forget to follow the salons (@olivejune and@paintboxnails) as well. We promise you won’t be disappointed.

And make sure to post your #RinglyLove shots — bonus points if you’re one of those overachievers who matches their nails to their Ringly.

July 09, 2016