We offer a range of enhancements using Young Nails Acrylic (liquid and powder) nail enhancements and Creative Nail Design Brisa Gel and INM Fibreglass/Silk & Resin, each with their own unique properties and benefits. Bio Sculpture Gel is also offered for that 'permanently polished' look.

How do you make nail enhancements?
Contrary to popular opinion, nails are not just 'stuck on' like the ones you buy in the chemist. It is an interesting process indeed! Firstly the cuticles needs to be pushed back and the nail-plate needs to be thoroughly cleansed. This is done using an alcohol-based sanitizer. Once excess cuticle has been removed with a gentle cuticle formula, the shine is removed from the nails using only a 240-grade buffer. There is absolutely no need to damage the nails in any way, shape or form in this day and age with the high quality of the products available to us now. An acid free primer is applied to the clean nail-plate, called 'Protein Bond' and this makes the acrylic or gel stick to the nail bed safely. The acrylic or gel is then applied which is explained below in the paragraph 'Sculptures and Tip-and-Overlay'.

The nail is not traumatized or ‘roughed up’ by a heavy duty file (which can cause considerable damage). They are simply shaped, buffed and finished to the requirement of the client. The finishes consist mainly of pink and white (French-manicured), natural or just clear for polishing. The whites are available in brilliant white or soft white for a muted look, but we can custom blend coloured powders to create any colour.

If your nails are badly bitten and very short, following analysis, we can create an illusion to ‘normalize’ the length of the nail bed which looks completely natural as the nail bed would be opaque. Therefore, using a process called custom blending, I can match your skin-tone and completely mask any stains on the nail bed.

Sculptures and Tip-and-Overlay
There are two ways of making a nail enhancement; the fully sculptured nail enhancement or the tip and overlay. At the Nail & Beauty Salon we tend to specialize in sculptures. The sculptured nails are an art-form in their own right and are very strong with absolutely no glue or messing around with tips at all. Many people say they cannot even tell they are wearing them because they feel so natural. A cone-like paper form is fitted over the end of the natural nail to create a shelf onto which the nail technician applies the acrylic or gel. This process creates the nail's free-edge and length. Once this is done the rest of the nail bed has a layer of acrylic or gel applied to it so it all blends in together. The paper forms are then removed leaving a fully formed sculpture nail which is shaped and buffed to perfection.

Tip and overlay (nicknamed 'tips') is when the length is created by fitting a long plastic tip to the end of the natural nail, using a strong glue. Acrylic or gel is then applied over the top of the enhancement which in turn is buffed and finished.

The Liquid & Powder (acrylic) system
Young Nails liquid is used in conjunction with powder to create stunning, professional quality nails. Acrylic nails are in my opinion, the most hard-wearing enhancements of them all. They can be kept on either for a special occasion or forever, as long as you have them in-filled every 2-4 weeks. They are removed by a soak off performed by your nail technician. Very occasionally you may wish for a soak-off and for a new full set of nails to be fitted. More can be read about nail maintenance in the 'Maintenance' section. The nails can be worn as they are in either 'pink and white' (French-manicured) or 'natural-look' or they can be polished with a wide range of colours.

The Creative Nail Design 'Brisa' (gel) system
For those clients who have a preference for gels or who do not like the odour of the liquid and powder. Finishing the nails with gel also acts as a sealant for further protection and extra strength as well as getting the gel high-gloss ‘look’. Gel Toes are currently extremely popular country-wide. These nails are hard-wearing, non-soak off (they are removed by your technician gently filing them off) sharing a hard-wearing resemblance to acrylic.

The Fibreglass system
Since fibreglass enhancements became available many years ago, technology has moved on in the form of Liquid and Powder and Gel systems making fibreglass the older/weaker of the three systems and therefore the least popular choice. However, it once again boils down to personal choice - there are some fibreglass veterans out there who love this system. Fibreglass is used mainly to repair their own natural nails if a client has torn a fingernail, resulting in a perfect natural nail with an invisible repair.

Bio Sculpture Gel
This is a soak-off gel system we offer in order to achieve the look of permanently polished nails. It is a gel which is painted onto the nails like polish and takes your nail technician about an hour to complete. The gel comes in several different colours or you can just opt for clear or the French-manicured look.