Give Your Nails The Minx Experience

If you are looking for a new and unexpected way to make a statement, how about an unconventional, eye-popping design for your finger nails? Minx nails are a one-of-a-kind nail art experience that are customized to fit your nails in a way that acrylics can never achieve and are chip-resistant, unlike any polish. Fashionwithfifi.com received a complimentary Minx manicure and learned all about this amazing new trend in the nail industry.

The “Minx experience”, explains TracyLee, nail stylist and trendsetter at Damone Roberts New York, is a heat-activated film that is cut and molded to perfectly fit around the contours of your nail. The film is made of heat-activated polymers, which TracyLee holds under a heat lamp before pressing to each fingernail. “Minx acts like a shrink wrap,” says TracyLee, “And the vinyl-like material won’t chip like a regular polish.”

Perhaps the best part of the whole experience is the designs. Minx nails are only available in bold colors, like metallic gold and silver, or wild designs, like cheetah print, plaid, or black and white skulls. I picked a metallic gold, knowing this would be a great, but very bold, look for the holiday season!

The heat-activated polymers in each Minx design are environmentally friendly, with no harsh chemicals added, so we can all breathe a little easier knowing that our daring beauty risk is completely safe. They can also help increase the health of your nail itself because the process does not include any buffers or primers, like with acrylics. TracyLee shapes, cleans, and dehydrates each nail before applying the film, saying that the protective film actually makes her clients’ nail stronger as they start to grow out.

Since the vinyl-material is heat-activated, it only makes sense that a quick zap of heat is all it takes to fix any edges that might start to curl up post-manicure. TracyLee says that once every other day or so, you will need to use a hair dryer to reactivate the films and press down on the tips of your nails to keep the edges from curling. By doing this, she says, each minx manicure can last anywhere from five days to three weeks.

TracyLee, who has spent the past year specializing in Minx manicures, is no stranger to the nail industry. After receiving her manicuring license in 1989, she opened up her own salon in New Jersey at the age of 22, which she then owned for 13 years. She has always enjoyed experimenting with new techniques and designs, she says, and she is always looking for the next great nail trend.

Working for Damone Roberts New York has brought TracyLee much success in her nail art career. Her clients include celebrities, such as singer Anjulie. She has manicured models for numerous photo shoots, including Lucky Magazine.

Now, after recently meeting with Minx nail executives in Los Angeles, TracyLee says she wants to work with educating people about the nail industry. “So many people have come to accept bad manicures as a normal occurrence,” she says. But there is no reason for shoddy manicures or pedicures and TracyLee wants all people to experience healthy and professional nail treatments.

TracyLee’s clients range in both age and income level. “I get everyone from the high school girl to the CFO,” she says. When her clients first started experimenting with Minx designs, she says the metallic colors were the most popular. Now, she says, many people mix and match designs on their nails, using the crazy combinations to make a unique, personal statement.

To remove the nails, all that is needed, again, is a hair dryer. No harsh nail polish remover or messy polish everywhere, thankfully! Just use the hair dryer to loosen the edges of the minx material and, starting at the cuticle, not the tip, gently peel off each nail. But you can also head back to Damone Roberts New York, located at 574 5^th Ave, where TracyLee gives her Minx clients a complimentary post-minx experience manicure. Now that is a complete service, if you ask me!

TracyLee warned me that I would get stares and comments from complete strangers wondering about my nails—and she was right! As soon as I left the salon and hopped on the subway, one girl couldn’t stop asking me about my nails. When I told her where she could get her own manicure, she excitedly thanked me for sharing my Minx experience.

If you want to try Minx nails for yourself, a manicure from TracyLee at Damone Roberts New York is $55 and a pedicure is $75. Visit Minx Nails to check out the complete line of designs.

"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration"

Eventz Spotlightz Erin Simpson

Eye Brow Shaping to Perfection

Last week Fashionwithfifi.com was invited to the famed Damone Roberts New York for a brow shaping and educational session with Eyebrow Sculptor Maria Brito.


Who is Maria Brito you ask? Brito has over fifteen years of experience as a make-up artist and brow sculptor, and is Damone Roberts’ newest Brow Diva. Since childhood, this self professed “Brooklyn Girl” was a young esthetician in training. Her first experience in brow sculpting was at age 6, when just days before picture day; she picked up her cousin’s razor and shaved away her brows.


In this session, Maria taught us everything we needed to know about the beauty of brow sculpting. The purpose of brow sculpting is to shape the face while removing unwanted hair from the eyebrow area. Makeup artists agree that shaping the eye brows create a flattering arch that enhance the eyes and give the face a more polished look.


The eye area is the frame of the face. Even without makeup, the frame enhances the eyes. The brows show off an expression that will follow whatever it is that your face is doing, therefore it is important that women put a lot of thought and attention in their eye brows. If you’re considering arching your brows for the first time, it would be best to first see a professional who’ll give you an objective view.


Most women have brows that demand a lot of attention or some type of shaping to complete the look. Each esthetician has his/her unique style of sculpting. “Brow sculpting is an art form and is a matter of taste for some people. It is important that you look at the work of the person you’re going to,” said Brito. Know where you’re going before you let anyone touch your eye brows.


“My biggest pet peeve is over tweezed eye brows. Worst than too skinny is a really bad shape: sperm shaped. When too close together they make you look angry,” explained Brito.


Aside from Brito, you can schedule an appointment with any of Damone’s Brow Divas; all of which were personnally trained by Damone Roberts himself. Usually a brow shaping session can run between 15-30 minutes depending on the client. But don’t worry, with the use of Reiki (an ancient Japanese healing technique), Brito will have you feeling and looking like a brand new you in no time!


At Damone Roberts New York, finding the perfect brow shape is as easy as 1-2-3



· For a fuller face, make sure that your brows aren’t too thin.

· For a face with small features (face, nose and small eyes), avoid shaping your brows too thick so that they won’t overpower the face.

· For a rounder face, sharper brows with angles will suit perfectly.

· For a face with narrow features, go for a rounder brow because it’ll soften your appearance.

· And for a quick fixer upper in-between salon visits, you can purchase Damone’s fabulous brow kit which includes everything you need to have World Class eyebrows (Tweezer, Brow Shadow, Brow Highlighter, Brow Pencil, Scissors, Brow Gel, Brow Smudge Brush, Brow Angled Brush, and Sharpener).


Damone Roberts New York offers a friendly and warm environment to every customer. “We care about what we do without giving you attitude. We’re a perfectionist and take our time on your brows,” said Brito. “You’ll never feel like someone rushed through the job. You’ll walk away feeling beautiful. If you’re not there yet we’ll get you there!”


"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration"
Suzanna Eventz Spotlightz