When I returned from Bali and a few weeks in the sun, my hands were in awesome shape. Despite the fact I was still sporting a three week old mani and my polish was peeling, the nails themselves were in great nick - strong, healthy looking and long. The benefit of spending days on the beach had naturally exfoliated my hands, while the sunshine had given my skin a subtle golden glow and enriched my body with much needed Vitamin D. A few weeks later, however, and it was a completely different story; the onset of the colder weather and dehydrating central heating left my palms dry, my cuticles overgrown and my nails splitting and peeling. I needed to seriously get to work and help to restore the health I'd lost in a matter of weeks, and a few things really did make all the difference. As holiday season feels like a lifetime ago and we step into the most depressing time of year, here's how I'm keeping my hands looking and feeling top notch - so at least I've got something pretty to look at while I work my way to my next vacay.
A GREAT SHELLAC MANIFor such a long time I was pretty anti-shellac, having had a really bad few experiences that left my nails weak and peeling for far longer than I would have anticipated. If you don't remove the polish properly (i.e. soak it don't pick it off!) or visit a salon that doesn't use official polish, your nails will suffer the consequences. Over the last year or two I've dabbled in Shellac manicures, but since the wedding it's something I've ...