Photo by VitalJuice.com

A few months ago I reported on the hottest new trend in nail art: Minx. It’s been awhile since something truly original hit the nail market and as soon as I spotted Minx nails I was desperate to try it. Since then, Minx has become the manicure-du-jour for celebrities, singers, actresses, and fashionistas.

After my initial article on Minx I was bombarded with questions about where NYC gals could get their Minx fix. At the time there was only one licensed Minx nail technician in the greater metropolitan area, and she was so booked that getting an appointment with her required a late night trip to Brooklyn or a month long wait. Finally, Minx is available in Manhattan at the fabulous Fifi Salon in midtown where I finally got to try out the Minx experience… and loved every minute of it.

If you take notice of your favorite celebrities sporting high-art nails in sparkly metallic’s and bold graphic prints then chances are their fabulous nail fashion was courtesy of Minx. Minx has been in high demand since the nail decals were spotted on Beyoncé in her “Single Ladies” video. In addition Mariah Carey, Eve, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Fergie, Lady Gaga, Victoria Beckham, Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lily Allen, Kelly Clarkson, Heidi Klum, Paris Hilton and Jordin Sparks have been “Minxed.”

Lady Gaga’s manicurist, Naja Rickette, has provided the diva with Minx in Golden Lightning for her “Dirty, Sexy, Rich” video, Silver Lightning Minx for her music video “Lovegame,” and Fishnet for her “Just Dance” video. Gaga has even Twittered about her devotion to Minx saying: “Patent Nails!! Applied and removed with heat by a company called MINX. Or you can go where I went in LA for my video.”

Fergie has been sporting the Black with Silver Stripe Minx for a few months, creating her signature new look. In the Black Eyes Peas video for “Boom Boom Pow,” Fergie can be seen wearing Minx as well as in photographs from the Hollywood premiere of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”.

The latest craze in nail art, Minx decals are made of foil-like coverings which are applied to clean, buffed nails and only require heat lamps to seal the design. In addition to the fabulous assortment of nail art available, Minx is actually good for your nails, requires no dry time and won’t damage your nails.  The end result is nails that appear to have been dipped in liquid gold, or silver. The most popular Minx designs are Silver Lightning and Gold Lightning, but lately a vast array of designs have been spotted such as flowers, fishnet, monogram, American flags and President Obama.

The manicure of the moment can only be applied by a Minx Certified Professional and finding one in NYC has been tough… until now.

Fifi Salon is located in an unassuming building on 57^th Street. I was familiar with the neighborhood, but never knew there was a building which housed countless beauty salons in 1 spot. I was warmly greeted by Irene Nahon and her staff of lovely ladies who immediately made me feel like I had known them forever. Irene considers herself a perfectionist when it comes to nails, so before we began she trimmed my dry cuticles and buffed my uneven nails. I selected a silver fishnet design which had a neutral base color for my manicure, a design not as bold as the others which made it perfect for fingernails.

Irene selected the decal size which best fit my nail, heated it, applied to my fingernail and then buffed off the excess which resulted in a perfect look. The entire process took about 25 minutes. Voila! As life-long nail biter AI am not used to seeing impressive looking fingertips when I look down but I was flabbergasted. My glossy nails sparkled and looked radiant. I was most impressed at how perfectly the Minx fit my nail and particularly how Irene trimmed the ends and sides for a natural look. I was in love!

After chit-chatting for an hour, I had to head home but vowed to return very soon with my cousin Taryn for a Minx manicure / pedicure. By the way, Fifi Salon carries the all-time greatest nail strengthener, which is near impossible to find: Trind. My pal Heather turned me onto Trind after hearing about it at work. The clear polish is applied to bare nails everyday for a week and then weekly after a manicure. Again, I am a nail-biter and this product literally made my nails grow long and solid. I haven’t been able to find Trind in months so the fact that Fifi carries the nail strengthener in addition to the entire line of Trind products, just proves she is the nail maestro and able to spot fabulous products that actually work.

To date, Minx has been worn by singers in a number of music videos including:

Beyonce in “Single

Ladies” and “Sweet Dreams” video;

Rihanna in “Rehab”;

Lady Gaga in four music videos:  ”Lovegame”, “Just Dance”, “The Fame” and “Beautiful, Dirty Rich”;

Mariah Carey in “I Stay in Love” and “My Love” (with The-Dream);

Keri Hilson in “Turnin Me On”;

Solange Knowles in T.O.N.Y.

Kelly Clarkson in “I Don’t Hook Up”

Fergie in “Boom Boom Pow”

Jordin Sparks in “Love is a Battlefield”

Fifi Salon, 47 West 57 Street, 5th Floor, NYC.  866-441-2764.

Minx manicure $70, Minx pedicure $80.

http://minxnails.com/