Nails Care Guide

Four or five years ago I checked out the first edition of Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me from the public library. As a college student on a tight budget I thought the book’s premise was ingenious. I actually took the book with me to the drugstore; while I was perusing the walls of products a woman approached me to say that she, too, thought that Paula Begoun’s book was just wonderful.

Apparently many consumers think the same thing, since the fourth edition of Begoun’s best-known book was published last year. The first thing I noticed when I got the book (again from the local library) was how much thicker it is than previous editions. At more than seven hundred pages, it’s pretty heavy for a paperback book. The reason is that Begoun has added reviews of 75 more cosmetics lines (the last edition included 100 lines) to total more than 10,000 individual products. Just the thought of testing all those things makes my head spin and my skin itch.

I wanted to read the book because I’m curious about the product reviews. Before the reviews is 100 pages of other information, some of which it was pretty tempting to skim or skip over in my rush to get to the good stuff. But because I was reading the book for this column, I dutifully read (almost) every word in the first two and a half chapters. Luckily it wasn’t difficult because Begoun writes in a fairly entertaining style. It was interesting to read how she got into the cosmetics business (she used to be a freelance makeup artist) and how she went about writing the book (she goes undercover to makeup counters).

She also includes “crazy things” said by cosmetics salespeople and dermatologists, with her comments on their statements. Example: a Lancome salesperson told a customer that their products have nothing to do with L’Oreal’s products. Begoun: “Lancome has everything to do with L’Oreal—L’Oreal owns Lancome” (and Maybelline, too). I enjoy that sort of thing because it gives me information with which to refute some of the promises made by cosmetics companies.

The second chapter, “Skin-Care Update,” addresses irritants, moisturizers (Begoun thinks too many women use them when they don’t need to), sun care, vitamins, and a list of 18 facts on which she bases her evaluations of skin care products. Some of them were pretty much common sense (always use a sunscreen; the fewer products you use, the better) but others (“Do not automatically buy skin-care products based on your skin type”) are more thought-provoking. Finally I got to the product reviews, all 650 pages of them.

Now I think there are a few ways to go about reading this section. You can read the whole thing straight through, finding out about every single product in the book, but after awhile it gets a little tiring. You can go through and look up the products you’re currently using to see what she says about them (she rates with a happy face, straight face, or sad face). Or you can go straight to chapter four, where she lists the best products in each category, then go look up those products to decide what you think is best for you.

I liked the fact that Begoun includes retail prices next to the product name. If it’s way out of my price range, then I don’t bother reading about it (why torture myself?). And she also puts dollar signs next to products that she would recommend if it weren’t for their outrageous prices. I like it that when reviewing certain products, she’ll say, “Product X is good, but product Y, at a quarter of the price, works just as well or better.” Very important to those of us watching our pennies.

There are a few things to keep in mind when reading the book. Probably most important is that this is just one woman’s opinion. It’s true that she has experience in the cosmetics world, as an artist and a consumer and a businesswoman, but because she doesn’t like something doesn’t mean you won’t. Some points, like products containing irritants, are valid for everyone-who wants to irritate their skin? Other statements, about coverage or shininess/matteness, are more personal preference.

For instance, she gives Revlon’s ColorStay Lip Tint SPF 15 a sad face because it doesn’t contain any of the three ingredients (titanium dioxide, zinc oxide or avobenzone) that actually block out 80-90% UVA radiation. I love ColorStay Lip Tint in Mauvestone and wear it often, not because I think it’s a sunscreen but because I like the color and how it feels on my lips. She also gives lower ratings to blushes and eyeshadows that are shiny rather than matte; while I don’t wear shiny products all the time, I do wear them occasionally, so I took her statements with a grain of salt.

A few times she also seems to be contradicting herself. In the introduction to her Avon reviews, she writes that they have “some incredible bargains, particularly in the lip and eye pencils, mascara . . .” But then she gives Avon’s mascaras a straight face and a sad face ratings. Does she consider a straight face an incredible bargain? In the key to ratings she says a straight face means that the product is OK but not impressive. I don’t know about you, but I want all my products to be impressive.

Keep in mind that she tested these products on her skin; although she makes recommendations for how they would work on other skin types, unless you have the exact same skin type as Begoun you’re not going to get the same results. Also remember that Begoun also has her own line of skin care products, many of which are featured in the best products section.

Overall I found this to be a great book for anyone who is interested in expanding their knowledge of cosmetics or who is unhappy with the products they’re using now and needs a little guidance in how to find something new.

