How To Get Beautiful Nails At Home

If you want your hands to look younger, give yourself a manicure!  Here are some common mistakes and the smart fixes to protect your nails.  

Don’t file nails back and forth.  The sawing motion weakens your nails and can cause them to split.   File in the same direction with a soft emery board. (Those old-fashioned orange emery boards are too harsh for nails, causing small fissures and cracks that lead to breakage and tears.) To help prevent your nails from breaking, keep them short and square with a slightly rounded edge. The best time to file your nails is when you are already wearing a polish. This will prevent splitting or breaking of nails.

Don’t use acetone-based polish remover.  This strips away the moisture and natural oils that will keep your nails flexible. 

Don’t cut your cuticles.  Your cuticles act as a barrier against infection-causing bacteria. Instead, soak your nails in warm water to soften your cuticles and then push them back with an orange stick or washcloth.

Don’t paint your nails with old polish.  Buy a new polish that’s free of formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and toluene such as Obessive Compulsive Cosmetics (occmakeup.com), Spa Ritual (sephora.com) or Mineral Fusion (available at Whole Foods Stores).

Don’t wear polish every day. When you wear nail polish, make sure to give your nails a break from time to time. In other words leave them without polish for a few days, every now and then.

Cut your nails to a manageable length. There is no point in having extremely long nails, they snap off (painfully) and take a while to grow back into a normal shape.

Moisturize the nail bed and the cuticle. While there is little in the way of medical data showing that moisturizing the nail bed will help nails grow, it can make cuticles look better and help protect nails from breaking due to a lack of moisture. If your nails are prone to breakage, it could mean they need moisture -- and putting oil around the cuticle helps moisturize the entire nail. 

Change shampoos. While you probably know when your shampoo doesn't agree with your hair, you might not realize it may not agree with your nails -- even if your hair looks great. This is particularly true of detergent shampoos, or those for oily hair.  If your nails are dry and you are using any products that strip oils, there is the potential to dry nails.

Remember toenails count, too!  Everything that applies to your fingernails applies to your toenails

Here’s a little nail trivia—did you know it takes 8 months for nails to grow an inch? 

How To Best Apply Your Foundation

Here’s a tip that I wasn’t aware of:  if you want liquid foundation to remain usable throughout its lifetime, always shake it well before application.

Then the trick is to pick the right foundation color. For a natural look your foundation should match your skin tone. Test foundations along your jawline. Blend the foundation into your skin to see if the color is right. If it's too light, then test the next shade darker. If it's too dark, then go down a shade until the color matches. You will know the best color because it will disappear into your skin. The goal of foundation application is not to change the tone /color of your skin.

For flawless application start with a clean, moisturized face. A clean face will allow the makeup to smooth and blend easier. Apply moisturizer and let it soak in at least 3 minutes before applying foundation. (Dry skin will soak up the foundation if not given that base.)

Apply foundation by dabbing a small amount on your face. Start by applying the foundation in little dots on your forehead, down your nose and on your chin and cheeks. Blend the foundation with a brush, sponge or your fingertips. Blend it off on the jaw line and hair line. Make sure it's blended completely to create a natural, flawless look. Using your fingertips will give the heaviest application, a sponge a thinner application. Be careful in the area around your eyes where the skin is super thin. Don't forget to apply foundation on your eyelids and lips. (I’ve never done that!)

To avoid a foundation line around the jaw apply foundation as usual then use a little moisturizer in your hand and blend it down your neck.

On the under-eye area, apply makeup with a finger or with a small synthetic brush or applicator. Pat with your fingertips to blend, using your ring finger or pinkie to minimize the pressure. 

To finish, and for retouching during the day, use loose or pressed powder that is light-textured and contains no oil. Setting foundation with a powder is a must for oily skin; however, if your skin is dry or if you use solid foundation, your foundation will stay in place without powder.  

Liquid foundation should never be applied over your makeup for retouching purposes, because it is impossible to blend well on top of powder, dust, or sebum. 

The smoother your skin, the more natural the foundation will look. So do exfoliate twice a week to get rid of dead skin.

Wordless Wednesday

Are the fish still biting?

Lower Your Flu Risk

     I've heard from some family members and friends that they have been down in bed with the flu. Some for as long as a week! I sure don't want that stuff so I am trying to take precautions to stay healthy.

Here are some tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to lower your flu risk:

*Wash your hands--seems pretty common sense. Wash often with soap or an alcohol based sanitizer to reduce germs. Don't forget to disinfect areas in your home like door knobs, your phone and keyboards.

*Keep hands away--Limit touching your face especially when out in public. You can catch germs by touching a germy area, then touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

*Keep your distance--Flu viruses can be spread up to six feet when an infected person coughs, sneezes or even speaks. If you know someone has the flu, keep your distance.

*Cover your cough or sneeze--Use a tissue or handkerchief to cover your cough or sneeze. If you don't have one handy, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow instead of using your hands.

*You need a strong immune system--It's easier to get sick if your immune system is weak.  Getting enough sleep, managing stress, eating healthy foods and staying active are a few ways to keep your body in shape to ward off infection.

*Stay home--If you catch the flu, stay home from work, school or running errands while you are sick. Your friends, family, coworkers and neighbors will thank you!

Finding Treasures and An Interesting Character

 We drove to Blind Pass Beach today just to try out a different beach. We are staying on Siesta Key Beach which is absolutely beautiful but we just wanted a change of scenery for a few hours. We had read that this beach has lots of shells and shark teeth. I thought it would be fun to bring some back for the grandkids.       When we got there we noticed a fella sitting on a sand "couch" he had made. Alongside it were little tables covered in shark teeth and sifting containers. We stopped to talk to him about the large number of teeth he had. 

      He said he had found them all today. He told us most people don't know how to look for shark teeth. (We had tried last year at a different beach using a sieve to scoop stuff off the bottom while standing almost up to our knees in the ocean water. with little success. This is what we saw others doing.) This fella said the teeth are under layers of broken shells and things on the shore. He takes a shovel and digs down, then scoops up a bunch of the sediment and sifts through it.

     He introduced himself as Budde (with an "e" he said) and proceeded to explain how to tell if a tooth is "new" and showed us one. Budde also showed us a tooth he found that was about two inches long. He actually found that one sticking out of the sand on the beach.

     Since he looked to be past retirement age we asked about his background. That got him to ask about ours and where we were from. Turns out he has been to MN and knew where our hometown is. He used to live in Chicago but now is living full time in FL finding shark teeth. 

 

Shark teeth found at Blind Pass Beach, FL

 I asked him if he sells the teeth and he said no, he usually gives them away to kids and families. When he found out I used to teach and had grandkids he gave me a whole handful of shark teeth to take back. I even found one "new" one in the bunch.

     What a treasure it is to find such an interesting and generous character! I would love to be someone that interesting someday. Right now I'm feeling pretty ordinary.

       

Wordless Wednesday

Is it a dream or reality?

Wordless Wednesday

Room to spare...