Nail biting: Ditch that habit!

Ditch the biting

Some people don't believe me when I say I used to bite my nails. But I did. Real bad, and for years! I started this awful habit when I was pretty young, maybe around the age of seven? I bit my nails until they bled, not a pretty sight. Embarrased as I was, I always sat on my hands, I absolutey didn't want anyone to see them. But I always had a thing for my mom's nail polish though, it made me sad, looking at my nails. I'm not sure about all the reasons I ended up with this habit, but I managed to beat it!

If it's more serious...

Of course it depends on your reasons why you bite your nails, if there are serious psychological motives behind your addiction, I don't think this post is right for you. But, if you just got used to the biting, the habit, to the point of no return, let me tell you how I did it.

Why is nail biting bad?

There are actually quite some health risks attached to biting your nails. It's not very hygienic, you can end up with some serious infections. It isn't that great for your teeth as well, and not to mention the permanent damage you can do to your nails and cuticles.

Possible solutions

There are plenty of products on the market which you can polish on, that leave a horrendous taste. A friend of mine actually kicked her habit to the curb with Essence No More Bite. Many companies sell products like these. If you haven't tried them yet, give it a shot.

It didn't really work out for me though, it was a short term solution and I just kept biting through that bitter awful mess. At one point I just had enough, I wanted pretty, polished nails. So I decided to get acrylics. Best thing I've ever done for my nails. Not only did I realize how much I actually liked pretty nails, I just couldn't bite my way through them. Well, I know a lot of people can and do, but somehow I didn't feel like putting those acrylics in my mouth anymore. After a while that oral fixation disappeared and I didn't have to fight the urge anymore. I let my acrylics grow out, and here we are today.

What also works for a lot of people: baby them like crazy! File, moisturize, keep them polished at all times, and enjoy it! Your nails can be in pretty bad shape after you've bitten the shit out of them, so don't expect them to be nice, long and strong immediately. Everything will work out though, invest in a good nail hardener and ridge filler and just be nice to them. If you can't do it on your own, don't hesitate to tell some people, because they can help a great deal, especially when mindlessly put that finger in your mouth..

Any experiences to share?

So this was my personal story.. If you used to bite your nails, and have some great tips or tricks, please share!

How to: Prevent bubbling

I like bubbles in my glass, in my bath, but definitely not in my nail polish. Since I'm following these simple steps, I'm pretty much bubble-free:

Ditch the dirt

Always make sure your hands and nails are nice and clean. Sometimes oil or dirt will react badly with your nail polish and who doesn't like clean hands?!

Thick layers

The most common thing I always read about bubbling is: let your first coat dry before applying the second. Honestly? I don't have time for that! When you apply thin layers of polish, you should be fine. When your layers of polish are too thick, it can cause bubbling because it scoops up more air than it normally would. If you happen to have an old or poor quality nail polish that is too thick, simply add some thinner and you're good to go. Never ever use acetone or nail polish remover because you might as well throw it out straight away.

Stirred, not shaken

Shaking your nail polish isn't necessarily bad. In fact, all nail polish needs a good shake every now and then! But maybe not right before applying it. Whenever you shake your bottle of nail polish, air bubbles can get trapped in your polish. Instead of shaking, roll the bottle in your hands.

Environment

Painting your nails in a humid room, or during hot weather, can also cause bubbling. When it's hot, air particles spread out far and wide and are easier absorbed by your polish. Nail polish molecules expand as well, making it even easier to let those damn air bubbles in. Heat is a culprit, for sure.
Also, applying nail polish in an air conditioned room, or in front of fans etc, won't help much either.

 

ETA: Apparently I'm all kinds of wrong, oops? Read more below

Commenting system

As you might have noticed I have installed a new commenting system! It makes replying so much easier and I don't have to put up with weird anonymous comments anymore. If you don't have stuff like Twitter or Wordpress, you can simply log in with your name and email address. If you run into any kind of trouble, please let me know!

How to: get velvety hands

Hi guys! Due to all kinds of crazy busy-ness, just a quick little tip for today: how to get smooth and velvety hands. Ages ago I got an excellent tip from Kirsten from TheDuchNailBlog: scrub your hands with sugar or salt with vinegar oil. By doing this you get rid of dead skin cells thus making your hands a whole lot smoother. If oil dries you out, finish with a rich handcream and you won't stop touching your own hands, I promise!

