Easy at home manicure

I love to look after my hands and nails and Im always giving myself little manicures, its one of my favourite things to do on a Sunday. I find this one of the most relaxing treatments to give clients and I always think you feel a little bit better about yourself when you have nicely manicured hands. If you love going to the salon for manicures it is still important to do some maintenance at home so this 10 step manicure will help keep your hands and nails in beautiful condition between visits.

However if you have never experienced a salon manicure then you should definately try one but I know its not always easy to stretch our budget that far so my little diy manicure when help get your hands and nails in tip top condition.

 I would recommend that you do this once a week and in a few weeks I will show you how to give yourself a luxury manicure in which you can include exfoliation, a hot oil treatment and hand mask to really soften and moisturise your mitts !

Another good tip to get your nails in great condition is to apply a cuticle oil or cuticle cream every evening before you go to bed. My absolute favourites are CND Solar Oil and Qtica's Cuticle Balm.

To get prepared for your mani I find the best thing to do is to find yourself some space at a table, gather together everything you need then sit down then pop on some of your favourite music. If your feeling extra indulgent a glass of vino would also go down a treat xx

Illamasqua - Stagnate

Things you will need

A bowl filled with warm soapy water (pop in a dash of any gentle hand wash)

Towels

Any acetone free nail polish remover

Cotton wool

An emery board (a crystal file is great as its really gentle)

Nail buffer - I have one which has three surfaces one to buff, one to smooth and one to shine.

Cuticle Oil or Cuticle Cream (Olive oil is great as its really nourishing)

Cuticle Remover - Sally Hansen do a great one

Cuticle pusher (always use one with a cushioned end or wrap the end of a wooden orange stick with some cotton wool)

Cuticle Nippers

Base Coat/Polish/Topcoat or Nail Treatment

Step 1

Remove any polish with an acetone free nail polish remover and gently file all your nails

Step 2

Gently buff your nails using step 1 of your buffer - buffing helps to ease out ridges, increases circulation and the flow of nutrients to the nail.

Step 3

Working on one hand at a time take some cuticle oil or cuticle cream and massage into each cuticle then the hand soak in the warm soapy water for five minutes.

Step 4  

Dry off your hand then apply a tiny amount of cuticle remover to each cuticle and leave for a few minutes to work.

Step 5

Take your cuticle pusher and gently push back each cuticle. I never trim my cuticles with the cuticle nipper I only ever use this to remove any excess skin. Over trimming could end up causing you to bleed or get an infection. Clean your hand off in the bowl of water to remove excess cuticle remover - you dont want this hanging about on your skin for too long.

Now repeat steps 4 & 5 on the other hand.

Step 6

Take some cotton wool dipped in polish remover and clean off each nail.

Step 7 

Use stages 2 & 3 of your buffer to smooth and shine - I find doing this always helps my polish last longer - before applying any polish I always finish off my washing my hands to make sure Ive got rid residue of anything which might be left on the nails and hands.

Step 8

You can apply your nail treatment or polish and remember if your applying polish to always use a base coat as this stops your nails from yellowing and creates a smooth surface for the polish.

Step 9

Leave your polish to dry for a couple of minutes and apply your top coat which will help prevent chipping.

Step 10

Once the polish is dry take some hand lotion and apply to each cuticle and over your hands to help moisturise and add some more shine to your manicure.

Voila !

Perfect nails and hands to flash to all your friends.

With Love

Lipstick Fridays

xx

Origins Super Spot Remover

I have combination skin and I am always looking for products which will help me combat this. I dont usually get spots that often but when I do they seem slow to appear then they tend to set up camp and stay there for a couple of weeks !

I have had one persistent little blighter on my cheek which has been bothering me so I decided to invest in some Origins Super Spot Remover.

This miracle spot remover contains Salicylic Acid which helps to slough the dead skin cells. There is also skin calming Red Algae and Caffeine which relieves the redness you can experience from spots and Origin's anti-spot technology helps correct any darkening of the skin.

I applied this at night time before I went to bed - I used a cotton bud to gently dab the liquid on to the spot. I would always recommend that you do this when dealing with spots as you dont want spread the infection and although everyone does I would always say dont squeeze them however tempting it may be - you dont want to end up damaging your skin skin or ending up with more spots !

The product does smell quite strong but then I always seem to think that spot removers should what with all the ingredients they contain for spot busting.

It didnt really sting when I applied it but I think that if you had a newer spot then it might sting a little - It really is simple to use.

Go to sleep and voila !

My spot literally seems to have disappeared over night !

I have to say I was quite sceptical about this product but my spot which has been bothering me for weeks has gone !! Hooray !!

I dont think that I would use this on acne prone skin as with acne I definately think you should see your doctor or dermatologist, but if you only get the occassional spot here and there then I would definately give it a try. Origins say that its ok to apply this two or three times a day but I only needed to apply this once.

You can purchase Origins Super Spot Remover for £12 from Origins Online and for your money you receive a 10ml/3fl oz bottle which is a little pricey but you only need a tiny amount so the bottle should last a while.

So get spot busting with Origins Super Spot Remover.

Do you have any favourite spot busting products ?

With Love

Lipstick Fridays

xx

My hero products of 2011

Ive been a bit lazy about blogging lately but Ive been so busy, January seems to be just disappearing before my eyes !

Anyway Im back with my top five hero products for 2011 - these are my favourite products I go back to time and time again, I could have kept going to be honest but I tend to chop and change alot of the other things I use so I stuck to the products I absolutely must have and cant go without.

1. Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream

This amazing moisturising day cream has actually managed to get rid of the angry dry skin I seem to have been suffering from across my forehead which I think has been caused by a combination of central heating and winter weather.

