Nails, Nails, Nails

Lots of people have been asking me about my nails recently, so I thought I'd share my new discovery!  About six weeks ago, my nails looked like the picture above.  This is what they look like now:

Index finger aside (which I keep shorter for contact lens-related reasons), there's quite a difference!  There's also a bit of staining, but I'll gloss over (ha ha!) that ...

I get an occasional manicure, and Zoran at Equus has been raving about Nailtiques for months, because he's a firm believer that nails need protein, so, after a uhming and ahing about it for a while, I finally bit the bullet and bought a bottle.  And, I love it.  I've been using it as a basecoat (I did read the instructions on the bottle, which say to use it as a treatment, without polish, but, I ... er... ignored them) for the last month or so, and my nails have been virtually indestructible since.

You need to mix the ingredients in Formula 2 (which is for weak, peeling or splitting nails) gently, then apply a thin coat to the nails, taking care not to get any on your skin.  I find it dries really quickly, and gives a great base for varnish to cling to. 

I bought my bottle of Nailtiques from Beauty Bay, which cost me £15.50, and it's a bargain, as I've since seen it at Garden Pharmacy costing £19.95 for the same 15ml bottle.  I'm also taking a course of Imedeen hair and nails, so I'm hoping that between the two, my nails will stay like this for a while now ...

Imedeen and Decleor - Pre-Sun Preparation

Don't worry, I think I've only got one more of these holiday themed posts to go! I mentioned on Monday that I suffer from prickly heat, and I'm worried about it happening again, so have invested a small fortune in sun allergy sun protection.  Well, I'm also taking some preventative steps in advance:

Firstly, I'm taking Imedeen's Tan Optimizer supplements, and have been for the last three weeks.  They're not, precisely a self-tanning product (I remember my mum took tanning pills quite a few years ago, which essentially contained massive dosages of beta-carotene, turning her orange.  All over.  Not a good look), but they're designed to give your skin a head start for when you do finally hit the sun.

Containing vitamins A, C & E, alongside doses of lycopene (not beta-carotene!), at the very least I'm hoping they'll improve my skin for when I get there!  You take the tiny brown (oooh, psychological!) capsule once a day for four weeks before you travel, whilst you're away, and for at least two weeks afterwards, and they claim to lengthen the amount of time you'll keep your tan for.  I'm all for that.   They say that they'll help minimise redness, and as my high colour is one of the banes of my life these days, I'm hoping they'll make good on that promise.

You can read more about Imedeen Tan Optimizer here.  They cost £40.80 for a two month supply.  Cheaper than getting a couple of spray tans ...

I've also added this to my current skin-care routine:

Which is Decleor Aromessence Solaire Pre-tanning Serum.  Actually an oil, it contains extract of rose and camomile, alongside wheatgerm and argan oils.  Again, all ingredients known to be soothing, and of value to stressed skins, of which mine certainly is at the moment.  I actually had a facial with this, where it was recommended for my high colouring, and angry facial (angry face is angry, grrr!) breakouts, and it's been a pleasure to use.  When I found out it's great for preparing skin for sun, well, nothing could have made me happier.

Has it worked on my high colouring?  Well, I have found myself looking slightly less red, so that's good (angry face is mildly disgruntled, pfeh!), but the jury is out as to whether it'll work in the sun.  So far. 

You simply use this as you would any other serum, add a few drops to the palm of your hand (about three, at most, I'd say) and apply to your face and neck, then apply moisturiser as normal.

Neither of these products contain sunscreen, so it's very important that you use SPF with these products.  They're designed to increase your skin's tolerance to sunlight generally, but they don't have any UVA or UVB filters, so if you use either of them, please bear that in mind.

The Fine Print: PR Samples.  I've obviously been talking to people about my holiday for far, far, far too long.  One more post, promise. Okay, maybe two.

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