How to get your nails summer-ready.

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Healthy Hands and Feet

What makes a hand or a foot beautiful? Like any other body part, it should be well taken care of. The nails should be healthy, strong, and well manicured, and the skin, because it gets such heavy use in these areas, needs constant moisturizing.

If your nails are thin or weak, take vitamins with iron and use nail protein as a base coat. You can also use a nail strengthener -- look for one made without formaldehyde, which can make nails dry and brittle.

Nails don't have to be long to be beautiful. The shape is what counts. I recommend a natural shape that's not completely rounded or squared. Cuticles have a shape. They should be rounded in toward, not straight across, the nail bed. But don't cut them to shape them -- this may cause them to split, tear, or become infected. Push them back instead.

Toenails vs. Fingernails: The Split Personality

When it comes to nail polish, toes are the extroverts. Women typically go for natural colors on their fingernails, but they're more daring with toes because feet are far away from the face and don't compete with makeup. Fire engine red or aubergine look particularly great with a strappy pair of sandals, and don't forget fun brights for the summer!

Tips

1. To do a quickie manicure, use natural shades because they don't show mistakes as easily.
2. To find out what colors are trendy, go to your local nail salon and see which bottles are almost empty.
3. If you're sporting brighter shades of nail polish, keep nails on the shorter side.