Synopses & Reviews
Change your nails, change your attitude. With well-groomed nails, your gestures become livelier and more important, and your look definitely sexier. And suddenly, it's not just your hands feeling that way, but your whole selfand#8212;which is why nail care is a huge and growing industry, with over 53,000 salons in the U.S. doing some $6.4 billion in business each year.
Now you don't have to go to a salon to enjoy a spa-worthy manicure or pedicure. Ji Baek, the stylish, high-energy queen of nail careand#8212;the go-to expert for fashion designers, actors, fashionistas, and media ranging from Vogueto The New York Times, and owner of New York's hottest nail salons, the Rescue Beauty Loungesand#8212;presents the definitive guide to beautiful hands and feet, emphasizing natural beauty, cleanliness, and simplicity.
In her witty, approachable voice, Ji explains why it's important to take your vitamins daily, file weekly, and moisturize constantly. Her illustrated step-by-step directions demystify professional nail care and make it easy to replicate the results at home using the right tools, products, and techniques. From nail length and shape to the right polish color for every occasion, no topic is left unexplored. Even the most irksome of problems get foolproof solutions: how to avoid split nails, fill ridges, fade sunspots, and soften calluses. She even has her own twelve-step program for the very worst of the nail care offenders: NBA (nail-biters anonymous), a no-fail, guaranteed system to get anyone's nailsand#8212;no matter how raggedand#8212;into tip-top shape.
Review
“Ji is one of our top authorities on nails. For the next big trend, just check out her fingers.” –Ying Chu, Beauty Director, Marie Claire Marie Claire
Review
andldquo;Ji Baek combines impeccable taste with clear-eyed practicality. When Ji talks, beauty editors listen.andrdquo; andndash;Linda Wells, Editor-in-Chief, Allure
Review
“Ji makes it fun, she makes it easy, and she makes it glamorous—this is a great read as well as a great guide.” –Jean Godfrey-June, Beauty Director, Lucky Lucky
Review
“Ji Baek, the nail guru! It’s super simple with great tips…a very smart way to take care of your hands and feet.” –SunHee Grinnell, Beauty Director, Vanity Fair
Review
“Ji Baek combines impeccable taste with clear-eyed practicality. When Ji talks, beauty editors listen.” –Linda Wells, Editor-in-Chief, Allure Allure
Review
“Ji Baek is queen on the Manhattan manicure! Her practical, eye-opening new book is the ultimate A-to-Z resource or anyone who cares about their hands and feet.” –Sarah Brown, Beauty Director, Vogue Vogue
Synopsis
Skip the spa and give yourself an at home manicure and here's the perfect author to show how. Ji Baek, the high-energy owner of New York's hottest nail salons, the Rescue Beauty Lounge written about fromVogueto InStyle, LuckytoHarper's Bazaar, used by designers and stylists, patronized by actors, fashionistas, professionals, and more presents the definitive guide to beautiful hands and feet. Emphasizing natural beauty, cleanliness, and simplicity, it covers the science of the nail, and why it's important to take vitamins, file regularly, and moisturize constantly; the care of the nail, with step-by-step illustrated directions to achieving professional-quality home manicures and pedicures, including tools, techniques, lotions, polishes; the dressing of the nail shapes, colors, and styles; the health of the nail and the surrounding skin how to heal split nails, brittle nails, and ingrown nails, and take care of common problems like calluses and sunspots."
Synopsis
Skip the spa and give yourself an at home manicure—and here's the perfect author to show how. Ji Baek, the high-energy owner of New York's hottest nail salons, the Rescue Beauty Lounge—written about from Vogue to InStyle, Lucky to Harper's Bazaar, used by designers and stylists, patronized by actors, fashionistas, professionals, and more—presents the definitive guide to beautiful hands and feet. Emphasizing natural beauty, cleanliness, and simplicity, it covers the science of the nail, and why it's important to take vitamins, file regularly, and moisturize constantly; the care of the nail, with step-by-step illustrated directions to achieving professional-quality home manicures and pedicures, including tools, techniques, lotions, polishes; the dressing of the nail—shapes, colors, and styles; the health of the nail and the surrounding skin—how to heal split nails, brittle nails, and ingrown nails, and take care of common problems like calluses and sunspots.
Synopsis
What you’ll learn:
The best way to repair smudged polish
The best way to store your polish—not in the fridge
The secret to cleaning up spilled polish (hint: check your desk drawer)
The must-haves in your nail-care arsenal: lemon juice and salt
The best way to repair a split or chipped nail
Colors for the beginner, colors for the pro The ten unbreakable rules of nail care
About the Author
Ji Baek founded Rescue Beauty Lounge, New York's top nail salon, in 1998, and soon after started garnering attention in Vogue, InStyle, Allure, New York, Lucky, Jane, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, The New York Times, WWD, and more.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
You’ve got nail
Ji’s story, Land of Opportunity, The Evolution of Beautiful Nails, A Field Guide to the Fingernail, The Ten Unbreakable Rules of Nail Care, You Are Your Nails, The Real Deal on Fakes
Chapter 2
Getting started at home
The Instant Medicine-Cabinet Manicure, Lotions & Potion, Do-It-Yourself Exfoliators, Tools of the Trade: An Illustrated Guide, Three Ways to Sterilize Your Tools
Chapter 3
The at-home rescue manicure
Manicure Mise en Place, Stage One: Trimming and Smoothing, Shaping Up, Stage Two: Cuticle Care, Stage Three: Finishing Up, Stage Four: Cleanup
Chapter 4
The at-home rescue pedicure
Pedicure Mise en Place, Stage One: Getting Ready, Stage Two: Trimming and Shaping, Stage Three: Not-So-Cuticles, Stage Four: Out, Dead Skin!, Stage Five: Finishing Touches-Stage Six: Cleanup
Chapter 5
Polish perfection
Nail Polish Application 101 Polish Mise en Place, Polishing Fingers, Polishing Toes, French Manicure Tips, Nail Emergency 911!, The Big Spill, Reviving Your Manicure…Quickly! Color Theory Easy Colors and Hard Colors, Whites and Clear, Neutrals, Pinks, Reds, Brown Reds, Cutting-Edge Colors, Caring for Your Polish In the Buff: Naked Nails
Chapter 6
The skin you’re in
Aging Hands, The Many Uses of Moisturizer, Working Hands: In the Kitchen, In the Garden, At the Office, Hands in Extreme Conditions, Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize!
Chapter 7
The imperfect nail: troubleshooting
Types of Problems: Weakness, Discoloration, Ridges, Splits, White Spots, Homemade Wraps, Foot Therapy: Toenail Shape, Calluses, and other Concerns, Athlete’s Feet
Chapter 8
NBA (nail-biters anonymous)
Twelve Weeks to a New York, Male Biters, The Emergency Kit—and How to Use It The Program Weeks 1-4: Boot Camp; Weeks 5-8: Recovery; Weeks 9-12: The Promised Land, Once the Twelve Weeks Are Over
Chapter 9
Professional nail service What to Look for in a Professional Salon, Spa and Salon Etiquette, Sanitation and Sterilization, Demystifying the Manicure, Keep It Up!