Clumsy?

If you're clumsy, like me, you'll be happy to know there are several pre made hand scrubs available. I tried the P2 - Ultra Clean Hand Peeling and let's see how I like it!

First thing I noticed was the smell, it's quite fresh but strong, reminding me of pomelos or grapefruits. You're supposed to use this several times a week, by taking a little, massage your hands with it and wash it off. The texture is really grainy, which makes sense, because it has a lot of sugar in it. I like how the sugar leaves me with smooth hands, but I hate how it gets under my nails. It's easily washed of and you won't end up with oily hands. I don't find this scrub to be very moisturizing on its own so I like to use a handcream afterwards, and with this routine I get the softest hands ever.

Ingredients

Sucrose, Helianthus annuus [sunflower] Seed Oil, Caprylic / Capric Triglyceride, Isopropyl Myristate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Silica, Sodium Lauryl Sarcosinate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Fragrance, Water, Propanediol, Eclipta prostrata Extract, Propylene Glycol, Hibiscus sabdariffa Flower Extract, Lactic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, CI 26100, CI 47000th

Conclusion

I really like this scrub, it does a good job at exfoliating, I like the smell and how my hands feel afterwards. This product costs only 2.45 eur for 100 ml, but it's not easy to get (DM in Germany). Good news is, like I mentioned before, it's very easy to make your own scrub!

How To: Feed your Nails

Hi guys! A lot of people ask about how to keep nails long and strong and I decided to do a little write up on the matter. There are many many products claiming obscene nail growth and strength but you can make a difference just by looking at your lifestyle.

When I had my last nail break I tried a product by Herome: Nail Growth Explosion. I went as far as measuring the nails, applying it daily on the sad short nail. After 2 weeks I checked, and all nails gained the same amount of length! So it did absolutely nothing. Maybe it's because my nails are strong and already growing fast as it is, but most products like these have little to no effect on me.

A lot of people forget that a good diet is essential for overall (nail) health. A lot comes from within really. Biotin-rich foods can be really helpful if you want your nails to be in good shape.

Biotin

Biotin or vitamin H is part of the B-vitamin complex, and helps you metabolize fats and carbohydrates and is essential for healthy growth. The best food sources of Biotin are liver, egg yolk, yeast, nuts and beans. You can also take Biotin supplements, but be sure to do some research on this first, as it caused my skin to break out! On this note, just minutes ago Dermelect announced on Twitter they're working on an alternative for Biotin with less side effects, definitely interesting!
Foods rich in sulphur minerals like apples, cucumbers, grapes, garlic, asparagus and onions have a positive effect on your nails as well.

I'm not claiming to be a nutritional know-it-all, but I've read more than once that nails and hair are often a reflection of our overall health. According to Ezinearticles, these are some ways to listen to what your nails are telling you:

symptom	cause
brittle, concave, ridged, white half moons	iron / protein / calcium deficiency
separation of the nail bed	nervousness / hyper thyroid
bluish discoloration	respiratory difficulties
yellowish discoloration	bronchial difficulties (or a sucky base coat ;-) )
pale nail beds	anemia
peeling nails	vitamin A deficiency, dehydration of nails caused by wrong products
poor nail growth	zinc deficiency
thin, brittle nails	vegetable quality oils deficiency
washboard ridges	consumption extremes in diet (especially meats and refined foods)

So, if you're having some nail problems, it might be a good idea to look into this before spending $$$ on treatments that might not even work! Hope this was helpful..

With love,
Michèle

Ezinearticles and the book "Nutrition for Dummies"

Zoya Remove +, - the $$$?

Hi guys! Just a quick little post today, guess being a night owl all the time is finally catching up on me, because I'm quite tired! I do have lotsa cool stuff for you in the next couple of weeks, so hang in there!

Glycerin

Maybe you remember my post about Zoya Remove +? I friggin love the stuff, but it's expensive and not easy to get if you're outside the US. I was browsing the Nailboard at MUA a while ago and I read that you could mimic Remove + by adding glycerin to your straight up acetone. I kinda forgot about it until I ran into some glycerin at my local drugstore.

