Nail Care

We women unfortunately think that great looking nails can only be had by incredibly good genetic luck or by regular visits to an expensive salon. Not so! You can be the normal, every day woman with drop-dead gorgeous nails a la Britney Spears or Catherine Zeta Jones. Here’s how:

Applying nail colour is a technique in itself, making it imperative to follow certain simple solutions.

• Make sure that your nail surface is free from dirt, any creams or oils, and is completely dry.
• Always apply a base coat to seal the edges.
• Two coats of colour are a must.
• Though there are a number of gadgets to dry post-colour nails fast, nothing like letting them dry naturally.
• Last, to keep colour in place and for a good 10 days too, apply a sealant or a top coat.
  

ALSO:

• Never file nails when wet, because they are soft and can split.
• Never expose hands to extreme temperatures.
• Always cream your hands well.
• Not wearing colour on your nails is not a major fashion faux pas. But not sporting clear polish might just be.
• Never cut cuticles. It is an unhealthy habit, and the reason why cuticles recede and tend to get puffy. Just push them back gently when nails are wet.
• People living in warm countries are more likely to have nicer nails than their counterparts living in the colder regions. Why? Because the sun brings out the natural oils! So go ahead and soak in on vitamin D-inducing sunshine to restore nail health.
• Keep nails nice and moist to keep them from chipping and cracking.
• If you have short fingers, give your nails a round shape to give the illusion of longer fingers. If on the other hand, your fingers and nails are slim, then shape them square, but with rounded edges. Oval is a shape that suits all fingers and nails, except the very thin ones.
  

HYDRA POWER

Here’s a revolutionary skin care product from Nina Ricci — Hydra Ricci. With cucumber flower and white jasmine, the range of moisterisers hydrate and supply nutrients to only those parts of your skin that need it. The base of these moisturisers is an water extract from tomatoes. So try out the Moisturizing and Energizing Mask, or Moisturizing Fluid (for greasy skin and normal to dry skin) and get hydra empowered!

WEAR AND CARE

Patchy, smudged and oily. Is that how you look merely an hour after applying the most expensive and branded cosmetics?

But do not fret, for Angela Boh, regional director of the world famous Shiseido, has all the answers you’re looking for. She insists that it is the combination of skin care and make-up, which gives you those radiant, glowing looks.

The most important, according to Angela, is to recognise your skin type.

Shiseido recommends the cleanse, soften, moisturise and tone as against the usual cleanse, tone and moisturise regimen, followed by cosmetics.

At Saga, using Shiseido make-up and skin care products Boh went on to demonstrate through the day, what the perfect beauty and skin care regime ought to be.