So much of the beauty industry focuses on products and tips for the face that often other body parts seem to get lost in the shuffle. Natural Hand Care: Herbal Treatments and Simple Techniques for Healthy Hands and Nails, by Norma Pasekoff Weinberg, concentrates on what we can do to ensure that our hands stay as beautiful as our faces.

Natural Hand Care is published by Storey Books, which specializes in how-to publications for country living, including gardening, natural health and beauty, herbs, cooking and food preservation, crafts, and homebrewing. This book is filled with recipes for homemade treatments that will keep hands and nails healthy and attractive through all stages of life.

Much of the book discusses topics that, while not strictly cosmetic- or beauty-related, are interesting nonetheless. The first section describes how hands work and how they’re put together, sprinkling in fascinating facts such as where the word ‘pinkie’ comes from and how to analyze fingerprints. Directions are given for more serious applications, like a warm-up stretch and massage for hands, and for lighter practices such as palm reading. Chapter Three, “Nutrition for Nails, Skin, Bones and Joints,” includes common-sense advice (eat well-balanced meals, drink lots of water) but also features a chart describing which vitamins and minerals are good for hands, skin and nails, as well as a listing of nutritional supplements (what they are, what they do, signs of deficiency).

Nail fanatics will be eager to get to the second part of the book, which deals not only with problems and nail care, but also explains how nails are constructed, what they’re made of, and what makes then grow. I found it interesting that it’s a widely held belief that biting fingernails actually makes them grow. A table with drawings of example nails explains nail nutrition by describing what all those ridges and lines really mean. The section on problems and remedies gives recipes for treatments such as Nail-Biters’ Aloe Vera Ointment, a soak to sooth inflammation, and instructions on using henna as a nail conditioner. All recipes include ingredients listings (for items such as essential oils and chamomile) as well as directions for use and cautions for people with allergies or sensitive skin.

One of my favorite parts of this book is the manicure section. Not only does the author detail a complete 10-step manicure, but she also gives interesting tidbits such as the history of nail polish and nail polish ingredients, a list of tools you might want to keep handy, tips on choosing a manicurist/nail salon, and how to sanitize tools.

Part III, Skin Care for Hands, features many recipes for natural hand cleansers, moisturizers and other remedies. Included are recipes for teas to relieve hand allergies and a bug bite treatment that is made of beeswax, plantain leaf oil, vitamin E and lavender oil. There are also treatments for burns, bruises, chapped skin, eczema, freckles, hives and warts. Weinberg also gives a great list of ingredients used in commercial skin products so you can check your labels and see what you’re putting on your body. Part IV discusses how to care for joints by using exercises, baths and teas, all of which would be useful to someone with arthritis or another hand condition. The conclusion examines how to care for the aging hand by improving elasticity with an avocado skin cream (recipe included), as well as how to deal with age spots, bruising easily, calluses and dry skin.

If you’re genuinely interested in learning everything there is to know about the hand, then you’ll enjoy reading this book from cover to cover. Readers looking for beauty-specific information might want to concentrate on the sections for nail and skin care. All of the recipes included are treatments you can make at home, though for many of them you’ll probably have to make a trip to the local natural food or health store. This would make a great gift for someone (maybe yourself!) who revels in mixing up homemade beauty products—if you’re unsure of ingredients, just check Appendix A, the Guide to Herbal and Natural Ingredients, which gives names, Latin names, properties and other information. Appendix B, Equipment and Tools, lists things you will need (such as a scale, spoons, a coffee grinder) to create the recipes. If you decide that you love the book and want to dig deeper into the world of natural and herbal hand care, you’ll find a reading list and resources list in the back.

http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Hand-Care-Treatments-Techniques/dp/1580170536

The beginning of another school year has rolled around, and all across the country mothers are packing up lunches, hitting the stores for school supplies, and, if they have adolescent or pre-adolescent daughters, having that age-old argument about whether or not your little girl is old enough to wear makeup to school.

Luckily I never went through that experience myself—-my mom handled the situation wisely, easing me into makeup bit by bit, starting when I was 13—-but more than ten years have passed, and even in just a decade times have changed considerably. I’ve gathered some tips and thoughts that might help you deal with your own daughter’s foray into the world of cosmetics.

