FINGER NAIL LORE.

Waikato Times, Volume 108, Issue 18165, 1 November 1930, Page 15 (Supplement)

FINGER NAIL LORE.

One of the new coloured varnishes is of pale bluish tints that give the effect of a blood-red shade,' and the other of mother-of-pearl when applied to the nails (says an English writer). The bright red has, so far, only been used for evening occasions, and although the mother-of-pearl could be used with perfect taste for the daytime, it should never be applied to any but the most beautiful fingers. For a striking varnish attracts too much attention to the nails to be used By those whose hands are not perfect. Varnish should never be applied to nails that have the slightest tendency toward brittleness. For them a paste polish is infiintely better, when too pale a deep red paste can be used, which will give a slight tinge to them, and they should be smeared with a little vaseline, mixed with an equal quantity of olive oil, every night and morning. Brittle nails are generally due to gout in the system, and all acid-producing foods should be avoided. Brittle nails should always be kept quite short, and it is always better to file .them than to cut them. Pointed nails are no longer worn by the wellgroomed woman, but when the fingers are too short and broad for beauty they can be 'made to appear longer and slimmer if the nails are allowed to grow rather longer than usual and are trimmed slightly pointed. The woman who does not manicure her nails nowadays would be hard to find, but there are still a good many who do not realise that the cuticle at the base of the nails should never be cut. Gutting causes hang nails, which are not only painful and unsightly, but very hard to cure. Use a good cuticle remover regularly, and there will ne\ei be any trouble with hang-nails. Should any have appeared through cutting the cuticle or any other injury to the skin around the nails, apply some cuticle cream twice daily till a cure has been effected. Stains on the nails from nicotine or other causes can generally be removed by rubbing with a little lemon juice, and should there be stains beneath them, soak the tops of the fingers in a mixture of warm water and cloudy, ammonia, a few drops of the ammonia to a saucer of warm water. This is a better plan than scrubbing with a nail brush, which is apt to widen the space between the finger and the nail and make it liable to soil quickly. •