Mix it up

The mixture should be 2 capsful to 16oz (appr. 450ml) of acetone, but 1 cap could be different depending on your bottle, so I just fiddled around with it until I got it right. And yes, it does remind me of Zoya Remove +. It doesn't smell as nice, but it does the job seemingly similar!

Let's have a look at the following:

ingredients Zoya Remove +

2-Propanone (Acetone), Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Fragrance, D and C Violet #2

So, basically, Zoya Remove + is acetone, water , glycerine, some fancy scent and a bit of color. Not that impressive! So, if you can get your hands on some pure acetone and glycerin, I'd say give it a shot, you might like it! I know I'll be using this mixture for my clean up for sure.

I got my bottle of 100ml glycerin for 2.64EUR, and it goes a long way too.

Have you tried this? What are your thoughts?

Every rose has its thorn..

I happened to stumble upon this interesting manicure! This manicure is created by Topolino, who is well known for this runway looks especially created for Alexander McQueen.

How they did it:

• Take three roses and slice off their thorns with gardening shears. Be very careful, or you will bleed.
• Paint each thorn a blood red, or whatever color you'll use for your manicure.
• Paint your nails the same shade.
• Take your nail polish and slick the bottom of the thorns with the brush, using it as "glue" for each thorn to stick on each nail.
• Wait for it to dry

Mhmm, I doubt if they'd stay on, just like that. Obviously, you won't be needing brass knuckles anymore if you're sporting this look. It's definitely unique but it's not my style so I'd never wear it, I'm way too clumsy anyway and most likely I'll take out an eye or something.

Hot or not?

image and info credits: Nylon Magazine

How To: Kill your brand

Ginger + Liz send cease and desist notification: how to kill your brand

Lately there's been some rumbling in Beauty Bloggin paradise. More and more often companies do not agree with the content that has been posted on blogs and they start to prance around like a horse in heat. We've already seen a company that could not handle negative reviews (LimeCrime) and we've also experienced a brand that couldn't enjoy the free publicity that was being generated by an too early released press release.

This is not where the rumbling stops. Word on the street was that Diamond Cosmetics delivers to private labels. Diamond Cosmetics openly states they do this, I see no problems there.

But, let's say, you're a blogger. You don't want to palm off on your readers by recommending them an expensive version of a cheaper product. And this is where things can go wrong. Recently I politely declined the request of Elle.com to place an advertisement that included Priti Polish (another would-be private label of DC). It just wouldn't feel right. If I had any products of which I'd suspect that another brand's selling them for less money, I wouldn't hesitate to ask myself what's the deal.

This is exactly what Sara from Daily Polish did. Sara reviewed some products (she bought herself) by Ginger + Liz and she and her readers noticed these were similar to the ones by Diamond Cosmetics. When her readers requested some comparisons of the two brands, she went ahead and provided these.

A few posts later and Sara is being threatened with a $200.000 lawsuit. This kind notice was left through the attorney of Ginger + Liz. All posts and comments concerning this matter must be taken offline if she wants to stay out of trouble. Funnily enough Sara isn't the only one who ever questioned this en publique.

Of course it's common sense and decency to not totally destroy a company without grounded facts. There's a thin line between opinion and stating facts. But wondering things, since when is that not allowed?

And now what?

Is blogging as we know it indeed well and truly over? Is it asking for trouble when you're just voicing the ideas and opinions you have? Isn't this what blogging is about? An honest judgement coming from someone just like you? And what do actions like these say about a company?

The one thing I now know for sure, is that I've lost all interest in this brand. Whoops, are they going to sue me now?

- ETA: I've read some comments on another blog from Sara that could've been looked at as questionable, however, I still think the C&D is an overreaction.

Ginger + Liz, Ginger and Liz, Diamond Cosmetics, Cease and Desist, Controversy, private label

How To: Photograph your nails

Hello everyone! This topic may not interest all of you, but since people have been asking me to do this for ages, I figured, why not? I'm not saying my pictures are perfect, but taking nice crisp photos isn't all that hard, even if you don't own a big ass fancy $$$ camera!

