Another side note: I have relatively sensitive skin, and being in Texas with all of the heat, I am prone to getting clogged pores. As a result of this, I have a drawer full of good quality, unused moisturizers. Your hands are a fantastic place to use these items that you cannot use on your face for whatever reason.
Tips and Tidbits
11
Jan
Wrinkle Creams
Side note: My best girlfriend is a couple of years older than me, and when I was 18, she had already discovered “wrinkle cream,” and introduced me to it. I have used it ever since, and I truly believe that is why I am considerably less wrinkled than other people I know who are my age and have never taken great care of their skin. I don’t care how old you are, it is never too early or too late to start taking care of your skin. You WILL see a difference!
01
Jan
Nail Polishing Myths
I don’t want to get too incestuous here, but I just wrote a little ditty with a few rants about nail polishing myths I seem to hear over and over again. Check them out at eBeautyDaily: Nail Polish Myths!
19
Dec
Polishing Toes
You do not need a topcoat when polishing your toenails, in fact, the extra thickness will make your polish chip easier due to the pressure from your shoes. A base coat and 2 coats of color will do it, as long as you make sure you get those ends coated! I make a mess of the ends of my toes when polishing, and let the polish on my skin just wear off, to avoid messing up the rest of it. After one shower, it is all gone. If you are doing your toes for a special event, do them a day or two beforehand, and let the polish naturally come off of your skin, and they will be perfect looking for a LONG time to come!
Examine your base coat closely, even under a magnifying glass if you have one. You want this coat to be nice and smooth. You may see that you have lots of tiny bubbles on your nails when you apply the base coat. If you see this, you must remove your polish, and go back to the 4 way buffer and rebuff your nails. Your nails are made up of layers, and until your top nail layer is smooth (as opposed to looking like a microscopic cheese grater) these tiny bubbles will pop right up through your polish and you will end up with a very rough looking polish job that will have very little going for it in the way of durability. Catch this problem now, with the base coat, before you see it coming through the polish as the whole thing is drying.
Whoever started the clipping all of the way around of cuticles was not thinking straight, in my opinion. Any thick cuticle that you have will slough off given a little time, and be replaced with newer, moister, more attractive skin. This goes for calluses from writing and working with gardening tools as well. A much better solution for these extremely rough and/or tough areas is to put your nail file to them, and file a little away each time, to speed up the sloughing process.
07
Dec
Nail Shaping Tips
Looking from behind is the best way to ensure that your nails are not filed unevenly. Your nail bed does not always give a true guide to follow. Another helpful tip is to hold matching fingers from each hand together, nail to nail (pointing down), matching them up at the cuticles then checking at the free edge to see if their lengths match. If you would like to wear your nails more rounded, be very careful not to file away the sides of your nail - that is where the strength lies. They will be very fragile without the sides. The nails that look best rounded have longer nail beds and are more curved from side to side. A wider flatter nail does much better if left in a “squoval” shape.
06
Dec
Lighting
Lighting is IMPORTANT, most especially when you are first learning to do your nails. In fact, it doesn’t hurt ever to take a good look at your “naked nails” under a magnifying glass or through some weak drugstore reading glasses. A lamp with an adjustable neck is great for focusing right on your subject. If you happen to be a crafter or a sewer, you might have one of those full spectrum task lights. This is your very best choice (and a great thing for your Christmas list!).
Tips and TidbitsI strongly suggest that you keep as many of your supplies together as you can, in a basket or plastic box of some sort. I keep my things in a picnic basket that is lined with cloth and has a place for 2 wine bottles. These hold my lotion and polish remover that need to be upright, and my brushes for doing art and artificial nails. The main part of the basket is filled with a goodly bit of junk, but all of my current favorite polish colors, and all other supplies. I only rarely have to risk messing up my newly done nails to go find something I’ve forgotten.
