How To : Keep Your Manicure Longer

Very few things are as frustrating as having your manicure chip a day or two after you've forked out money for it at the salon. After numerous impractical attempts to keep my hands away from anything remotely strenuous, I burrowed into the internet, did some experimenting and found tips that all together extend the life of my manicure even to the point where I do my own nails at home without fear of chipping.

Here are some easy tips:

1. Hair Spray & Cold Water : As soon as you get home, spray a little hair spray on your fingers and dunk them in a bowl of cold water for sixty seconds. This is said to seal the ends of the polish and prevent lifting, smudges and dings. 
   
2. Moisturize your Cuticles : Ever notice that when your cuticles are dry they tend to peel? Same thing will happen with your nail polish. So be sure to grab a few squirts of lotion during the day and rub into your cuticles. Before you bed you can use your favourite oil and gently rub it in.
3. Every two/three days apply a THIN clear coat on top of the polish to help seal it in further. Don't do this for more than a week though as it will just end up gooping up your manicure .                                               
4. Wear Gloves:  Let gloves be your best friends. Anytime you are using chemicals or immersing your hands in water longer than sixty seconds, wear gloves. Not only will you preserve your manicure but this will also help to keep your hands soft.
5. Make sure that your nail tech uses a good top coat. My personal favourite is Essie's No Chips Ahead top coat- my manicure can last up to 9 days with this thing! See my review on it here . Other favourites in the beauty community include Seche Vite and Sally Hansen.

That's it ladies! Let me know how it works out for you.

Till later,

*Jane

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DIY Brush Cleaner Spray

Clean brushes are essential to getting the makeup look and colour pay off you want but cleaning your brushes is no fun. Even more importantly, dirty brushes lead to break outs and blackheads so deep cleaning your brushes is necessary. Sometimes, a quicker solution is necessary - Enter brush cleaner spray. It's a quickie way of cleaning your brushes. Just spray, wipe & dry.

 I did some research and some experimenting and what I've listed below is the best DIY brush cleaner solution that I've found. It didn't irritate my skin or leave behind residue on my brush or leave a film in the product I was using. 

You will need:

1 Cup of filtered room temperature water
1/4 Cup Isopropyl Alcohol (The kind you use to clean piercings. Remember you are trying to kill bacteria here)
1Teaspoon Hand Soap/Liquid Soap (try to use something unscented and clear it will have less irritants)
1 Teaspoon Baby Shampoo I recommend using baby shampoo if possible.
1 Tablespoon Conditioner
1 Empty Clean Spray Bottle 

Method

1. Pour all the ingredients into a glass or ceramic bowl making sure to pour in the alcohol last
2. Mix together making sure everything is now liquid. The conditioner may be lumpy so make sure to whisk to get it out
3. Pour into the empty spray bottle and shake up really hard.
4. Do a test spray onto your wrist. If no lumps come out then your good to go. If lumps come out then stick into the microwave and nuke for 15 seconds and shake again. You should be fine then

Use

1. Spray the solution onto a paper towel or a clean dry wash cloth 
2. Rub the brush back and forth until all the colour disappears.
3. Wipe the brush firmly with a dry cloth and voila you have a clean brush again!

Shelf life

This can last for up to three months. After this, I would recommend you rinse out the spray bottle and the nozzle with warm water and make a fresh batch.

If you prefer the factory-made kind, MAC and Cinema Secrets and said to be the best in the business right now. You can pick up a bottle here.

Will you be trying this? Let me know how it works out for you.

Till later,

*Jane

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