Ruwanthi Herat Gunaratne meets Lanka's sole nail technique expert
Miniature masterpieces
A miniature of a moonlit night, gentle foaming waves, dappled light on a lake. Beautiful scenes, not painted on canvas but, guess what, on those tiny nails adorning the fingers.

Meet Avril Perera, a nail technician who does just that! "It's an art by itself," says Avril, seeing my questioning look. "Though it's relatively unknown here, it's a highly specialised field."

Avril was always a lover of nails. "I used to get my nails done over here but was never satisfied. My sister, a beautician in Australia gave me the idea and before I knew it, I was in Singapore studying for a Diploma in Nail Technique!"

A former student of Good Shepherd Convent, Nayakakanda, the diploma took over two years to complete. She subsequently underwent extensive training at a salon in Singapore and launched her career as a professional nail technician in January this year.

What has been the response? I ask her curiously. "Most of the locals are still unsure of what nail art actually entails. Only expatriates, models and actresses have responded to date. Locals are yet not familiar with what a great part nails play in the grooming process. I hope to introduce the product to my target market which is the working girl."

Avril lists a number of designs one can get done on one's nails. There's the French White System. Familiar, right? Wrong, for as Avril patiently points out the French Manicure that we are familiar with is painting the nails in light pink with a crisp white border. However, this is not the only type under the French System.

She explains that beautiful nails done in shades of grey with dolphins separating the shades would be another example. "The French White System is not a single design, it can be used in many ways," she says, pointing out another pink design with a single silver line cutting across diagonally.

There's also the Three-System Gel that can be experimented with. The Glitter Gel System is guaranteed to make ordinary nails look extraordinary. Nail art and design form yet another part of nail technique where nails are done in rhinestones and stickers.

The cosy room that Avril works in is bursting with different shades of nail polish. Diamante and little stencils fill the trays in front of me. Files and cuticle equipment occupy another area. Instead of simply drying the nails next to a fan after they have been done, Avril uses the nail technician's UV light to do the job without leaving smudges and blobs of paint on the nails.

She also uses nail charms, little silver and gold figurines that can be clipped on to nail extensions to give them a hip look, which are almost identical to charm bracelets.

Another interesting fact is that Avril is able to give you a design that will last around a month! A permanent job? "Yes in a way," smiles Avril. "I use nail varnish and equipment of the highest quality and these can be mixed in a way that you will have perfect nails for a month!" If you need to paint your nails another colour, you are free to do so, according to Avril. To go back to Avril's creation you only need to wipe the top layer off!

The equipment that Avril uses in her Colombo 7 salon is quite costly and the fact that Avril herself is compelled to work for a minimum of two and a half hours on a set (ten nails) makes the procedure expensive. But Avril has introduced a few packages to make it easier on the wallet. "For instance if you were to get two sets done on two consecutive instances, I'll throw in the third absolutely free," says Avril.

So if you are bored with experimenting only with your hair on trips to beauty salons, Avril's magic might just work for you!

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