• Remember that things are different than when you were her age. With every year that goes by, girls are expected to look and act older at younger and younger ages. Twenty or thirty years ago, 12 year-olds looked like 12 year-olds; today, many of them look like 20 year-olds. That’s definitely not what you want for her, but at the same time try to see things from her point of view: many of her friends and classmates will be wearing at least a little makeup, and we all know what it’s like to be left out. Work with your daughter toward a solution that will help her fit in and feel good about herself without making her look ‘made-up.’
• Set reasonable limits. No mother of a daughter in junior high wants her little girl going to school wearing a full face of makeup, from concealer to lipstick. Saying no to foundation, lots of blush, dark lipcolor and eyeshadow isn’t unreasonable for girls in early adolescence. At the same time, you don’t want to alienate her from her friends (and yourself) by saying that she absolutely cannot wear any cosmetics at all. On young girls especially, less is definitely more.
• * Don’t expect her to wear what you wear. Your daughter is not going to be looking for matte, neutral tones of color cosmetics, or products that will de-emphasize wrinkles. All of those trendy, wild colors are made for teenage girls, and they’re really the only age group that can pull off blue mascara and sparkly eyeshadow! Give her some leeway to experiment with different colors, but encourage her to keep them limited to either the eyes or the lips, not both, and show her how not to overdo sparkle by using a light hand.
• Go shopping for makeup together. Nothing can bring a mother and daughter closer together than hitting the department store makeup counters or the cosmetics section of the drugstore. Help her select products and colors that you both like, and let her share her opinion about what you buy for yourself. Explain the difference between cool, warm and neutral shades, and when you get home set aside some time to give each other makeovers.
• Introduce her to cosmetics gradually. Lots of young girls who dive right into foundation and powder and liquid eyeliner look not only too old, but their makeup looks just plain bad because they don’t know how to apply it. Take the time to teach your daughter how to correctly use different products, and start her out slowly—-tinted lip gloss, pale blush and brown mascara are a great place to start. One great book that explains excellent basic makeup technique is Cindy Crawford’s Basic Face.
• Remind her of what makeup can and cannot do. Many of us started out using makeup believing the misconception that makeup could fix all of the flaws on our faces and that using cosmetics would make us look just as perfect as the models in the ads—and then we go through life searching for the miracle product that will do so. Start your daughter off on the right foot by teaching her that makeup is for minimizing flaws, not erasing them, and that it should be used to highlight her assets, not to make her look like someone else.
• Help her find the beauty within herself. It’s important to instill in your daughter that being beautiful goes far beyond what you can do with some lipstick and eyeliner. Let her know that she’s beautiful exactly the way she is—building her self-esteem will help her go farther than any makeup lessons will. Tyra Banks’ book Tyra’s Beauty Inside and Out is a good book for teenage girls that discusses body image, self-love, skincare and makeup, as well as health, fashion, relationships and other topics.

French manicures are a great choice for a lot of events varying from job interviews to weddings because they are clean and classic.

If you want to add a little more flair to the manicure, you can opt out of the typical nude and white polish pairing and choose different color options that are still neutral such as black and gray or black and beige. With French manicures you never have to worry about wearing a polish color that clashes with your clothing.

More than that, learning how to give yourself a French manicure will help you save you money at the nail salon and keep your hands looking healthy  at the same time.

You are going to need:

• Nail clippers
• Manicure guides
• Base coat
• Top coat
• Cuticle treatment
• White polish
• Pink or violet polish

You must first trim your nails to the desired length. Using a nail file you must shape your nail: for French tips the best shape is a square cut with the nail cut straight across and rounded at the edges. The best way for filing nails is in one direction from each side of the nail toward the center to avoid splitting.

Prepare your hands and nails by soaking your fingertips in warm water and cleaning the surface of the nails. Apply a cuticle treatment around your nail bed and use a cuticle stick to push the cuticles down. Wash any remnants of the treatment from your nails and apply a base coat to your nails. If you still have any remaining cuticles or hangnails just clip them away.

Apply manicure guides along the curve of your nail to divide the nail tip. Leave a bit overhanging on each side. Apply your chosen nail polish to the nail above the guide. Paint each side outward from the center and allow the tips to dry off before you remove the guides.

Choose an opaque, shimmery color in a pink, nude or violet hue. Brush a coat over the entire nail, including the tip. Let the nails dry and then brush on a shiny coat.

When it comes to creating nail art there are many different methods of decorating you can use. Nail beads are a great way of adding something different to your nails. Beads are made in al kind of sizes and colors.

You can choose from a variety of materials: tiny glass beads, steel beads, and even crystal glitter beads to make your nails sparkle and shine just like diamonds. Using the right techniques and with some creativity, you can create your own nail art designs.

