Tag: essie

DO THIS BEFORE EVERY MANICURE FOR HEALTHY CUTICLES AND NAILS

Published on by Lee4 Comments

It’s time we put our burgundy polishes to rest (even though it was fun while it lasted) and start prepping our nails for summer. Summer is the perfect time to experiment with bright, poppy shades so I’ve rounded up some essentials to whip your nails into shape. So, before you splurge on the newest Essie collections, make sure your nail beds are ready for their close-up.

KEEP CUTICLE OIL HANDY

Happy cuticles make for happy nails. If you’re one to pick at or bite around your nails, keep a bottle of cuticle oil on your desk as a daily reminder to apply. Dab a little bit on each finger and gently massage it into your nail bed and around the cuticle area for a shot of moisture. Adopting this good habit will help take your nails from sad and dry to shiny and healthy. For easy travel and application, use Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil, which contains skin-conditioning oils that protects your cuticles.

APPLY A NAIL TREATMENT

I have strong, long and healthy nails but not everyone was born with long and strong nails beds. If your nails are constantly breaking, bending or chipping, add a nail strengthener like Essie Grow Stronger to your daily routine or try Essie Millionails every other day. Think of it as vitamins for your nails!

GIVE YOUR NAILS A GOOD BUFFING

To smooth away any ridges and prevent your nails from snagging and tearing, buff or file the edges at the first sight of chipping so that the damage doesn’t get worse! I love the Tweezerman Neon Hot 4-in-1 File, Buff, Smooth & Shine Block, perfect for giving nails a high shine finish.

APPLY HAND SALVE BEFORE BED

To keep your hands and nails healthy and moisturized, apply a thick layer of heavy-duty hand cream like Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve or the Intensive Treatment and Moisturizer for Dry or Callused Areas before bed. It may sound silly, but wearing gloves overnight will help the cream penetrate your skin, and smoother hands means less peeling and cracking around your nail beds.

This Ahhhhmazing Drugstore Scrub Will Smooth Your Skin Like You Won’t Believe!

Published on by LeeLeave a comment

I’ve been obsessed with Soap & Glory for a really really long time, their products always smell divine (a bomb fragrance is everything to me) and they use the most gorgeous ingredients. They have this scrub called, Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub, $15; it literally sloughs away every last bit of dead skin. Unlike some scrubs that can make your skin oily without really scrubbing, this one will actually exfoliate your skin and leave it crazy clean. It’s not super softening, but it’s one of my all-time faves because it just gets the job done; be sure to follow with a good moisturizer.

It’s an award-winning oat, shea butter and sugar body smoother with a great maple scent. The SMOOTHIE STARâ„¢ BREAKFAST SCRUB features a super skin-smoothing blend of cupuacu bio scrubs, bananas, almond, and honey extracts to gently polish, smooth and moisturizes the skin.

I also love that it uses amazing natural ingredients like oats, honey, and bananas – I know, it sounds delicious, like some yummy maple syrup pudding. Oats are surprisingly good for your skin; they contain amino acids that can heal damaged skin and even target blemishes. Bananas and honey are also incredible natural ingredients that are loaded with good-for-your-skin vitamins and have anti-bacterial properties. With the added benefits of shea butter, almond oil, sea salt, and brown sugar, it’s basically a huge tub of food for your skin! I find with a scrub you need to use a good amount, or the exfoliation isn’t the same, and because this tub is huge, you can use a lot every time without having to worry about saving it (unlike when you have an expensive scrub, and you skimp, because you spent so much money on it)!

DIY Your Own Breakfast Scrub!

I love this scrub so much I’ve even recreated it myself. It’s a little bit messy, but it’s totally worth it.

For your face: Mash up half a ripe banana with a fork and combine it with two tablespoons of organic oats and about a teaspoon of honey. Combine the mix and then smother your face with it. I like to gently rub it onto my skin for exfoliation (over the sink, as the oats can fall off), and then I leave it on my face for around fifteen minutes.

For your body: Mash up one ripe banana, and combine with half a cup of brown sugar, half a cup of oatmeal, and two tablespoons of coconut oil. Jump in the shower, plaster your body with the scrub (I always go in sections, my arms, my body, my legs) and rub in circular motions – this usually takes me a good few minutes. Rinse thoroughly with water and pat your skin dry.