Beaut.ie How To: Apply Dark Nail Varnish

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

nails

If you’ve been watching X Factor or seen the photees of Aphrodite at the Dublin or Cork buke launches, you’ll know that dark nail varnish is hot right now. There is just no getting away from so-dark-they-nearly-look-black colours like midnight greens, navys or plums this season, and I have a couple of tips to make sure your nails can wear them well.

For the most part, dark colours look best on very short nails. You risk running into Morticia Adams or on-trend hooker territory if talons are left long. Preparation is key - you’ll need a good base coat to prevent the kind of terrible staining that dark varnishes can be responsible for on bare nails. A base coat that fills ridges will do triple duty by preventing staining, prolonging your paint job, and giving you a smooth foundation to help you achieve the ultimate glossy finish.

When it comes to applying the colour itself, go for the usual two coats, fairly thinly applied, rather than just throwing on one thick layer. Take care in the application, as you want to stay well clear of the cuticles and the edges of the nail. There are two reasons for this: to prevent staining of the skin around the nails, and to give a cleaner, tidier, more elegant silhouette. It takes a particularly steady hand or a bit of practice to achieve this freehand, so keep a couple of cotton buds (or a mini manicure brush or a corrector pen) and some nail varnish remover at the ready for tidying up, if necessary. Running the edge of the nail varnish brush across the free edge of the nail when you’re wearing dark nail varnish will help to keep chips at bay.

Top things off with a top coat, taken right down over the free edge to really seal the deal and make sure your mani looks glossy for as long as possible. (Unless, of course, you’re into the matte look!)

Tags: AW09, AW10, How to?, nails
Posted in Hands, Body & Feet, How to? | 26 Comments »

Adventures in Tanning: The Winter Files With Xen Tan

Monday, November 16th, 2009

xen_tan_luxe

Last week, we took a look at Rimmel Sunshimmer as an option for a quick tanning fix for pasty winter skin. Instant tans are great for a night out when you just want to give your arms and décolletage a quick bronzing to take the blue look away. But there are some drawbacks:

You may spend the night in a perverse dilemma of “I hope I do/I hope I don’t score,” in the knowledge that the Farmer’s Tan look is a guaranteed passion-killer (Unless your scoring ground of choice is Copper Face Jacks or McGowan’s, but I digress…)
The amount of precipitation that comes with any given Irish winter means that you can usually add to Dilemma Number One, the fear of a splash of rain or sleet smudging your bronzed glow
Instant tans can be a bit of a messy palaver for a full body application.

So once the winter laziness sets in, if an occasion does arise where a ‘proper’ tan is in order, say a winter wedding or black tie affair, I generally turn to the salon spray tan option.

I recently got the chance to satisfy my curiosity about the new Xen-Tan (pronounced Zen Tan), which has been much hyped in the UK recently, not least by one Mr Gok Wan. It claims to be ‘a revolutionary fake tan treatment that’s been carefully developed to provide a beautiful, olive tan in minutes… no more bad odours, no more orange, no more mess and no more streaking!’ Lofty claims indeed. So how did it do?

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Tags: spray tan, tan, xen tan
Posted in Brands, treatment & product reviews, Hands, Body & Feet | 9 Comments »

Nuxe Hand & Nail Cream: Niiice

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

nuxe-images-june-09-085

It’s been a while since I came across a hand cream to rival Clarins much lauded Hand & Nail Cream for a place in my affections. Aveda’s Hand Relief was on the shopping list, obviously, for comedy value and a snigger every time I used it. But Nuxe have saved me from my inner teenage boy humour with their Reve de Miel Hand & Nail Cream, €12 - and hey, it’s easy to remember since it’s basically called exactly the same thing as the Clarins offering!

It’s for dry, damaged, sensitive hands, and contains Chilean rose, avocado and sweet almond oils to nourish and fortify damaged tissue, and acacia honey to repair and restore elasticity. Rich and cosseting and luxurious in texture, it’s absorbed quickly to leave no icky greasy residue on hands. Oh, and it smells only norjus.

Lovely jubbly.

Tags: hand cream, Nuxe
Posted in Brands, treatment & product reviews, Hands, Body & Feet | 20 Comments »

Attn Nail Nuts #2: CND Colour and Effects

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

cnd

We don’t write much about Creative Nail Design’s products - though Lynnie is a fan of their cult Stickey Base Coat - but I did warn yiz yesterday that nails are IN with a capital I and a capital N. New developments are rolling out like billy-o and CND’s new Colour and Effects line is pretty damn interesting.