1	Type of camera I actually use two cameras, no real reason, I generally pick the one that is the closest, I'm lazy ha! The cameras I'm using are a Canon Ixus 75 and a Sony CyberShot w120. These are just simple compact cameras that don't cost a fortune at all. The first is a 7.1 megapixel camera and the Sony has 7.2 megapixels. Megapixels usually don't say a lot, the lens is what's really important. Therefore I wouldn't recommend taking pics with a mobile phone.
2	Light & Location A lot of people think I shoot my pics in a light box, but I don't. I do have a selfmade one, but that one is too crappy to be even looked at! I prefer good daylight, on gloomy days I don't swatch at all. I take my pictures in front of a window, so all the neighbors must think I'm crazy by now. Just play around with how the light falls on your hand, just take a couple of shots in different angles and find out what you like. Also be careful with reflection, if there's too much just pick another angle to shoot from.
3	Background I like my backgrounds to be calm and quiet, so I use a colored piece of paper as a backdrop. Of course you don't have to do this, just make sure you don't have a lot of clutter in the background. It can be a little bit distracting at times. No one's really interested in seeing your dirty laundry, your ashtrays full of cigarettes or your kitty taking a dump (I've seen it happen...). I do love seeing beautiful flowers, sand, sea, anything pretty and creative.
4	Sassy Settings Now you're all set. There are a few settings I adjust and those are the Macro and the ISO values. The macro setting (iconized as a flower) allows you to take really sharp photos closeby. The ISO setting controls how sensitive the image sensor is to light. The higher the ISO the less light you'll need to take a photo. The higher the ISO, more speckled your pics will be. So you may have guessed this, I like to set the ISO low, around 100, or 200. If you have good lighting and a steady hand, this should be fine. If not, use a tripod and you won't end up with blurry pics.
	I have to admit, I don't know a lot about white balance. White balancing is telling the camera what combination of red, green, and blue light it should perceive as pure white, given the current lighting conditions. Knowing that, the camera then accurately reproduces the other colors. Usually my camera picks up colors just fine just using the auto preset. If your colors come out wrong, just try some of the white balancing presets to figure out which one is working for you.

I hope this post was helpful, thanks for stopping by!
- Michèle

How To: Make your manicure last

Hi guys! For today another how to post! Normally I change my polish a lot, but there are times when you want to make your manicure last! Maybe because you're busy or maybe because you're going on vacation, you name it. It isn't all that hard, take a look at the following tips:

1	Prep the nail Make sure you're starting off with clean nails. Get rid of any nail polish you might have on. By using a nail polish remover before you're starting your fresh manicure, you will clean the nails. If your remover leaves a greasy residue grab some alcohol on a cotton pad and wipe your nails with that. Any oils or residue on nails makes it more difficult for polish to adhere to the nail. Do your cuticles so everything is neat and out of the way.
2	Base & Top Coat A good base coat is really important. You're not walking around commando style either, are you? Or maybe you do, but erhm, anyway! A good base coat does not only prevent staining, it also bonds your nail polish to your nails. A top coat is to give shine, but also to keep everything sealed and in its place. You can also refresh your manicure daily with a layer of top coat, I don't do this often, but it does work.
3	Wrappin' it When applying polish, sweep a bit across the edge and under the nail tip. I usually just tap my brush, with some nail polish on it, against my tip before I start with the first layer. The polish wil melt together when you're done with your whole nail. By doing this you're wrapping the end, so it seals your nail polish onto your nail and it won't chip that easily. You can do this with your top coat as well!
4	Would you like a sandwich with that? Now this is something I've just started doing recently! Certain kinds of nail polish chip easily, maybe it's the texture, maybe the fact that a top coat ruins it all, but I've found this to work. You can use this trick with regular polish too. It is recommended to use sticky base coats when you're doing this so called sandwich. Think Orly Bonder or CND Stickey. If you don't have these: I had pretty good results with using top coat in between! Just make sure it doesn't give you shrinkage (like Seche Vite can do).
	Matte nailpolish Some brands that make matte nail polish advice against using a base coat. Ignore that, because some colors WILL make your nails yellow. Or green. Or blue. Obviously, if you're going for that crazy matte effect, you can't seal your mani with top coat. To make it stay: I apply a base coat, a layer of matte polish and then another layer of base coat. On top of that I'm just applying another layer of matte polish. Et voila, a nail polish sandwich! You can also do this if you're just mattifying with a matte top coat! Holographic nail polish I don't like to use a top coat on these either. It can really dull the effect so I do the same thing: base coat, holographic nail polish, base coat, holographic nail polish. Is this sandwiching making you hungry yet?

