MINX MANIA

Dump out your nail polish remover. Sell your nail dryer. And, run your fingers through your hair, seconds after a manicure. That's what spring's hottest beauty trend begs you to do. Minx -- the vinyl, stickerlike sheets that have all but replaced nail polish -- are stirring up a sensation among beauty mavens, the way acrylic nails once did.

"At first people think it's weird," says Jeannette Vettiger, nail technician at Amp at the Palms. "Then they find out how long it lasts."

Pedicures can survive longer than a month and manicures, depending on the user's lifestyle, range from five days to two weeks. The long lasting wears make the $70 manicures and $105 pedicures that Amp charges seem less steep.

The other benefit: There's no drying time. Minx clients can dig into their purses for keys and cell phones post-appointment without destroying their nails or their day. And, the options are just as diverse as a twirling rack of OPI polish.

The application consists of a heating process, during which the sheet sticks to the nail. From there, the excess is filed off and clients are good to go. With the manicure included, the entire appointment requires about a half-hour of time.

But it's not all about convenience. Star power has flexed its mighty influence with the Minx trend, too. Celebrities including Beyoncé, Fergie, Rihanna, Pink and Katie Perry, who had hers applied recently at Amp, have all sported Minx in a music video or on the red carpet.

"Over the last six weeks it just took off," says Nicky Harrell, Amp salon director. "We've gotten calls from people all across town."

Amp Salon is located at the Palms, 4321 W. Flamingo Road, 942-6909.