Top Tip : Maintaining Your Nails

Image, audubondermatology.com

Keeping your nails looking in tip-top condition can be a struggle, especially for those who lead a hectic lifestyle. And let's be honest, looking after your nails isn't at the front of everyone's mind.

The key to clean, polished nails is to simply keep them healthy, and we have a couple of tips and tricks on how to do so...

• Remove Nail Varnish
Painting your nails does leave them looking rather pretty, and it's a great way to create instant polished talons. The problem is that your nails don't get chance to breathe, and they need air to keep them healthy. A big mistake some people can make is to re-paint over already painted nails... this is a huge no-no. Break the habit and let your nails get some air.

• Wash Your Hands
Washing your hands is something we all do, as this helps to remove bacteria from the hands and nails and keep them clean. It's always good to give your hands a good wash after handling foods and also after eating, to help remove any grease and food that may have built up under your nails.

• A Little TLC
Everyone and everything need some TLC at some point. A cuticle oil is a must to help keep your nails maintained and the skin soft, our Evening Elixir can help do this job! It's also good to keep your hands moisturised, use a hand cream to help the skin stay soft and have a smoother appearance.

• Foods
If your nails a brittle and dry, then consuming foods rich in vitamin A and calcium can help make them healthy and strong.

It's time to fake it

As we get older, our eyelashes begin to break easily and can leave your lash line looking rather sparse... and as the festive season is upon is, full, voluminous looking lashes are a must!

Eyelash extensions are a great way to achieve this look at the salon. This will involve individual false lashes being bonded onto your own, to create longer and fuller lashes that look natural. The lashes will last up to six weeks depending in the quality of them, but your beautician will tell you all this before hand.

For a quick way to give your lashes a boost, try using false eyelashes. These can be quite fiddly and difficult to start with... but practice does make perfect. When purchasing the lashes make sure you get a style that will suit the look you are going for, starting with a more natural pair of lashes if the great way to make your natural lashes look fuller, without an over-the-top look.

Have you ever tried fake eyelashes? What do you think?

Cleansing your skin

When it comes to cleansing, the important thing is to really get the product into you skin! Massaging the product can help do this.

Using circular movements help work the product into the pores. You need to remember to work all the way up to your hairline and don't forget to the neck too! Cleansing helps to remove all the dirt and excess oils in your skin which can make you look dull and tired - cleansing in the morning and evening will help add a touch of radiance to your skin making you appear healthier as well as leaving your skin clean and fresh.

Anytime Cleanser - £30 / Available here.

Skin Care For Autumn

Seasons change and so does our skin care routines.

Transitioning your summer skin care routine to make it fit for autumn may seem like a chore but to keep your skin in top condition, no matter the weather, is something that needs to be done. We give you some easy tips and tricks on how to do this...

• Exfoliate with an oil-based scrub. The summer sun may have left you skin feeling dry. Simply switch your scrubs to oil-based ones as these will exfoliate and hydrate you skin. 

• Switch the lotions to creams. As it becomes cooler, the air also gets drier meaning your skin needs a thicker moisturiser. Creams provide a barrier to reduce water loss from the outer later of the skin but also provides hydration at the same time.

• Protect your lips. Investing in a lip balm is a must - as no-one wants dry, cracked lips.

• Goodbye soap. Soapy scrubs do feel and smell wonderful but can leave your skin rather dry. Switch to a soap-free hydrating cleanser. Say good-bye to those shower gels and ring out the creamy body wash. 

Heavy-browed beauty

Chanel Haute Couture autumn/winter 2013 Photo: Isadore Montag

Last year's boy brow becomes this year's man brow at Chanel's Haute Couture autumn/winter 2013 show. Longer, thicker, darker, heavier - Chanel introduces the power brow.

Sheer size and width aside, these brows dictate a new shape. Straight (there was little or no arch) and angular (pulling the eyes up and out) is, say Chanel, how we'll be wearing them next season.

To get the high brow look our advice is to start using a lash boosting gel now; try RapidBrow Eyebrow Enhancing Serum , £37 or good old fashioned almond oil nightly. And get your eye in for some real brow grooming (after all, these models had them drawn on too).

Finish off the look with minimal eye-makeup, as the real statement are the brows. Go for rose cheek bones and finish off with a Face Matters Collagen Spritz , £39, to set the look. (you can now win one on Twitter too!)

Chanel's super brow at the Haute Couture autumn/winter 2013 show. 

