NEWS

Show stopping nail looks from the Grammys Red Carpet

Laverne Cox @eriishizu

Mary J Blige @marielhaenn

Lizzo @eriishizu

Jennifer Lopez @tombachik

Cardi B @iamcardib

Rapper Lizzo sported the most striking nail look, both in terms of design and colour, at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles on 5 February.

Regarded as music’s biggest event, the Grammys recognise the best recordings, compositions and artists of the year.

Celebrity stylist Eri Ishizu was responsible for creating Lizzo’s bright orange, 3D floral design. On her Instagram page (@eriishizu), she wrote: “For Lizzo’s Grammy look, we decided to have a monochromatic vibrant look that evokes a spring awakening. Spring is a time of change, reinvention and colour, and with this bright, bold and beautiful outfit, I wanted to create statement nails. I used the shade Silicon Valley Girl from OPI’s new Me, Myself and OPI collection to inspire the same feelings, similar to her dress. We matched the florals on the dress to create springtime 3D nails.”Ishizu moulded the 3D flowers with acrylic onto the nails and added some crystal.

Actress Megan Fox, who is engaged to singer/ songwrite Machine Gun Kelly, wore her nails in an extra long stiletto shape. According to glamour.com, said nails were created with 14-karat solid white gold and diamonds.

Red carpet queen Laverne Cox had shimmery gold nails (with embellishments) to match her shimmery gold jewellery. Eri Ishizu was the stylist.

Jennifer Lopez rocked on-trend lip gloss nails in a sheer pink. Celebrity MANicurist Tom Bachik said on his Instagram page (@tombachik): “We wanted nails that played off her @gucci gown in a fresh minimalistic way.”

Taylor Swift wowed with midnight blue nails to match her two-piece outfit. Talking of blue, Cardi B choose to wear plain black talons to complement her swirling architectural blue gown. Social media personality Charli d’Amelio opted for short black nails with silver chains as cuticle art. Olivia Rodrigo also sported short black nails.

It was sparkles central for music legend Mary J Blige, whose nails were blinged out to match her silver dress.

Singer/ songwriter SZA had pearly nude, long almond nails with a heart painted on the middle fingers, clearly a nod to Valentine’s Day Month.

Image from Shutterstock

UV nail lamps under spotlight

Although past studies have shown UV nail lamps to be safe, a new study by researchers at the University of California San Diego suggests they may cause cell mutations.

According to Professional Beauty UK, this study has been circulated by consumer press across the UK and is therefore being spoken about by salon clients, so nail techs should be armed with the knowledge of what the study investigated and of course of previous studies that consider UV nail lamps to be safe.

The new study suggests that UV gel lamps used to cure gel polish and builder gel could potentially cause cell mutations. This is the latest in a series of studies into the effect of UV nail lamps that have taken place over the last several years and by no means represents a reliable conclusion.

Safe UV nail lamps

Nail lamps from reputable manufacturers are thoroughly tested before being brought to maket and industry experts affirm that these can be considered safe for the level of use for which they were intended.

Back in 2012, a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology concluded that it would take 250 years of weekly use before UV lamps used at nail salons would begin to increase the risk of cancer.

As it stands, there is no evidence that they cause cancer and the US Food and Drug Administration considers the devices to be low risk when used as directed.

What does the new study claim?

In the new study, the researchers examined the spectrum of ultraviolet (UV) light emitted by nail lamps.

By exposing different human and animal cell types to the UV nail lamps, they said that one 20-minute session led to between 20-30% cell death, while three consecutive 20-minute exposures caused between 65-70% of the exposed cells to die.

Their initial findings published in Nature Communications urge that a long-term epidemiological study is needed to definitively prove a link between UV nail lamps and any increased risk of skin cancer, adding that this research could take another decade.

Dermatologists with no involvement in the study told The Washington Post that it’s important to note that the researchers examined human cells and not human beings, who have layer upon layer of skin that provides additional protection against UV rays.

Some dermatologists in the article recommend using a broad-spectrum sunscreen that is at least SPF 50 to protect the hands, while others recommend protective gloves. (Source: https://professionalbeauty.co.uk/site/ newsdetails/uv-nail-lamps-dna-damage)

New nail trend inspired by make-up

Lip gloss nails look set to become a dominant style this year and are already highly visible on social media.

Described as a minimalist style, lip gloss nails, as their name suggests, mimic the sheeny look that gloss gives the lips.

While similar to doughnut nails, the trend popularised by model Hayley Bieber last year, lip gloss nails differ in that they work more with the natural nail as the base, and are thus more sheer.

To create the look, nail techs must first ensure that the natural nails are in good health.

According to Glamourmagazine.co.uk, there are several ways to wear lip gloss nails, such as ‘baby pink, ombre, sparkle, pearlescent, short & sweet, and barely blushing’. (Sources: Glamourmagazine.co.uk; thesouthafrican.com)