Never let anyone tell you that cosmetics aren't a legit artistic medium. If they press the point, just introduce them to the work of artist Laurel Roth. She's known for her clever, allusive use of nontraditional materials, and her pieces are beautiful as well as thought-provoking.
For her exhibition Peacocks, she's crafted some fine fowl out of fake nails, false eyelashes, nail polish, and barrettes. The peacocks, in Laurel's own words "borrow human mating plumage . . . to represent the choices involved in biological processes that are unique to humankind." It's a clever and entertaining play on the mate-alluring displays we all engage in, and the birds are stunning. Click through the gallery below to see them up close:
There are few people with long, perfect nails who aren't using at least a little — and usually a lot — of acrylic nail powder. Acrylic powder is a polymer that, combined with a setting agent, creates a resin with properties similar to your natural nails, except even stronger and more flexible. Which means it's a great way to cover up a myriad of nail issues, and a life-saver even for non-biters and people who've never had a chip. To learn about the best ways to use acrylic for yourself, 
Every nail biter knows that it's a bad habit: you get bacteria from the environment into your mouth, age your hands, wear down your teeth, and generally end up feeling pretty bad about yourself and your willpower (or apparent lack thereof). But biting your nails isn't about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps for a lot of people. Instead, it's an automatic reaction that has to be overcome by other means, because will alone doesn't work when you don't notice you're doing something or have no other means of release. To help those of us for whom nail nibbling is all too natural, I've put together five smart tips that promise quick results — just 