2. Moroccan Oil Hair Treatment

Moroccan oil is quickly absorbed has an amazing smell, protects your hair and leaves it feeling soft, silky and frizz free. Everyone should try this. Use it on freshly washed wet hair then style and dry as normal.

3. Damage Therapy Intensive Repair Express Treatment Conditioner

I discovered this at the tail end of last year and wouldnt be without it, I even have 2 back up bottles. Dove designed this as a treatment and conditioner in one and it claims to "repair, nourish and condition". The smell is amazing, you only need a small amount and this conditions your hair without leaving it feeling greasy. Dove's conditioner only costs £3.29 which is an absolute bargain.

4. Body Shop Body Butter in Cocoa Butter or Coconut

These body butters are amazing - I always suffer from dry, itchy skin on my legs and they are the only thing that seems to help keep it at bay. My favourites are the Coconut during the summer which reminds me of holidays - I find that the coconut smell is quite strong, but do I get lots of "you smell nice" comments which isn't bad. I use the Cocoa Butter during the winter which is a more subtle smell - I think it smells like chocolate, it is luxurious on the skin and you really feel like its giving your skin a little drink and keeping it silky soft.

5. La Roche-Posay Effaclar K

This little tube of wonder cream can be applied morning and/or evening to oily skin. The ingredients help to micro-exfoliate the surface of the skin leaving your skin feeling smooth. I credit this little wonder with single handly getting rid of the little lumps and bumps on my chin which I have never been able to get rid of !!

With Love

Lipstick Fridays

xx

 

Shellac

I love Shellac.

Ive been doing Shellac as a treatment now since August and I must say its fantastic.

One of the most important things about Shellac is the aftercare that you carry out at home.

Aftercare is really important to get the most out of your treatment and extend the life of your manicure.

When you are wearing Shellac you should introduce yourself to CND Solar Oil - you can usually purchase this where you have your Shellac nails done.

The one thing I will say is that it does annoy me when you have a treatment at a Salon and you think they are trying to sell you everything in sight but when it comes to Shellac, Solar Oil will be your new best friend, you should use it twice a day to help keep your Shellac in tip top condition.

Shellac will last around 14 days and is pretty indestructible with normal wear and tear, which means you have to add a little protection to your nails if doing tough jobs like household cleaning and gardening and hobbies which might be rough on your hands.

Something you have to watch for with Shellac is if you are on holiday you have to be careful when using sun tan oils or insect repellent solutions -  many of these products contain solvent oils which will cause major damage to the Shellac colour coat. Some of the more delicate Shellac colours can fade somewhat if your hands are in chlorinated water followed by excessive sun (remember that chlorine is a bleach and sun  intensifies the bleaching action). Dry your hands and nails after swimming and before sunbathing to minimize any colour fading. Shellac is designed to be applied to healthy natural nails so if you are usually a fan of acrylic or gel nails then its probably advisable to wait a couple of weeks after you have your false nails removed till you have Shellac applied to your own nails otherwise you may find the Shellac peels off.

I did my own Shellac on Saturday and its a lovely little cocktail of Strawberry Smoothie and Zillionaire - its really subtle but really pretty. I also wanted to keep it quite light as my nails are really short just now. The other great thing about Shellac is you can paint over it - so if you went for a nice neutral mani then you could use your usual polish over it at the weekend - just make sure you use an acetone free remover to take off the nail polish or you could end up removing your Shellac.

 I achieved this look with two coats of Strawberry Smoothie all over the nail and then two coats of Zillionaire all over the nail. The pictures dont really do this justice - Zillionaire gives the pink a lovely sparkley sheen  and makes your nails twinkle.

With Love

Lipstick Fridays

xx

Keep Calm and Get A Tan

Hi everyone

I hope that you are getting in the Christmas mood - its not long now until Santa arrives. My wish list is getting bigger by the day !
The Christmas period is a really busy time for me with spray tans and nails so I thought I would put together some top tips on how to get the most from your spray tan this Christmas.
Spray tanning is one of my most favourite treatments to do and believe me it takes practice to give someone a fantastic spray tan - I like my clients to look like they've just returned from a week in the sun rather than looking like they've been tangoed !!
It is important that your salon provides you with the best advice to get the most out of your tan after all some salons can charge as much as £25 for a tan. The advice below is advice I give my clients to make sure they leave my salon with a fantastic tan.

For best results exfoliate before and after your spray tan. Whilst in the bath or shower use an oil free exfoliator all over paying particular attention to your hands, elbows, knees, ankles and feet.  

Before Tanning 

• Tell your therapist if you have any allergies
• If you are taking medication always inform your therapist - this may have an impact on how your tan turns out
• You should always receive a patch test 24 hours before you are tanned to determine whether the tanning agents are suitable for your skin
• Dont use any other self tanning products for atleast a week before your spray tan
• Wax or shave atleast 24 hours prior to your spray tan
• Do not wear any make up, deodorant, perfume, body oils or lotions as these may react with the tanning agents

Immediately after tanning

• Wear dark loose clothing and sandals or flip flops
• Keep your skin dry - watch when drinking as this could remove the tan around your mouth
• Allow the tan to develop - generally this will take 6-8 hours
• Avoid any other beauty treatments
• Avoid activities that make you expire

After your tan has developed

• Rinse off remaining colour guide with warm/hot water - once the water runs clear you can use a mild soap
• Avoid products with AHA's as these will strip your tan
• Avoid swimming pools as chlorine can fade your tan
• To prolong your tan use an oil free moisturiser daily to lock in colour and hydrate your skin
• 5-7 days after your tan gently exfoliate every 2 days to ensure your tan fades evenly and prepare your skin for your next tan .

With Love

Lipstick Fridays

x