AsiaLIFE

There are those who dismiss nail art as simply too girlie and far too kitsch to engage with. Once you’ve taken the plunge into this delicate world of flowers and sparkle, however, it is difficult to stop craving beautifully adorned nails, and of course only the best is good enough.

One of the very finest places in town for professionally painted nails is Mandy Fu’s on the first floor of Paragon Mall. It’s slightly more expensive than its counter-parts at other malls, but the skill with which the girls here doll up your fingers is way beyond anywhere else - making it worth those extra few dollars. A set of 10 pimped up fake nails will set you back a mere US$2.50. However, if you intend to use your hands in the near future it is perhaps advisable to go for flowers and sparkles painted directly onto your own nails.

There are hundreds of models to choose from, though the size of your nails will determine which ones will actually fit. Unless you like the long local style toenails, it’s best to opt for a coat of paint and some sparkle on your tootsies. You can be more inventive with your fingernails, though here too the artist is likely to bemoan their lack of length. Note that unless specifically asked for, you don’t get a full manicure or pedicure.

Brush Action

Once you’ve chosen the pattern as well as the colour, the girls make a start on your hands and feet simultaneously. Once your nails are cleaned and filed into shape out comes the first coat of clear polish, followed by your chosen colour. Then the artist gets to work.  Using a tiny millimetre thin brush, she dips one side of the tip in one colour and the other side in another. By subtly turning the brush on your nail, she paints the first flower petal. Repeated several times over, a flower appears. Leaves and other little bits and bobs follow. When finished, you can hardly believe the flower isn’t just a sticker stuck on.

Ask for a bit of added glitter for that extra sparkle, wait for the finishing coat to dry, and you’re set. Sparkly toenails (without painted art) are yours for a mere US$2, while expertly glammed up and adorned fingernails set you back US$5. Pending what you do with your fingers, the polish lasts for two to three weeks. Finally, if the sparkle bug has really got to you, Mandy Fu’s also has ‘diamonds’ to ornament your teeth with. Popular with hip Khmer youth, a single diamond super-glued to your tooth is yours for a bargain 1,000 riel.

Mandy Fu Nails Beauty & Nails Care, 1st Floor, F11, Paragon Mall, street 214. Tel: 012 617 463. Open 9.30am-8pm