You are going to need:

• Clear nail polish
• Colored nail polish
• A toothpick
• Beads

Start off by painting your nails using the color you want. You can emphasize the tips of your nails by doing French tips, or you can even do polka dots by dotting the tip of the brush in different areas. After the first color dries off, you must apply a clear top coat.

Brush some clear nail polish in the area you want to lay the beads. Pick the beads up in small clusters by dipping the end of the toothpick into the box of beads. Place the beads onto the nail where you want them.

You can arrange the beads into a more specific design by using the toothpick. Let the beads sit for a few minutes so the clear polish can dry. Brush over another thin coat of clear so the beads become sealed and protected.

The glue people purchase with false nails is designed to last.  If you accidentally get some on your skin or just want to take the false nails off, you have to know how to remove it.

Removing the Glue:

First, you must soften the glue by soaking your nails in warm water for a two minutes to and try to remove any glue that comes away easily.  Carefully file larger clumps of glue with a nail file and use acetone nail polish remover on the remaining glue. Rub the polish remover gently over the affected area using cotton balls.

Don’t  file your nails too thinly when filing off excess glue on your nails, because they’ll become brittle.  After you have finished removing the glue, you must wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water because acetone is both flammable and hard on skin, so you’ll want to make sure that it’s all gone.

There are a lot of reasons why your nails get damaged. Here are some simple tips to heal your brittle and cracked nails:

Keep yourself hydrated – You probably know by now that when your nails dry out they get brittle and crack. The best way to prevent this is also the cheapest. Just drink water… lots of it. At the same time try to cut down drinks like soda that contain a lot of sugar. This is a great thing to do even if you don’t have any nail problems as it reduces the risk of diabetes.

Vitamins and minerals –The lack of calcium in your alimentation can be a serious problem. Try to eat a lot of leafy green vegetables and dairy products. Eat foods that are high in biotins. These include peanuts, lentils, sardines and vegetables like cauliflower or egg yolks.

Use oil – Soak a cotton ball in extra virgin olive oil and rub it on your nails and cuticles three to four times a day. This will also help to maintain your nails hidrated and keep them from getting brittle.

Use a moisturizer – Every time you wash your hands try to use and intense hydrating cream or hand lotion.

If you like wearing open-toed shoes you should be more cautious while walking and try to avoid scraping the tips of your toes against the carpet, or while walking on the street. You wouldn’t believe how many times we do this without realizing it.

If you want to maintain your pedicure, avoid swimming in chlorinated pools because it will ruin your pedicure in no time.

Each time you get your feet wet, dry your toes and quickly apply a clear coat polish in order to keep the original polish from drying out and appearing crusty.

Moisturizing is also very important! Pedicures aren’t just about making your toes look good so take care of your feet overall, as brittle and cracked nails in this area are prone to infection. Buy a good foot cream or lotion to properly moisturize your feet, toes and heels. You don’t want cuticles or dry skin to take away from your pedicure.

The problem pedicures is that they don’t last too long. Nobody wants to make continuous trips to the salon so if you want to save some time (and money) without sacrificing how you look, just follow this simple advice.

You can paint your nails with a neutral or clear polish so the pedicure can last one month without chips. I recommend you go for a light pink; it looks great with a tan and it makes it a lot less obvious as the days go by that you haven’t had a pedicure in a while. If you decide to get a flaming ref or bright pink you have to be very careful because chips become obvious.

It’s a known fact that nails can reveal a great deal of information about your current state of health. Take a good look at your nails. If you see ridges and areas of unusual color and shape you have reasons to worry. Illness sometimes causes change in your nail structure and appearance that your MD can use in order to give a diagnose.

The most common nail disorders that may be linked with illnesses are:

1. “Beau’s lines” are indentations that run across your nail and are caused by severe illness such as pneumonia or measles.
2. “Clubbed fingers” — The tips of your fingers widen while the nails curve around your fingertips. This simptom is caused by lung disease in over 80% of people who have clubbed fingers.
3. “Lindsay’s nails” appear in a small percentage of kidney disorder sufferers. Lindsay’s nails have a specific arc of brownish discoloration.
4. “Spoon nails” are very soft nails that look scooped out. This can be a symptom of severe mineral deficiency (in over 90% of the cases, iron deficiency).
5. “Terry’s nails” look white and opaque, but the nail tip has a brownish band. This condition often indicates cirrhosis, congestive heart failure, adult-onset diabetes, cancer, or aging.