Manicure Master Class by Kure Bazaar

Former supermodel, Kartika Luyet, created her iconic nail brand, Kure Bazaar, when she was pregnant to match her organic lifestyle. Her challenge was to develop a non-toxic nail polish without compromise; it had to have staying power, be quick-drying and super-shiny with the most fashionable colours. Kure Bazaar is formulated with up to 85% natural ingredients; corn, wheat, cotton and potatoes (yes really!) which help preserve the vitality of nails. Secondly, its celebrated for its beautiful colour pantones; a rainbow of over 70 shades inspired by Kartika’s love of travel, the street and the most vibrant fashionable colours emerging from backstage at fashion shows. In light of this, we asked Kartika to share her insider information on the on-trend colours this Spring/ Summer '16, plus she shares her secrets to caring for your nails and achieving a long-lasting manicure! Kartika, you regularly attend fashion shows, which colours will we all be wearing this Spring-Summer? The Spring-Summer fashion shows gave us a fresh take on our usual go-to reds and nudes with precious metals, bold primary colours and grown-up pastels. Favourites to try are Rose Gold (Or Rose), Turquoise (Caicos) and Crayola colours (Vinyle and Green Love). Always pastels are a huge colour for the warmer weather (try Fuji and Macron). How do you choose between colours to wear for daytime and the evening? During the day, the light is the main element so bright and vibrant colours come to life in such a beautiful way…especially during summertime. During the evening I believe your polish becomes a true fashion accessory and making good colour choices can really compliment a look and flatter an outfit. If you could only choose one nail polish colour, which would be your favourite? Stiletto represents the ideal red for me. It was my dream red. We worked for months to get the precise red we wanted, that I had had in mind forever... Aside from our nail polishes, I am also very proud of our very first 100% natural nail polish remover, it took 5 years in the making and comes in two possibilities, try Nail Polish Remover Rose for moisturising all nail types and Nail Polish Remover Bamboo for fortifying fragile nails. Onto nail care, is it important to let nails breathe? Nails themselves don’t breathe as they’re not living, this is actually a big myth. Nail polish actually protects and locks in the moisture in them. This is why it is essential to maintain a manicure every week. Why should we leave a thin area at the base of the nail free of colour? Your nails are composed of layers of a protein called keratin which grow from the area at the base of the nail under your cuticle. As they are living cells, it is important when painting your nails to leave a gap at the base free of polish. How do you recommend preparing your nails for your nail polish? First soak your nails in warm water for 5-10 minutes and clean dry your hands. Start pushing back your cuticles really gently using a cuticle pusher, they should now be softened and easy to remove any dead skin. File nails starting from each side towards the centre (where your nail is the strongest) in one direction. Avoid going back and forth as this can cause damage. A glass nail file works best and its good to file nails once a week. Finally buff your nails to prepare them for your nail polish. Buffing your nails also stimulates blood circulation and gives you healthy growth on the nail. Describe the perfect “Kure Bazaar Manicure” Apply the Nail Polish White Clean base coat which will prevent the nail bed from discolouring and protect the nail colour whilst drying. For painting, we all know to aim for using three strokes. For the easiest application apply a dot in the middle of the nail towards the upper area, then push the dot back leaving a little gap at the cuticle and swipe down, then swipe on each side of the nail, finally seal the end lengthwise to increase the life of your manicure and stop it chipping as quickly. Repeat with a second coat for vibrant colour. Finish with FINAL TOUCH top coat which will lock in your colour. Your secret for a long lasting manicure? For me the 3 essential steps for a long-lasting and perfect polish are:

• Washing your hands with a gentle soap beforehand; there should be no oil/cream or any moisture left on your nails when applying polish.
• Wear a base and topcoat – it truly gives a longer life to your polish (I am very proud of our “Clean” base coat which smooths out small imperfections making nails look super healthy…it’s phenomenal – a must try!)
• Last but not least (and no matter how in a hurry you are!) always let the first coat dry completely before applying the second coat (and apply thin coats!).

To refresh your polish, 2 days after a manicure, apply a coat of “Final Touch” (one of our top coats) it revives the shine and gives that extra boost. And also remember, try to be super gentle with your nails! Shop the range including the new Spring colours here: Kure Bazaar