FINGERS

The Proof is in the Pudding: Dr Lewinn’s Renunail Update

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There was that, on the left; there is now this, on the right.

In other idioms, a picture is a worth a thousand words.

I’ve given the nails a break from the Nail Strengthener for a week and a half now. I’ll begin that again on Saturday. I am loving the Nourishing Oil no end, and it is well worth living through the unattractive healing crisis in order to achieve such stunningly improved cuticles.

And if anyone else is curious, here’s the meaning of that colloquial, yet antiquated phrase.

Will continue to take it handy! { … }

Manky Nails, Your Days are Numbered!

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So, last Friday I had a friend’s wedding {OMG she looked gorgeous — like, magazine-bride stunning} and I thought about getting a manicure, and then I thought, Why bother, your nails are so manky. And I know that my nails are manky because I don’t take care of them, but I swear, they are so crap — they have started splitting down the middle! WTF?!? — that it seems like I should just keep them short, since they are so nasty and brutish.

Then, after the wedding, I attended a fabulous ladies lunch in aid of The Seachange Foundation, and the lovely lunching lady on my left had the most amazing natural nails I have ever seen in my life. She was talking about how her nails had been manky, too, but she uses this treatment stuff and it is amazing, and how she had to have her sister buy it up for her because it wasn’t available in Ireland, but now it was, and I gasped and asked, ‘Is it that Dr Lewinn’s stuff?’

And it was.

I’d heard of this stuff, and in fact, had put in a request to try and test some last week. It arrived yesterday, and you can’t help but feel that the stars just fall into glorious alignment every now and then.

I am determined! I am going to do this! I’ve seen how good the Dr Lewinn’s Renunail Nail Strengthener is, in real life  — the evidence of its efficacy was right there at the tips of that lady’s fingers.

How it works is:
> You apply two coats on the first day, then a coat a day for the next five, and then remove it on the seventh day.
> Then you rest for 1-2 weeks.
> Then you do it twice more.

In the 1-2 week rest period, you use the Nourishing Oil, which I checked out really quickly yesterday, and it is oily, and hopefully nourishing.

Okay: I just applied my first coat. It’s very thick, and it is milky in appearance. It feels really cold on application, which is weird; it dries clear. I was curious as to why it works, and didn’t really find much info, except that the Strengthener has diamonds and pearls in it? I will say, though, that the internet contains predominantly glowing reviews, and I hope to have proof of that myself in six weeks.

Here’s a picture of my Manky Nails, in all of their shock and horror. I must say, they are looking nice and shiny with my duly applied two coats, and I am preparing to bathe them in the nourishing oil. The middle finger one is so short because that is the one that has started splitting. Only the one! That is weird, right? Although, I absolutely do not want anymore of my nails to start doing the same.

I know I have said, in the past, that I was going to mind my manicure, and didn’t, but this time is for real! I am going to have healthy, strong nails!

Nail Strengthener, 30mls: €31/£21; Nourishing Oil, 14mls: €15/£11
Irish prices are approximate; Debenhams are having a discount deal, which may just be online, I’m not sure. Go check it out on debenhams.ie.

Snap! Judgements: Clean Your Face and Smell Good

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Among other things.

Snap! Ah, the sheer joy of opening up something from Chanel. It’s not just that the signature black-with-gold box is so evocative — I think it’s the little black velvet sleeve that everything comes in? It’s little a little tiny posh sleeping bag. After having enthused over the elegance of the packaging, I gave my face several well-placed swipes of the Luminous Bronzing Powder in Sable Beige (€42.70). It seems a bit… subtle, which is not my usual self-tanned-mode, but it takes more to be a Chanel Woman than simply having the stuff around the house. Am I up to it? Time will tell.

Snap! My supermodel thumbnail is threatening to get an agent. While she dithers, I gave her a dose of Sally Hansen Complete Care Extra Moisturizing 4-in-1 Treatment (€10.95). This claims to do all the things that my manky, manky nails need to demankify themselves. It’s meant to smooth the ridgeyness, strength ’em, grow ’em, and when applied as a top coat, protect ’em, too. Initial application looks good, and the ridges have been noticeably minimised. I need to grow ’em a bit before we move forward with this product.

