Essie is hands down, one of the finest lines of nail polish on the market. The price is very reasonable, and the fact that most professionals use Essie should speak highly of its quality. Essie’s Winter 07 collection is in salons now, and is a beautiful collection of silvers, plums and festive reds!
From now until December 16th, you can get 10% off your purchases (of $40 or more) at essie.com by using the discount code BLG8, so pick up some stocking stuffers, or some beautiful holiday colors for yourself!
Nail Polish Colors,
Save Money!
Put a nice large towel or some newspaper down to cover your workspace. Paraffin doesn’t damage things too much, but it is a pain to scrape off the inevitable droplets. Using whatever appliance you have chosen to warm your paraffin, turn it on, and make sure it is on the lowest setting. Add your block of paraffin if it is not already in there. If you are using a very small crock pot or potpourri warmer, one or two blocks of paraffin should do, but keep in mind, the less paraffin that is in there, the warmer it is going to get. I find it much better to keep the warmer nearly full, adding more when I am finished with my treatment. I have a dedicated crock pot for my paraffin, so it stays in there all of the time, but you can always slip it out after it has hardened (let the paraffin totally harden, then turn it back on for a minute or two, then slip out the block of paraffin), wash your crock pot, and use it for its regular use. Add some oil to your paraffin, but not too much. A ratio of no more
than 1:10 (oil to paraffin) is good. Also add a few drops of your preferred essential oil-again my preference is lavender, but use whatever you like, making sure it is safe to use on your skin. Allow at least a half hour for your paraffin to melt, you will have to determine this by experience. I turn mine on at the beginning of my Spa Manicure, and it is about ready when I am ready to use it. Pull out 2 sheets of plastic wrap, about 2 feet long apiece, and set them to the side.
For the paraffin treatment, purchase a block of paraffin at the grocery store for next to nothing. If you have never seen it, go to the section with the canning supplies. I will tell you how to put this all together a bit later, but use the oil from your basic spa manicure, and if you wish, go to the health food store and purchase a tiny bottle of essential oil to add to your paraffin bath to scent it. Peach and lavender are used in the salon most frequently and are the safest. If you venture out beyond these oils, make sure that the oils you choose will not be irritating to the skin. Hopefully the salesperson at the health food store will be knowledgeable enough to help you here, if not, find another store or do your own research.
The salt and oil are used for a scrub similar to what you receive with a spa manicure at WAY less than you pay for at the spa. More about this when we get into the spa treatments!
You can use an old crock pot (with a warm setting, do NOT use one with only one setting), or a small potpourri warmer (even one with a candle, if you remember to start it up early enough), both available at most grocery stores or a kitchen specialty
shop. You can even use a microwavable bowl, large enough to dip your hand into. If price is not an object, you can buy a paraffin
warmer at most beauty supply houses, or some sporting goods stores and department stores. These are often quite expensive, but I do believe that I saw one recently for a very reasonable price (under $50). The most important thing to remember here is that paraffin melts at a very low temperature, and it will burn your hands if you have it too hot. ALWAYS test your paraffin before you stick your hand in it, and use the paintbrush to paint it on if you want to be absolutely safe.