What To Do When… You Have A Sunburn

Sunburns are the wet blanket of island vacations, three-day weekends, and pool parties everywhere. And becoming a red-hot tamale can happen to even the most SPF-equipped among us after extended exposure to the great outdoors. So what to do when your skin adopts the searing hue of Elmo (minus the whole TickleGate)? With help from Into The Gloss, here's my round up of the best over-the-counter and homeopathic remedies to target peeling, redness, inflammation, and to soothe the burn of that mean, blaring sun.

Creams & Moisturisers:

Clinique After Sun Rescue Balm with Aloe Aloe is the most oft-recommended reliever for the sting of your new skin tone, but it can be drying and sticky in a way that’s almost as unpleasant as the burn itself. This balm offers the same benefits as aloe, with an added moisturizer to simultaneously reduce inflammation, calm skin, and diminish the chances and/or severity of peeling.

Face Matters Collagen Spritz Once the intensity of your burn has subsided, a moisturising spritz with botanical oils and collagen can help prevent peeling and cool off the skin. For those with aversions to the heavy and slightly gooey consistency of creams on sensitive burnt skin, a lighter product, like our Collagen Spritz, with a quicker absorption rate is the way to go.

Merle Norman Anti Redness Cream Believe us when we say this product works. Many therapies that claim to reduce redness still leave your skin noticeably rosy. But Merle Norman’s cream dramatically delivers on its name—wear it for the course of one night’s sleep to return fuchsia skin to a normal shade.

Natural/At-Home Remedies:

Cold Bath
Submerging your body in just-cooler-than-lukewarm water will help ease pain and reduce irritation. If you don’t have access to a bath or don’t relish the opportunity to “soak in a basin of your own filth” (as some may say), a gentle-stream cold shower will serve the same purpose. Avoid using soap when you're still newly burnt, as the detergent will only exacerbate your burn by further drying and irritating your skin.

Cold Milk Compress
Combine cold milk and ice cubes in a bowl. Dampen a washcloth in the mixture and hold against your burn. Rinse after to avoid a 'I live on a farm' smell. Added bonus: milk fat is anti-inflammatory and moisturising, and the cold temperature soothes the heat.

Green Tea Compress
A word-of-mouth fix: boil water and pour over one teaspoon of loose green-tea leaves. Cover and let sit until it cools. Then, soak a cloth and place on skin for 10 minutes to reduce swelling and sting.

Thin Potato Slices
In one of the lesser-known, perhaps stranger at-home remedies, some sources suggest blending raw potatoes until spreadable and applying to your skin to draw out the heat of the burn.

Your Other, Basic Options:  

Ibuprofen - Pop one or two after you realise what you've done (this usually happens after we get out of the shower following a day in the sun, but can also happen right there on the beach), to bring down inflammation and ease your discomfort. Those weary of swallowing pills can grind one up and add a bit of water to form a paste, which you can apply directly onto affected areas.

Water - Drink, drink, and drink some more. Your burn can leave you dehydrated, so on top of the eight glasses of water you are drinking daily (we all listen to our doctors, yes), keep on chugging.

And, as always, if you have any other remedies up your sleeve, share away!

JESSICA HARLOW’S ‘Get sexy summer skin! Self-tanning tips and tricks!'

These early days of warm weather mean a frightening display of pasty, pale legs and arms not yet primed by the summer sun..  

Yes, we all look better with a tan (to a certain extent), but no, not all of us are capable of (/interested in) achieving such a beautiful glow at the beach. The good news is that’s not the only way to garner a sun-kissed look: the somewhat terrifying self-tanner is always an option. Leave it to YouTube beauty-application guru Miss Jessica Harlow to make a DIY neon-orange disaster seem an altogether unlikely possibility.

Step 1: Exfoliate! It will create a smooth surface for your self-tanner. We recommend lightly applying our Collagen Spritz on area before tanning - it will create a moisturised base for the self-tanner and help it set better. (see Twitter if you'd like to win one)

Step 2: Dry Off! “Wet skin and self-tanner do not mix!”

Step 3: Apply Self-Tanner—Apply a little at a time, moving hands in the same general direction for a more even finish

Step 4: Wash Your Hands—Wash after finishing each you part of your body (after each leg, arm, etc.), to prevent stained palms

Step 5: Apply Lotion—Using a lotion will help the product blend in with your skin as well as boost the longevity of your tan

Jessica’s quick tutorial only lasts two-and-a-half minutes, but she spends another four-and-a-half to address potential questions and concerns from her audience, plus to review the products she's recommending. And she certainly doesn’t seem like she would blend in with Snooki and co., so we’ll be taking her advice for this little (tan) lie to help us glow in our cut-offs.