Snap! Are you getting married? Aura by Swarovski Collection Mariage Eau de Toilette (€56) is really pretty. It looks pretty: very shiny and with a lacy detail, and the Swarovski crystal on top, oh wow! And it smells pretty: powdery, but not too light, it’s actually got a bit of a bite to it, like, ‘Okay, dude, I am pretty, but I am also fierce, in case you haven’t figured that out by now!’ I am imagine this little internal monologue happening just when the bride arrives at the altar, and the groom turns to her, and he picks up this thought psychically, which would be amazing. You light like to get this if you want to get married, and the dude who infers all the above and totally gets it, then he is the man for you.

Snap! The round gold thing is Maybelline 24 HR Colour Tattoo Eyeshadow in Eternal Gold (€7.99). I love me some sparkly, and this is sparkly, and when I opened it and rubbed some on to the back of my hand, I thought: You know, I’d like to use this as a highlighter. And so I did! Blended some on the cheekbone area (because I don’t have discernable bone structure) and it worked. It was good on the lids as well, but I am looking forward to using this all over my face, like an escapee from Cirque du Soleil. Will get back to you re: 24 hours.

Snap! I just used this VOYA Cast Away Facial Wash (€26) in the shower, so I can’t really say at this juncture whether it effectively cleanses away all the make up and grime one applies and collects on one’s face (hopefully in that order!) It’s a nice soothing gel that feels cool, literally and figuratively. I felt it was a bit slippery, and almost lost the palmful of product down the drain. This is unique in my experience, and those prices, be careful!

Hello, Holiday!

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Well, that is simply, fantastically orange.

In real life {not via iPhone} the pigment of that orange is so dense, it’s like paint.

And, that’s just one coat on the supermodel thumbnail, which should probably have its own Twitter account at this stage.

I rang Brown Thomas to find out the price, and then forgot to write it down, and now I don’t want to ring them back, because, you know, my voice is so unmistakable — yeah, okay, Conley.

So here I am, holding for Harvey Nicks… hmm… wow, really? I’ve lost track of the number of rings… well, fair play to them, being too busy to answer the phone…

Okay, House of Fraser! Ring, ring. Ring, ring. Ring, ring. Ring, ring. Return of the operator… who put me through to some poor girl who just happened to pick up the phone — okay, €22.

Once I get my cuticles seen to by a professional, I am going to do all my nails in Holiday! {Wait, I’ve said this before, haven’t I? This time, it’s for real!} Or maybe I will just bring this bottle with me to said professional, which makes more sense.

This colour launches at the end of May.

Snap Judgements*: Springing into Summer

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Or ‘summer’ as we generally call it in these parts. No! Let’s be more positive than that! We are springing into SUMMER here in Ireland, yeah!!! Let’s fake it ’til we make it!

Ahem. Snap Judgements is the way that you, the reader, can experience what it’s like to be a beauty journo when the stuff starts piling up on the desk. I’m going to give my instantaneous responses to a variety of products, and over time we’ll see if I was too hasty or dead on target.

Let’s begin… Continue reading →

Who Says Men Don’t Notice?

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I mean, we know men notice, but I’m talking about the details here. The details that thrill us women, that we reckon will only thrill other women.

We’ve proof from the West that this is not so.

A reader writes:

Susan! A gentleman in a B&B in Galway was VERY taken with the Avon Seabreeze nails this morning. Was a little taken aback by his enthusiasm, but Avon have definitely one secured sale!!!

I’d love more details re: what the enthusiasm entailed, exactly, ahem.

There’s the man-magnet colour itself, nestled between Starry Sky and Viva Pink, and there it is, in the wild, on my big toe — I couldn’t bear to run that image full size again, but you get the idea. Even on my manky, manky toes, Seabreeze is clearly a beautiful, sexy, fun colour.

It’s great, fresh, and not-to-green, the perfect shade with which to bring in the Spring, as well mesmerising the male patrons of accommodation in Gaillimhe.

Here’s some pertinent info: you can’t buy Avon in the shops. Which I kind of knew, growing up in the culture of Avon Ladies, who are now called Independent Sales Representatives. Ring 01870 6540 or visit www.avon.ie to find a representative near you.

Plus, all purchases come with 100% money back guarantee, so should your manicure fail to enthrall the males in your vicinity, you can cash in your chips, or maybe try another one. That Viva Pink looks pretty saucy…

AVON Nailwear Pro+ Nail Enamel is €8

Speaking of Hair: Zeba Salon Fundraising Event

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When am I not speaking about hair?

