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Fashion: Freshen up for spring

It’s in the air and in the salons

By Maggie Schoonmaker For the Camera

Posted: 04/30/2010 04:52:02 PM MDT

Robin Catlin, left and Isabel McDevitt, get pedicures at ten20 Salon. ( CLIFF GRASSMICK )

It’s time to welcome and embrace the new season with a fresh look. Here are a few ways to treat yourself for spring with services and treatments from some of the best salons and spas around Boulder.

Manicure/pedicure

ten20

2005 Pearl St., Boulder

The deluxe ten20 offers one of the most luxurious mani/pedi experiences in Boulder, designed to detoxify, soothe and treat — perfect to get ready for spring. Not only does it include a professional manicure and pedicure, but also over-the-top extras like a sea salt soak, a warm paraffin bath to restore moisture, a callous control mask, an exfoliating scrub and a long foot and lower-leg massage. This is definitely a luxury, and should be at $100.

Healing distressed nails: Local experts give tips for healthy nails

By Christy Fantz, fantz@coloradodaily.com

Posted: 11/23/2009 07:20:58 PM MST

Care for your nails, and they will care for you. Word. ( photographer Valua Vitaly )

Splitting, brittle and weak fingernails are a common — but repairable — plague.

“I have this split down my pointer finger nail and I can’t get rid of it,” said Rachel Durmingham, of Boulder. “I just paint over it because it constantly glares at me.”

Dry weather, dehydration, cheap nail polish and hand washing all play a role in unhealthy nails.

The No. 1 tip from Kristin Domenico, a cosmetologist at Ten 20 on Pearl Street, is for the body to remain hydrated.

“Drinking a lot of water always helps,” Domenico said. “Then, keep a good natural nail strengthener around. It’s always good to keep two or three layers on your nails at all times.”

Domenico recommended OPI nail strengthener or Sally Hansen as a good budget buy. Nail strengtheners can help fortify soft or weak nails that are prone to cracking, splitting or breaking.

Sharon McTighe, an esthetician and nail technician at Marianna’s L’Esthetique Medi Spa in Boulder, recommended applying cuticle oil to help nourish the nails.

“The nail originates down at the base, called the matrix,” McTighe said. “If you keep that well-lubricated, as the nail grows out, it helps it to be healthy.”

McTighe also said lathering with hand cream after every handwashing can help.

Both experts advised wearing rubber gloves when submerging hands in water for more than a minute or two.

Although nail polish can dry out the nails, the experts said the formaldehyde and toluene-free polishes provide a healthier option.

Formaldehyde and toluene are known as quick-drying agents in the polish, but Domenico and McTighe said the nails are better off without the toxins.

Both experts recommend a monthly manicure as beneficial to nail health.

“Manicures not only clip away the dead skin and push back the cuticles,” Domenico said. “But if we do see a split down deep in the nail bed, we can try to buff it and repair it.”

Monthly manicures can even help with keeping an eye on pre-cancerous moles that lie underneath the nail, Domenico said.

“You can develop little tiny moles — even sometimes the size of the tip of the pin,” Domenico said. “Once we see you regularly, we can monitor it and let you know if you need to go to the dermatologist.”

McTighe said it is important to keep an eye on the toenails, too, especially in the winter.

She said feet remaining inside a hot pair of boots all winter could turn into fungus that is often hard to see.

“I know a lot of people skip pedicures in the winter, but it’s important to continue the habit for the health of the toes,” McTighe said.

Nail care tips– Take a daily multivitamin

– Most nail polishes expire after about a year

– When painting the nails with a darker coat, use a base color first to keep the nails from yellowing

– Use a non-acetone nail polish remover, as acetone is stronger and drying

– If the nails are yellow from polish, submerge them in a denture cream (like Efferdent) for a minute to remove the discoloration

What color are your feet this fall?

Steppin’ out

Aimee Heckel, Camera staff writer

Posted: 09/18/2009 04:04:23 PM MDT

I was flipping through photos of a recent trip to Uganda when I noticed something I’d never seen before: A burly, straight-faced African man staring at the camera, wearing a tight, pink sweatshirt with cats embroidered across it. The cats were tangled in balls of yarn.

This is one of the reasons I love guys in Africa.

This man could probably crush a dozen Boulder triathletes between his pointer and thumb. He had likely survived slaughter by rebels, been living on his own since he was a child and could probably kill a black mamba with his teeth. Yet here he stood, rocking a pink kitty sweatshirt — unapologetically.

African men understand something that most Americans just don’t get: That your character — and with that, your style; your essence — comes from the way you lead your life and carry yourself, and not simply from what society says is masculine, feminine, hip or sexy.

Straight African men hold hands — with other men. (Gasp!) I remember one guy who regularly painted his toenails: bright blue with sparkles. Now, I don’t know where he got the polish on a refugee camp, but he was known as the man with the blue toes. He was respected for his blue toes, and moreover, how those toes carried him as one of the camp’s leaders.

Last year, my color of self-expression was old-fashioned cherry red. I felt melancholic and classic, yet bold.

This summer, I felt like the brightest pink I could find: loud, playful, a little silly and dramatic. Then, as homage to a more enigmatic femininity, I morphed into orange, the color of the “sacral” or pelvic chakra.

Now, it’s fall, and as I watch my life dramatically change with the seasons, I am searching for the new color that speaks to me.

I talked to Heather Smith, a fashion pro and the spokesperson for Boulder’s Ten20 Spa. Smith’s toenails are Pamplana Purple, a deep plum that is part of OPI’s fall Espana collection.

For Smith, equally as important as the color is the fact that Pamplana Purple is eco-friendly. She calls it “three-free,” meaning it contains no dibutyl phthalate, toluene or formaldehyde.

The new polish colors this fall are rich, Smith says: dark chocolate, coffee and deep mauve, instead of hot pink. Runways have shown deep orange, she says.

I’m intrigued, but I still don’t feel connected.

Then, she tells me about a dark turquoise, “for people who still like a lighter color in the fall, but feel a little deeper than the summer.” I check out opi.com and find a turquoise called “Sea? I told you!” It feels right. And just in case it’s not, she reminds me that Ten20 lets you try on a few colors before you commit.

Just call me the woman with the (not sparkly) turquoise toes.

Did you know?

A pedicure at Ten20 is $38 and includes a full soak, cuticle work, buffing, massage, foot file and polish.

Ten20 serves free M&Ms and Diet Cokes and has a big-screen that plays favorite flicks, including “Sex and the City.” Check out ten20.tv for more information.

Even if you can’t afford a pedicure, you can buy your own bottle of polish here and bring it home to do yourself. Pick up a free nail file, an at-home foot soak, lotion and oil and make your own spa. Or buy a bottle to touch up after your pedicure to make it last longer.

Also check out Essie’s matte colors (not currently available at Ten20). I love shiny toenails, but matte fingernails look a little punk and a lot unique.

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