manicure

Lemons are good for more than just iced tea and meringue pies. OnSugar blogger Beautiful Basics tells us how to get rid of pesky nail polish stains with the citrus fruit.

I know I’ve posted a lot about the power of lemons in the past, and today’s post is no stranger to the yellow citrus fruit that I love so much! In the Spring and Summer I never go bare — nail wise, that is. I always have to have a bright, fun color on my toes and fingers. If you’re like me, you may notice that sometimes bright, or even dark nail polishes, can stain the surface of the nail and leave a not so pretty mess behind.

Well, lemons are the easy fix for stains. All you have to do is cut a lemon in half and stick your nails in it for five minutes. This trick will help brighten your nails instantly, leaving you with a stain-free natural nail! Easy, huh? Now you can feel free to experiment with stubborn colors this upcoming season!

Want to see more? Start following Beautiful Basics now, and while you're at it, why not start an OnSugar blog of your own? We'd love to feature you right here on Bella.

OnSugar blogger Lesleykat always has the cutest nail art ideas, like this one, inspired by Indian textiles.

To achieve this fade-to-gold manicure, Lesleykat began by applying two coats of Zoya's Areej, a creamy fuchsia pink, as a base. Next, she added two sheer layers of Petites by Scherer nail polish in Universe, a sheer gold shimmer with gold flakes. To deepen the gold near the cuticle, she then applied Gosh's Gold nail polish, followed by a couple of layers of Sally Girl's Gold Glitter (which has both small and large hexagon-shaped glitters) to the entire nail. A swipe of Seche Vite topcoat provided hold and shine.

Want to see more? Start following Lesleykat now. And when you're through, why not start a OnSugar blog of your own? You might just be featured here on BellaSugar, too.

Last week, I was singing the praises of Sally Hansen's Salon Effects stick-on nails in Misbehave, a gold shade with a black fishnet stocking pattern. But, was I singing its praises after wearing them around for a week? As promised, find out how well they wore when you keep reading.

Sally Hansen recently launched Nail Effects, precut, stick-on nails in varying colors and patterns. But these aren't your ordinary hard and plasticy fake nails. Nope, these adhesives are thin and stretchy, molding to the shape of your natural nail. And after admiring the eye-catching Misbehaved pattern ($9) on a DailyCandy writer, I knew I had to give them a try.

At around $9 a pop, depending where you get them, these temporary nail designs aren't exactly cheap. They're supposed to last for up to 10 days, so check back later for my report on the eventual wear and tear. But after having them on for just a few hours, I'm surprised at just how pretty a gold-and-black fishnet-stocking manicure can be. See what else I thought when you read more.

A while back, I was super stoked to find this shop near my workplace that offered $10 manicures. So far, I've been there a couple of times and shared this gem with my friends, and most of them have loved it. There are one or two people who didn't care for the lower prices, because they would rather pay more to ensure quality service, impeccable treatments, and a soothing atmosphere. I'm the kind that just likes to get the job done and can do without the extra frills. Before you take my lead, you gotta know what you're getting into. Read this quick guide to find out more on how to maximize your cheap spa experience:

• Read Reviews: Don't walk into a store blindly and do your research on sites like Yelp. If hygiene is a question, do not risk your health for a cheap manicure! For example, if you learn that they don't clean the equipment, you're better off doing your nails yourself.
• Lower Your Expectations: Don't go in expecting that your $10 will get you a $100 spa experience. Your dollar can't stretch that far. A deal is a deal and usually you get a little more than what you pay for. If you expect a five star treatment, you're going to be very disappointed. Go in with a realistic mindset.

For more tips, read after the jump.

Photo courtesy of CND