I had an amazing session at Zeba Hairdressing in South William Street, and it wasn’t all about me getting a beautiful cut and new highlights — although, of course, I have to be able to say with conviction that the services provided are top notch, right? Well, they are, and what’s more, the stylists and colourists at the salon are not only good with their hands, they are good with their hearts.

On Sunday, 15 April, Zeba are hosting a ‘Treat Yourself and Help the Children’ fundraising day in aid of Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, with proceeds going to the Cleft Lip & Palate Department. Owners Paul and Angie Drumgoole have a particular attachment to this department, as it has provided necessary, and exemplary, care for their youngest son Christian, who was born with a cleft palate.

All proceeds from the day go to the hospital, and all staff at work during the 11 am to 5pm time slot are working for free.

Treatments on offer are:
>A cut and blowdry for €50
>Colour, cut and blowdry for just €100
>Highlights and a cut and blowdry for €150
>Nail treatments in the salon on the day for €10.

And you get a  L’Oreal goody bag to take home with you. Bonus!

The salon is top-grade, and amongst the many pleasures — expert colour consultation with Laura, thorough discussion with Paul as to exactly how much hair was going to end up on the floor, and how to get more bang for my highlighting buck — the seats at the sinks are massage chairs, and oh! if only I was sitting here now, blogging away, in a massage chair… I would be asleep and would never publish this a’tall.

Paul speaks quite movingly about how Temple Street have been there for Christian every step of the way, and it is really quite exceptional that his staff are donating their talents gratis. The vibe in the place was very buzzy the day I went in, and it wasn’t just from busy-ness: it was clear, from the warm reception through the great attention paid during my session, that the people that work there not only like working there, but they like each other, too.

There’s more info at zeba.ie — check out the raffle prizes! Hampers of haircare products! Jewellery! A Trocadero restaurant voucher! How much better can this actually get?

To make an appointment, ring Zeba on (01) 671 6444. Pictured: a gorgeous result.

Colour Me Impressed!

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Okay, let me begin with a disclaimer: the nicks on the Sally Hansen Greige Gardens were in place before I even left the house. I had taken delivery of it just before I was heading to the horses; in a fit of inspiration, I lashed it on, and then proceeded to feck it up within minutes. The thing I am looking at here, and as regards the Catrice Cosmetics Ultimate Nail Lacquer in Karl Says That’s Trés Chic {whew, that’s mouthful}, is chipping and peeling.

No chipping and peeling a’tall! Even after a lesson of focused flat work, which means that we pretty much didn’t stop for the guts of an hour. This means that there was no sitting around waiting to jump, and that means that my hands were in use the whole time — so that means that the gloves-on-nails effect was in total play.

Time to up the ante, though, as the thumb and forefinger don’t curl around the reins, and therefore don’t suffer as much friction as the rest of them. I think there is a full manicure {or, since I’ll be doing it myself, a ‘manicure’} in my future this holy day weekend. And then we’ll see who is impressed!

{Ach, the state of my cuticles!}

Sally Hansen Complete Manicure retails for €8.95; Catrice Cosmetics Ultimate Nail Lacquer goes for €2.49

Ooh, Let’s Try This, Too: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure

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In Greige Gardens! This neutral purple-y grey is just lovely, and we’ll put it to the ‘horseriding glove test’, too.

<< In more evidence that I have A} freaky, awful nails and B} no dignity whatsoever, here’s a really creepy picture of me  trying to show you what this gorgeous colour looks like in the wild.

Well, that is hilariously awful, so here’s the actual bottle itself, so you can see how it is actually pretty.

What is going on with my palm? It’s looks so stretchy and gross! Half the pictures I take of my face don’t make it on here, which has nothing to do with dignity and everything to do with vanity. I don’t what is up with the iPhone camera lens, but it makes my nose look like I sup a bottle of whiskey every night, and then get into a fight: red and squashed.

I also received a bottle of Nude Now, which sounds like an order, and sorry but I’ve got stuff to do that requires clothing. I kid.

Anyway, we’ll see how I get on after this evening’s equine adventures. Fingers crossed for a good result, ha ha.

Both of these go for €8.95, and can be got at selected pharmacies, and department and grocery stores nationwide.