Image credits: www.fedoraonline.it

How To: Konad

Hi everyone! For today I've got another how-to that has been requested a lot! I'm not saying this is the way to do it, because I'm sure everyone has their own preferences, but this is my take on it! The end result in the last picture is really awful, please forgive me, but I was working (too) fast because it's still subtropical in The Netherlands and I almost succumbed to the heat!

Before you start anything, you want to make sure you got the right stuff right in front of you. This will minimize little problems like knocking over very expensive nail polish remover or nail polish and the likes. (At the end of making these pictures I had nail polish on my cheeks and an almost empty bottle of Zoya Remove +).

Stuff you'll need

A medium file Image plate Stamp Konad/Awesome pigmented polish Konad special top coat (preferred)

Plastic Card Nail polish remover/acetone Cotton pads Perseverance A good mood

1. Roughen it up!

This is a step that you really don't want to skip. Just grab a medium file and file lightly over the stamp. If you don't do this, it most likely won't pick up nail polish at all.

2. Polishes

Before you start prepare a cotton pad (or more) with nail polish remover and lay it next to the plate. You'll have to clean the stamp (and sometimes the plate) after every go. By using something like tweezers to pick up the cotton pad you won't mess up your manicure.

The polish you use can really influence the end result. Konad sells special polish for stamping, but if you got some really nice pigmented (one coaters and such) nail polishes, you can use these too!
You don't have to fill the entire design on the plate, just apply a bit at one side of the pattern. (I accidentally kinda went overboard while I was taking pictures so you can use less than pictured).

3. Scrape

Most Konad kits come with a scraper. I don't like it. It's sturdy and damages your image plates like no other. Using a plastic card is easier on the plate and it's easier to move around anyway.
Scrape your polish from one side to the other, making sure the nail polish fills every gap in the design. Don't press too hard, because you don't want to scoop nail polish out of the grooves.

4. Be like Speedy Gonzalez

Speed is a really huge thing when you're Konad-ing. You really have to work fast or the polish will turn too dry to pick up with the stamp.

5. Stamp

After you applied nail polish, scraped around, immediately place the stamp on the design. You don't have to press hard, it will only mess up the design.

6. Press

Now you're good to go. Depending on your nail shape, there are several ways to stamp on the nail. My nails are a wee bit curvaceous, so I don't place the stamp flat, from the center. If you have really flat nails, I think this might work for you though.
I align the stamp to the side of my nails, making a circular movement while placing it on the nail. You want a steady, quick hand with this, or you'll end up with a design looking like mine :-P.

7. Top it off

When your done, it's time to get out the top coat. This can be a little bit tricky because it's very easy to smudge your fresh design. Konad has a top coat especially made for this. You can also use other top coats, just make sure it's not thick and apply it in a floating manner, like you're not really touching the nail with the brush.

Well, this is how I go around doing Konad. It's not something I really fancy doing, it can get very messy!

The nail polishes I used in this how-top are Color Club's Worth the Risque and Revvvoluton. Review coming soon!

How to: Rescue a nail!

Oh shoot. Cracked a nail?

Don't give up on it immediately! After a lot of stamping with the feet and cussing around, I usually just rip off the cracked tip. And yes, this usually makes me very sad. But no more sadness for me, because a while ago I discovered these neat little things called silk wraps.
A silk wrap is a synthetic nail reinforcement that is made from pieces of silk material. There are wraps made out of linnen and fiberglass too. If you don't have silk wraps lying around, you can use a tea bag as well!

You can also use silk wraps if you just happen to have weak nails or if you have cracked an artificial nail. And no one will notice them!