On the face of it, it’s not that thrilling: there are 40 basic creme colour shades and 15 top coats to provide shimmer, pearl and sparkles on top. But I had a demo done in front of MY VERY EYES and oh my, it actually really works. Best layered over dark shades, the effect topcoats really do change the look of a mani, taking it from solid colour to something that’s multidimensional, eye-catching and different to what you had on five seconds before.

Ideal for anyone who tires of their polish after a day or so, this stuff can take you from office-appropriate to out-on-the-razz with the quickness and of course the topcoats can be worn solo too.

Each of the colour and effects polishes cost €15 and are widely available nationwide - just give Creative Academy a bell on 01 429 5122 for one near you.

Tags: cnd, nails, topcoat
Posted in Hands, Body & Feet, Lotions, Potions & Scent | 5 Comments »

Attn Nail Nuts: Nubar Now at Pharmacies!

Monday, November 9th, 2009

nubar

Nails, people, are very definitely having a moment: Minx is huge news in ’sleb circles, Inglot have developed a breathable formula and the permanent mani has become a bride’s best friend. Chanel’s creative director for makeup, Peter Philips, has kicked polish-passion up a notch and has transformed the brand’s palette of covetable darks to a softer offering of mints and mushrooms. And all with zero drop-off in interest, no mean feat.

I’ve never had much of a lacquer lust but there are so many things happening in the polish-sphere recently that I can’t help sit up and take notice. I know we have a good few nail nuts who read so I think you’ll be interested in this little nugget: Nubar is now available at pharmacies nationwide!

Yup, formerly salon-only, selected chemists are now stocking it, and a bottle will set you back €8.49. A full(ish) listing is after the cut.

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Tags: nails, nubar
Posted in Hands, Body & Feet, Lotions, Potions & Scent | 17 Comments »

When manicures go bad: Bourjois So Laque Blue Mysterieux came to the rescue

Monday, November 9th, 2009

so-laque-bleu

On Friday evening, in preparation for the book signing the next day, Kirstie and I went to have our nails done. Cos you can’t be signing with tattered old nail varnish half chewed off nails, can you?

Kirstie had the worst manicure ever seen, but I’ll let her tell you all about that. Mine was fine, but despite letting my nails dry for hours, the second I went to get dressed for going out that night, disaster struck.

“Ah fecks sake look at that.” We’re not talking chipping here - we’re talking big ridges and the colour smudged off nails.

“I can’t do the book signing with these nails,” I wailed.

Kirstie had the answer and nipping to the chemist came back with a Bourjois shade the exact same as the fancy pants OPI colour I had on. (Read about all of the new season Bourjois here)

Blue Mysterieux is dark blue (almost black) and shiny out, I wish I’d done my own bloody nails. Especially as the manicurist had the worst technique for filing I’ve ever seen. It was quite violent, I won’t lie to you. She filed the nails downwards in over forceful strokes as I watched her in open mouthed amazement.

“Do you get many people coming in for manicures?” I ventured. “Not really no” she replied.

I’m not surprised.

Tags: Bourjois, manicure, nails
Posted in Beaut.ienomics - brilliant budget buys, Brands, treatment & product reviews, Hands, Body & Feet | 25 Comments »

Adventures in Tanning: The Winter Files With Rimmel SunShimmer

Friday, November 6th, 2009

Earlier this year I spent some time testing various fake tans to make sure that the baring of Beaut.ieful flesh across the land would be more olive than Oráiste for the few short sunny months we were granted this year. But once the darker days set in, I’m sure I’m not the only one who gets a bit lazy about tanning. Sure what’s the point, when our pale Irish limbs go into hibernation in long sleeves, thick tights and polo neck jumpers?

Let’s face it, the chances are that for winter ’09, money is tight, time is tight, and you just can’t be arsed planning days ahead to tan yourself to perfection. But there are still the occasions when you’ve still got a strappy Saturday night top with a plunging back, or front (or maybe even both, you shameless hussy you) that just wasn’t designed to go with pale, goosepimply arms.

Now you may think that with my fondness for St Tropez and the likes, that I might turn my nose up at the cheaper fake tans on the market. But my recommendation in this case is that you give that old bargain buy, Rimmel Sunshimmer, a try, using a previously top-secret technique that I will now exclusively divulge. Ahem.

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Tags: fake tan, How to?, Rimmel, Sunshimmer
Posted in Beaut.ienomics - brilliant budget buys, Hands, Body & Feet | 24 Comments »

Innovation at Inglot with O2M Nail Polish

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

inglot-breathable

While I knew Inglot was a bit of a hot-bed for brights, decent brushes and affordable MACesque shades, I didn’t know the company had a fair bit of science up their sleeves.

