Nail polish remover Obvious I know, but picking the right nail polish remover can make the difference between strong, healthy nails and ones that split and peel from dehydration. Bourjois Magic 1 Second Nail Polish Remover comes in a convenient little pot containing a sponge in which you dip your finger and twist to remove the polish. It’s super quick, plus the acetone-free formula is made with nourishing sweet almond oil to enrich your nails.
There are a few things that I look for in a good nail polish; gorgeous colours, even application and a long-lasting formula among them. As a proud (ok, slightly ashamed) owner of more than 60 bottles of nail polish for my personal use, I would also say that I am relatively expert on the subject. It was therefore with great interest that we received a selection of nail polishes from Colombian brand TOY (“Two Of You”) who have recently launched in SA, with four new shades to trial and the “Diamond Cocktail” topcoat. I’ve put them through their paces and…
With summer fast approaching I have shelved my usual plummy reds and purple nail polishes in favour of something a bit more light and fresh. My go-to shade for the past two summers has been Topless & Barefoot by Essie, which I think sums up the spirit of summer perfectly (I mean, don’t we all want to be topless and barefoot? I know I do – well, in a way that doesn’t get me arrested, of course). The shade is a lovely soft pinky beige and, this is going to sound ridiculous but please humour me, it looks expensive. You…
Doing my nails is one of my great joys in life – I love nothing more than sitting down with my nail file, buffing tool, cuticle pusher-backer and polish remover and giving myself a mini manicure. I usually manage to do this about once a week and then top it off with a quick paint job thats last me until the next time because I generally take care of my nails. Even so, I’ve found recently that they’re starting to peel really badly and it’s driving me nuts. I asked my nail guru Charlotte for advice and she suggested I…
I’ve always been very careful about looking after my nails – I wear gloves when I wash up, I file and buff them regularly, I condition my cuticles and use hand cream on a daily basis. Even so, they take a beating and recently I’ve found that they’re peeling so badly that my nail polish was flaking off with the top layer of the nail within a day of painting them (my manicure usually lasts me 4 or more days at least). I’m busy trialing Sally Hansen Miracle Cure to help improve the situation but I also spotted this helpful…
In the same way that every girl should have a capsule wardrobe of versatile classics that can be worn throughout the year, every girl should also have a collection of basic nail polishes for different occassions. Not everyone needs a fridge full of bottles like me (66 of them, to be exact) because a well-edited set of essential colours in good quality formulas will cover all the bases. This means that you can accessorise your more expensive “investment pieces” with cheap polishes in trendy shades when you want to mix things up. Here is my pick of the five best…
1. Essie Nail Polish in Sole Mate – R99 The perfect deep, rich plum colour for cold, drizzly days. 2. Revlon Brilliant Strength Nail Enamel in Beguile – R89 An intriguing, blackened blue-purple duochrome in a hard-wearing formula. 3. Inglot Nail Enamel in 965 – R99 Unusual, high gloss, blue-toned gunmetal shade with no nasty chemicals. 4. Nails Inc Nail Polish in Porchester Square – R110 A sophisticated, muted, mushroom colour – this bestseller is the perfect winter nude. 5. Ciaté Crème Nail Polish in Main Stage – R99 A bold but chic purple-pink creme for those unready to take…
When I first moved back from London, I was so out of the loop that I didn’t know where to go for the essentials like nails and waxing (the trauma). Luckily for me, a good friend quietly whispered in my ear that there was only one place to go, and that place was Dante Wellness Spa. And how right she was! Dante was founded a few years ago by the Stefanutti sisters, and offers a full range of treatments from manicures and pedicures to luxury facials and massages. I have been going to Dante for all of my mani/pedi’s and…
I came across these in Clicks a little while ago and I thought they were cute so I picked up the bow and moustache designs. Each little block is a self-adhesive stencil that sticks well to your nails and lets you quickly and neatly jazz up your manicure. I put them to the test using Essie Off the Shoulder as a base and Woolworths Metallic Champagne for the accent colour. My verdict: Fab and fun! Price: R29.95 Availability: Clicks, Edgars, Dis-Chem, some pharmacies Images by me.
After reading Charlotte’s guest post on the key to a chip free mani, I decided that it was high time for me to investigate this nail dehydrator business. I picked up a bottle of OPI Chip Skip Nail Lacquer in the hopes that it would help prolong the life of my manicure. Here’s the rundown: How does Chip Skip work? It works by dehydrating the surface of your nail by absorbing any surface moisture/oil. By eliminating that layer of moisture or oil, it allows the polish to really adhere to your nail and stops it from chipping as easily. How…