I like to use the Essence SOS Nail Repair Pads, one package contains 10 self adhesive pads. You can use every brand you like, these were easy to get for me. I think these aren't the strongest, but they do look mighty natural.
Self adhesive is the way to go, it makes everything so much easier.
I also use the Essence brush on nail glue. The brush makes it also easier, you definitely don't want to frustrate yourself using something with a teeny tiny spout. I'd suggest cutting the silk wrap into the right size before starting anything.

So far I haven't used these on myself, but I think I've applied them about seven times on my mom's nails. At first I was really struggling with it, but after a while I got the hang of it.

How to apply a silk wrap

1. Start off with a clean and nail polish free nail. Disinfect it with alcohol and roughen it up a little with a file.

2. Apply a little bit of glue on the crack. You can use an orange stick to keep everything in place while it's drying.

3. Place your fitted silkwrap on your nail by using tweezers. Leave a tiny gap, so you won't glue down your cuticles. Use the orange stick to push the entire thing down on your nail.

4. Apply one coat of glue on top of the silk wrap. Let it dry completely before going to the next step.

5. Apply one more coat of glue. When it's completely dry, use a buffer file, on the glue only, to smoothen everything out. Also file down any pieces of silk wrap that might stick out at the tip.

See? This wasn't that hard, and it's hardly noticeable! If the tear is pretty severe you might want to place a second silk wrap, to make it even stronger.
Depending on how many times you paint your nails these can last a pretty good time, let's say a couple of weeks. I know my mom is wearing a silk wrap that is already lasting four weeks! There is one thing though, you cannot use nail polish remover that contains acetone, because acetone will dissolve the glue.
If you want to get rid of the silk wrap, simply soak your nail in acetone for a few minutes and the silk wrap will come off just like that.

This was it for today, thanks so much for reading and till next time! -
Michèle

How to: Ruffian!

Hi everyone! Today I'm writing about how to do a Ruffian. I've got this request from the lovely Natasja so here it is!
This manicure is created by Creative Nail Design (CND) especially for the NYFW Ruffian Fashion show. Since then everybody has been calling this manicure the Ruffian, or Ruffian inspired, manicure.
Although it has been around for a few months now, I still think it's hot! It's like the revamped funky french if you ask me.

I've seen different techniques on how to do this, but I do this in a very simple way. A lot of people use french tip guides or other stickers to create that curve, but I always make a huge mess when I even look at guides. I actually just apply the ruffian like I would with a normal manicure, I just start higher up.

I made pictures first but they all came out blurry, so I decided to draw them!

1. Start off with a clean nail, apply base coat.	2. Apply the base color of your choice. This is how I do it.	3. Place a drop of polish at the center of the nail, a bit above where you want to start the ruffian.	4. Carefully push the drop downwards, to where you want the ruffian to go.	5. Now move your brush upwards making a straight line till the end of the nail.
6. Go back to the base of the ruffian and swipe the polish along the curve of the nail.	7. Keep dragging the polish until the whole side of the nail is covered.	8. Repeat step 6, but do this on the other side of the nail.	9. Repeat step 7, but do this on the other side of the nail.	10. You're all done! Finish with a (quick drying) top coat.

Some other tips:

• I would recommend only using 1 layer for the ruffian, otherwise it will look like it's really laying on top
• Practice, practice, practice
• Don't choose a base color very close to your skintone, or it will look like you have a major gap.
• If you think Ruffians are a bit too much you can always use 2 colors that are close or experiment with matte and glossy.

Ruffian made with ManGlaze Matte is Murder and regular top coat

Thanks so much for stopping by!
- Michèle

How to: Happy Cuticles!

