Manicure

I am sure that Americans and Russians will hear me...

London is the worse place to get a manicure. Not only it is expensive but the so-called "beauticians" have no idea what they are doing...

After all those years suffering from bad manis I finally started to do my own without cutting a cuticle. Here is a short story which can hopefully be helpful for some people.

RULE 1:

When you switch from your standard mani to a new one where you don't cut the cuticle it takes time for your fingers to get used to it. You need at least 3-4 months to get used to your new routine. Don't worry, your nails will still look good, just carry on reading the next tips. Also please do not cut your cuticle "just a little bit" because you'll start your 3-4 months adaptation over and over again.

RULE 2:

Use a cuticle remove twice a week. I was given advice of using it once a week only. I do not know and cannot imagine HOW you can have tidy nails while using the cuticle remover only once a week. The good one and relatively inexpensive one is Sally Hanson. It is available at Boots with Sally Hanson stand in it. You can buy it online. The other Sally Hanson removers are not as good as this one is (without going much into details). I have been using some others but this one is a good place to start.

RULE 3:

Always apply your cuticle remover while still having your nail polish on! If you do not follow this rule you may get peeled nails. Push your cuticle remover with a stick which can be bought anywhere at Boots and make sure you thoroughly wash your fingers.

RULE 4:

You can still cut hangnails but remember - you have to use your cuticle oil every single day. You will be shocked by how your nails look with the cuticle oil. Even if you manicure is not fresh the cuticle oil will make it look wonderful! Again I use Sally Hansen pen because it is very convenient to use it on the go. It comes with a brush which is much handier than drops. Although not particularly cheap but it lasts for a long time. OPI is also good but twice expensive. Besides making your cuticle look good the oil will make your nail stronger and they will grow a little bit faster.

RULE 5:

After you removed your cuticle, removed your nail polish and shaped your nail just apply a "tinted" nail polish for a quick mani. It makes life so much easier during a busy week. I personally love Dior which makes my nail look healthy. All in all the mani routine will take 5 minutes of your time max as the Dior dries in appr. 1 minute.

To sum everything up you will still have a little bit of cuticle which is perfectly normal and healthy. Although if you have been "californised" and do not respect nature it might not be for you. I have included some of my good old pictures of nail polishes so you can see how to cuticle looks while you do not cut it.

Face Washing Net for clean skin

The face wash net should be at every woman's bathroom. It is an unsung hero of a beautiful skin!

Like almost all modern women I do suffer from occasional skin irritation or spots. For years I have been using Shiseido foaming cleanser which I was getting from Harrods on my accumulated points despite having sensitive skin. I regularly tried some other cleanser including the high end Dior and Chanel ones which failed enormously.

I bought my face net on amazon but it is actually available in Muji UK sometimes. It costs around £1,5 which is a joke in comparison how much failure we get from skin care products! It will also last years and years - just wash it with a soap and leave to dry. If the face net is not available where you live you can create one yourself! It is easy!

The thing is the face net creates a particular bubbly structure from a cleanser. This bubbly cleansing substance removes my make-up completely as I cannot use two-step cleansing system which 100% blocks my pores. I also leave "bubbly mask" on sometimes so the pores can be cleaned completely. 

Couple of months ago I tried to experiment with my foaming cleanser and buy a very very cheap one from Boots - Botanics All Bright Cleansing Foam. It was on offer and just under £3 in comparison with my usual Shiseido which is over £30.

The results were shocking. Botanics cleanser has a completely different consistency to it than Shiseido. I was very sceptical at first but from the first use it removed my make-up and left my skin soft. Together with the face net the Botanics cleanser creates bubbles that actually burst (just like the world economy recently) and again I thought it is wrong. However the cleanser removed all the make up and impurities better than any other cleanser I tried before and better than my favourite one. I tried to use the Botanics without a face net and it did not work for me the way it does with the net. 

The main BONUS is that if I get spots or irritations by the end of the day and use my magic net with the Botanics cleanser 99% of my problems disappear overnight. It also works as a combination with my favourite organic facial cream.

Even if there are other cleansers besides Botanics that leave your skin soft and clean I am looking no further as it costs £2,99!!! How cheaper it can get?