not fade away; Imagine nails that stay perfectly polished-all summer long.

Byline: Plum Sykes

When I heard that there was a new absolutely unchippable, 100 percent bombproof mani-pedi, I thought, no way. I also thought, This could change my life, nail-wise. The idea that I could get through summer with monthly-rather than weekly-nail appointments was irresistible. I am one of those girls who love the idea of being in the salon but are driven witless by the reality of that empty period spent waiting for polish to dry. Accident-proof nails sounded like a no-brainer: less time in the salon, more time on the beach. A maintenance miracle.

Naturally, it takes me about three seconds to drop everything and zip downtown to the Maximus spa, where the genius Creative Nail Design service was debuting. The company has long offered a version for hands, designed to create an unbreakable base for polish, but the addition of custom color is brand-new. Plus, I wanted to add my feet to the mix, too.

The timing is perfect: I am just about to head to Chile for a ten-day trip to the Atacama Desert. Sand, which eats away at polish and dulls shine, is, after all, the pedicure's natural enemy. There will be no nail salons where I am going, and I want to be prepared. (One friend points out that no one is going to see me in the desert. I patiently explain that that is irrelevant: A chipped manicure is a chipped manicure, no matter who can't see it.)

Roxanne, one of Creative Nail's top manicurists, has instructed me to bring samples of the shades I am envisioning for my fingers and toes, for which she will custom-mix to match. I request Agent Provocateur-pink for my fingers, showing her a pale-pink box from the chic London lingerie store, and classic Valentino-red for my toes, producing one of the designer's stunning scarlet evening dresses.

Roxanne starts by giving me an expert manicure and pedicure, sans polish. Then she crushes together white and red powder pigments and adds a liquid plastic

solution that can be painted on nails. Technically, the substance that Creative Nail uses to perform this manicure miracle is not a nail varnish at all, nor is it a wrap. It's a high-tech polymer that bonds to the keratin of the nail so that it can't lift off.