Wednesday, December 16, 2009

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Warm and dark By SHAVAUGHN MOSS ~ Lifestyles Editor ~ shavaughn@nasguard.com: Bright, vibrant colors were the order of the day for summer. Tangerines, shades of orange, coral, blues and yellows colored many a finger and toe nail, but as the year "winds down" and people make ready for the cool days and nights that are the fall/winter months, warmer tones like the deep burgundies and reds, and browns are making appearances on nails. Lovers of striking nail color are even sampling shades of gray, with the Christian Dior Steel Gray top on the list at a unisex nail spa on Cable Beach. Ashley Fraser, manager at Orange Blossom Unisex Nail Spa says the trend in nail polish has shifted towards people not shying away from bold colors, but experimenting with them. "The hottest color of the summer was the coral, from the orange family, but from the beginning of October, we've seen a shift in color change and what people are asking for. They are now going for more of the darker colors to bring in the winter season as opposed to the bright, happy colors," says Fraser who runs the boutique located in the Hibiscus Plaza, Cable Beach, next door to Sandals. Orange Blossom nail spa, is changing with the weather and giving people what they want and need, in their choice of nail color as the weather cools down, which is why they've stocked up on a number of the hot fall/winter colors, along with their staple requests. The spa which caters specifically to ensuring that your hands and feet are always beautiful. It has been in operation for seven months and is a place Fraser is delighted to manage. She says she and the owner share the same vision: To provide superior spa service for men and women at an affordable price, leaving the customer with the 'wow' factor and beautiful nails. The concept that Fraser loves the most about the spa boutique is that the owner divided the services between two rooms. Manicures and pedicure services are performed in separate rooms. "I'm used to seeing other nail saloons and spa where you normally soak in front of the other clients while getting a manicure, then having to twist your leg up under a table to receive a pedicure. But she didn't want that. She wanted a different setting and that's how the concept of separate rooms came about," she said. Fraser takes great joy in seeing customers leave the store with a satisfied smile on their face. "It was a shared vision, and she was happy to leave me to execute" said Fraser, who says nails have always been her thing, and as a little girl she would save her lunch money so that she could get her nails done. The Orange Blossom that you enter is a store that is visually very inviting. Painted in warm orange, with undertones of an earthy brown, the room decorated with knick knacks is almost like a beautifully decorated family room at home, inviting you to kick off your shoes, relax and be pampered. But before you get to that point of near nirvana, you walk up to the receptionist's counter, and before she can say a word, you're welcomed by Orange and Blue — the Siamese Fighting Fish that reside in two separate bowls on either side of the counter. You will more than likely find the feisty Orange lazily swimming about, but have to awaken Blue from his n See Warm on L11 slumber. With a spa dedicated solely to care of your hands and feet, Fraser says people shouldn't be surprised. In spite of the tough times, Fraser encourages people to take care of their nails, which she says is one of the first things people see. "You take care of everything else . . . your hair, your skin . . . but a lot of people tend to leave out the nails, and nails are so important. When you're shaking hands with somebody, the first thing people notice are your nails, so take care of them in terms of getting regular manicures to avoid the hang nails and things like that, get regular pedicures to avoid any foot fungus or athlete's foot, and it's something that should be done on the regular," she says. Recognizing that you work hard for your money, Fraser says one of their most important mandates is to provide quality services while keeping the prices low. "Even if we're only saving the client $3 to $5, that's a big savings in these days and for quality spa service," said Fraser. Orange Blossom is hoping to expand in the future into doing facials, massages, hair and makeup, to ensure that they take care of your entire beauty regimen. But, Fraser says the owner wants the nail spa to always have its own space, and always remain separate. Orange Blossom has also hosted a pamper party. In the space they presently occupy, they can hold approximately 10-15 people. Fraser recently hosted a party for four ladies, one of whom was celebrating a birthday, who wanted something for her and her friends to do to celebrate together. They booked out the spa for an evening and Fraser and her team provided hors d'oeuvres — sliced fruit, chocolate covered strawberries and wine. They also poured champagne into their pedicure water, along with rose petals and orange slices. The cost of a pamper party depends on the amounts of people and the services that are required. Asked how the owner came up with the name Orange Blossom, Fraser smiled. That she says was one of her first questions. She found out that there wasn't really a story behind the name, other than orange happening to be one of the owner's favorite colors, and that she hadn't wanted a common spa name. After seeing a store down the street from her spot called Pink Jasmine, she thought to herself: Why not Orange Blossom? The name stuck. NAIL CARE TIPS * Maintenance is important. * The biggest thing as a home remedy for the hands especially is to always keep them moisturized going into the winter months — lotion regularly, even after washing. * Apply cuticle oil to the cuticles nightly to keep them hydrated. Lotion can only do so much and when you wash your hands, they tend to get dry again. To keep the moisture locked in around the cuticle areas, cuticle oil is the way to go. If cuticle is not available, baby oil will do. * Same advise for the feet as well. * Get pedicure services done every two weeks, depending on the condition of the feet. New clients at Orange Blossom, depending on the condition of their feet, start out with treatments from every two weeks, gradually go working up to three weeks to a month. They recommend in-between pedicure treatments to keep the condition of your feet good. * Do a deep moisture treatment: Apply a good amount of lotion on your feet, wrap it in Saran wrap, cover with a sock for approximately 15 minutes. This helps to keep moisture locked into the feet. * Acrylic nails are great for people with brittle, natural nails, and nails that can easily break, but they should be refilled every two to three weeks, depending on how much your nails grow. If you don't fill after a period of time, you can catch fungus if not properly cared for, because water can seep underneath the acrylic and it can also cause a water stain, which may look like a fungus, but can actually be a water stain. WHAT SHAPE SHOULD YOUR NAILS BE FILED * You should follow your natural shape, which is basically a little round with a box to it, and you also have oval shaped nails and box. Tuesday, November 17, 2009