Hi everyone! I've done a lot of swatching today, but my MacBook failed on me AGAIN :-(. I got it up and running again but most of my recent files are gone. I've been swatching some great colors by American Apparel, Diamond Cosmetics and Eyeko. So expect those soon, after I redid them, lol!
Since I don't have anything nice to show you, I figured I'd write about another subject I'm getting a lot of questions about, cuticle care. I've always had awful looking cuticles and after trying a lot of things, this is my routine now:

1. To cut or not to cut? A lot of people pick, or bite or cut their cuticles, using clippers or scissors. Please don't! I'm a firm believer of the no cutting regime, and I'll tell you why. Cuticles are a very important part of the nail growth cycle, when you tick them off, you're bound to see this reflect in your nail growth. Cuticles serve as a natural barrier to bacteria and fungus. If you fiddle with this too much, you'll lose this protection. And not too mention the risk of nasty infections that can lead to permanent nail damage. Yikes. If you insist on doing this, make sure you use sterile tools. As you can see in this very old picture, I, admittedly, used to cut mine too. You can see how annoyed they look, but I just didn't know how to care for them.	Sad cuticles :-(
Nfu Oh Cuticle Remover	2. Get rid of it After soaking in warm water, simply push back your cuticles with an orange stick or cuticle pusher. Be careful though, or you'll end up with damage anyway. Now, I've raved about this before, but I love love love Nfu Oh's Cuticle remover. I use this religiously and it makes a huge difference! There are different kinds of cuticle removers out there, the ones that just soften your cuticle and the ones that actually work. The latter are the so called A.H.A removers. Alpha Hydroxy Acids are natural exfoliators that dissolve and slough away dry, dead skin. Some other A.H.A. cuticle removers are CND Cuticle Eraser or OPI Avoplex Exfoliating Cuticle Treatment. Just apply the stuff on the cuticle and move an orange stick along the cuticle and watch the gunk come off!
3. Moisturize! Another huge part of taking care of your cuticles, is hydration. In order to keep them supple and healthy, you need to keep them hydrated. If I'm slacking, I'll notice this right away. There are a lot of products out there that promise moisturized cuticles, but I'm very picky. There are balms, oils, creams, butters, you name it. I think we're seeing oils the most and funnily enough I like these the least. They often contain mineral oil and they seem to dry out my cuticles even more. The product I'm using a LOT is Lemony Flutter by Lush. It does contain oils but probably in the right conjunction, because this stuff is miraculous. Every night before I go to bed, I slap this on and I wake up with super soft cuticles.	Lemony Flutter by Lush
Happy cuticle :-)	4. What do you do? So, that's all there is to it actually! Step away from the clippers & nippers, get a good cuticle remover and moisturize like there's no tomorrow. Some lovely Brazilian readers told me it's common for them to cut the cuticles, so I'm really curious to see how many of you are doing this: Do you cut your cuticles? No! Yes! Yes, but I'm not going to anymore    pollcode.com free polls

So now you know all about how I keep my cuticles happy, I hope this was helpful! Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon!
- Michèle

How to: How I paint my nails

Hi everyone! Today I decided to finally to post about the subject I get most questions about: How I paint my nails.

I know a lot of you would love to see a video, but unfortunately my camera is only capable of producing the crappiest, pixelated movies ever. Add my camera-shyness in the mix and it's just a recipe for failure. Instead of making a fool out of myself on camera, I drew some pictures last week to explain my way of painting my nails.
I also know a lot of you already paint your nails perfectly, so this one goes out for everyone that just doesn't know where to begin.

1. Start off with a clean nail, make sure the surface is nail polish and oil free.	2. Apply your base coat or ridge filler. This prevents staining and chipping. Let it dry.	3. Place a drop of polish at the center of the nail, a bit above the cuticle.	4. Carefully push the drop towards the cuticle, leaving just a small gap.	5. Now move your brush upwards making a straight line till the end of the nail.
6. Go back to the base of the nail and swipe the polish along the curve of the nail.	7. Keep dragging the polish until the whole side of the nail is covered.	8. Repeat step 6, but do this on the other side of the nail.	9. Repeat step 7, but do this on the other side of the nail.	10. If necessary apply a 2nd or 3rd coat. Finish with a (quick drying) top coat.

Some other tips:

• Go to the bathroom first - not kidding on this one ;-)
• Make sure you have decent lighting
• Gather all the stuff you need and place it in front of you
• Rest your hands on a table or desk to remain steady
• If you're not that good at painting your non-dominant hand, start with painting your dominant hand first. You'll be less shaky. Move around the fingers you are painting, instead of moving your brush a lot.

Done, but everything is still a bit messy? Please check out my clean up tutorial.
I hope this was helpful!

Thanks so much for reading and till next time,
- Michèle