That was, until I read about O2m, the brand’s newest nail polish. Unveiled at the launch of their first US store in New York’s Times Square recently, O2m comes in 46 shades and uses technology based on the polymer that was originally developed for breathable contact lenses.

The resulting polish has an increased oxygen and water vapor permeability, which in non gobbeldy-gook-speak means that the varnish goes on well and allows your nails to breathe underneath, reducing the potential of fungal infections. Now, in fairness, I’m not hugely sure how big an issue that actually is in real life but I’m assuming that it also cuts down on the dehydrating and nail-splitting properties polish can sometimes have, which would be a bonus.

If you like the sound of it, well, it’s at Inglot’s branch at Liffey Valley where it’s selling it for €13 a bottle. Have you tried it yet - and if so, did you think it was better than other brands?

Tags: inglot, nail varnish, science
Posted in Hands, Body & Feet, Here comes the science, Lotions, Potions & Scent | 4 Comments »

Slendertone System Arms: First Impressions

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

slendertone arms

While the likes of Beyoncé and Eva Longoria and Jennifer Aniston have long been poster girls for trim and toned upper arms and well-honed shoulders, you can blame one Michelle Obama for the recent “arms are the new face” craze. You couldn’t look sideways out of the corner of your eyes all summer for magazine articles hollering about how to emulate her toned triceps and biceps, and all of them them featured how tos that were seriously exercise heavy. Lots of talk about weights and reps and things.

Meh.

I’ve been on the lookout for a lazier, more couch-friendly option, and I think I’ve found it in the shape of Slendertone’s new System-Arms, €179.89 with a controller. This consists of two armband gizmos that hold the conductor pads which you whack onto your upper arms. Then you use the handheld controller (sold separately and can also be used with other Slendertone System products) to pick a programme to firm, strengthen or build muscle, an intensity to suit you, and sit back and watch X Factor or D’Aprentiss while the Slendertone blitzes those bingo wings.

Having just completed session one, week one on the conditioning programme to improve definition and muscle tone, I can report that it’s dead easy to use and is totally painless. There is a “zapping” sensation as muscles are contracted, but it’s not particularly unpleasant and feels less like getting your arm caught in an electric fence than you might expect.

Although I only had it cranked up to intensity level 23, and does go all the way up to 100, so I’m not sure at what point the electrocution-y feeling might set in.

Don’t think that you’ll be able to do much during the 10-15 minutes, three times a week that you’d be using System-Arms, though: while the contractions are rhythmic, they still come as a bit of a surprise every time and it’d be very easy to upend a bottle of nail varnish or a cuppa while it’s switched on.

Slendertone reckon it takes four weeks to see results, so I’ll let y’all know how Michelle-ified things are looking in about a month …

Tags: arms, bingo wings, slendertone
Posted in Brands, treatment & product reviews, Gadgets, Books & Accessories, Hands, Body & Feet | 4 Comments »

A religious experience: REN Frankincense Vitamin A/C/E Revitalising Body Cream

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

ren

“You smell nice”, said Himself approvingly after my shower the other day. Then he paused, sniffed again and said, with a touch of bewilderment, “You smell like church”. “That’ll be my frankincense body cream!” I replied, for it’s true, REN’s Frankincense Vitamin A/C/E Revitalising Body Cream does indeed have a touch of Midnight Mass to it.

Made with pro-vitamin A from beta carotene and vitamin C from Calabrian oranges, this cream also packs a punch when it comes to improving skin tone, firmness and elasticity. I normally take such claims with a pinch of salt, but after a few weeks of regular use, I’m really noticing the difference in how my skin looks. My upper arms are much smoother, my skintone looks much more even and my skin does look firmer. Frankincense and boswellia serrata oils also soothe and protect skin, so no more dry skin itching as the weather turns cooler.

As for the fragrance, don’t worry if the mention of church has put you off. It’s true that the frankincense note is there, but it’s balanced by a lovely citrus note from the orange and it’s actually a very light fragrance, which doesn’t linger long, but is very enjoyable.

Priced at €45, this is not a cheap option and I might never have tried it if REN hadn’t decided to include it as a gift with an online order. Now that I have, however, I may be inclined to treat myself to this from time to time, particularly during cold, dry weather. Definitely one for the Christmas list!

Tags: body lotion, Money No Object, REN
Posted in Brands, treatment & product reviews, Ethical & Organic Beauty, Hands, Body & Feet, Lotions, Potions & Scent, Money No Object | 12 Comments »