Minx Nail Art - fantastic nail wrap designs
Minx nails are the hottest thing to happen in nail art in a very long time – recently seen adorning the talons of the likes of Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Victoria Beckham, salons around the world are also starting to offer Minx manicures and pedicures, making the Minx look accessible to anyone.
Minx nails are essentially stick-ons or wraps, which are heat-shrinked directly onto your own natural nails using a strong adhesive backing, then filed to fit. They don’t inhibit natural nail growth, nor do they damage the nail underneath in the way that gels can. The are easily removed once outgrown, or if you fancy a change – although the costs involved and effects obtained mean you are likely to want to make your Minx nails last a while.
The wraps themselves come in a range of designs that are frequently updated. The original Minx nails were metallic plain colours, creating an impossibly-flat looking mirror-like finish, designed to look like the most immaculately applied chrome varnish. There are also stunning designs based on stripes, again so precisely drawn as to provoke gasps of astonishment from anyone who has experimented with hand-painted stripe designs – even under the control of the most steady-handed manicurist with an Opi brand striper, there is nothing to compare.
The more intricate designs are yet more awesome however – new ones are released all the time in limited editions, and include photo-real images, fishnet patterns, and amazing tromp-l’oeil effects. Want to support your team at an international sports tournament? Get a set of Minx nail wraps with your country’s flag emblazoned on every nail! Have a pair of gorgeous peep-toed tartan shoes? How about a pedicure to match! Fishnet prints are very popular, as well as animal-skin designs – anything that has a small repeating pattern works well in the relatively small area of a finger or toenail. I personally love the floral designs, which seem to offer greater detail the more closely you look at them.
Although Minx salons are appearing all over the world, many people are also purchasing the stickers themselves for home application – they are available on eBay and other sites, in a range of designs. However such unofficial distribution routes are still relatively low volume, which means that the costs are high. When you offset this against the very real possibility of totally messing up the application, it might well turn out better value to place yourself in the hands of a trained and competent nail technician – and remember even nail technicians will often get a colleague to do their own treatments, whether manicure or pedicure you’re simply not at the right angle or orientation to do your own best nail art.
So how do they last? Compared to regular nail varnishes and polishes, Minx nails are pretty hard-wearing, and should be good for a week or so of regular hand action! There are no restrictions on swimming, showering etc – and if they do start to lift away from the nail, the moderate heat of a hairdryer should be enough to re-soften the film and adhesive sufficiently that they can be smoothed firmly back down onto the nail. When you want to remove them, heat is again the key – peel back under hot water, then remove the adhesive residue with hand soap. Incidentally I have read that Minx don’t work or adhere as well on acrylic nails – they are designed for optimal bonding on natural nails.
Many people find that Minx nails don’t last as quite as well as gels and acrylics, but it really depends on what kind of wear they experience. Minx pedicures in particular are very long-lasting, a fantastic choice for vacation toes that will be peeping out sandals and flipflops and often last to the point that they start to visibly grow out, rather than wearing out (much as with shellac). They are applied far more rapidly than most kinds of nail art, as there is no intricate painting and layering, or waiting for elements to dry –in fact you can put your shoes on and walk out to get noticed.
Because the fact is, Minx nail art designs are not for introverts. You will get stares, comments and compliments!
