Things I'm Loving: Hand & Cuticle Moisture

Purchased By Shelby Lou

Hey all! I can't believe my vacation is almost over, Monday is going to be rough. I got a lot of house projects taken care of and switched over my decor to fall. Fall is by far my favorite season and I love that I can leave all the decorations up for three months (September 1st to November 30th, baby!). I also love that everything for breakfast now has a pumpkin option (Starbucks PSL--I'm looking at you). I met up with some nail friends and old friends over my break and spent some quality time with my husband and my kitties. I also read some frivolous magazines that had piled up. All in all a wonderful vacation! Oh yeah, but I did forget about blog stuffs... oops. Okay, I'll make up for that now.

Things I'm Loving! Hand & Cuticle Care Products

Today I want to share the hand and cuticle products I am using and loving right now. I like to try new stuff and am always looking for the next best thing. But the products I'm using right now... I don't know if it's possible to get better!

Stock image from Amazon.

For general moisture I have been using OPI Avojuice. I recently got a couple bottles on clearance at Ulta, score! Avojuice is that wonderful soak-right-in-without-feeling-greasy lotion you've been searching for, perfect for summer. The fragrances are nice, not overpowering. I can be sensitive to floral fragrances but I actually have two florals and they don't bother me at all--I love them! I also like to use this while swatching or taking photos because it replenishes moisture on my hands and cuticles without looking greasy.

Click here to see the Starter/Refill Kit for Bliss Kiss!
Image from Nail Care HQ Website.

Generally for my cuticles I use Bliss Kiss Pure Nail Oil. I can't rave enough about this oil, it is life changing. I really urge you to visit Ana's website at Nail Care HQ to read testimonials for yourself. I don't know what the secret of this oil is, it is not only moisturizing but also healing. I do need to note though: I gave my mom an unscented pen to try and she ended up being allergic to one of the ingredients (we are guessing there may be chamomile in it based on her past reactions). If you have any allergies you might want to contact Ana first. She is a lovely person and always willing to help!

Cosmetic Sanctuary did a great review on
365 Days of Color, check it out!

For fragrance treats and intensive treatments I go to 365 Days Of Color. 365DOC has an insane number of fragrances (check out her detailed spreadsheet here) but my favorite is Lavender, it is seriously the best lavender scent ever. Once a week I take off my polish and slather on Sunny's Hand Cream for the night covered with cotton gloves. I can have crusty mummy hands at night and in the morning my hands are soft and plump like a fat happy baby's. I keep Sunny's Miracle Balm at work. It's a little greasy if you overuse it but it is not sticky at all. I recommend trying a sampler pack, you can choose all different fragrances for each product, too! There is also a fall exclusive box coming out mid-month, make sure you follow 365DOC for a heads-up about the release.

LUSH Lemony Flutter, Handy Gurugu, and Ultrabalm

Lastly, LUSH Cosmetics. Oh Lush, where have you been all my life? I had always heard about Lemony Flutter, but took awhile to finally pull the trigger and buy it. When I finally went in to a store this big guy with a crazy beard and curly mustache massaged Lemony Flutter into my cuticles and I was sold. You need so little and can see your cuticles just soaking up the magic. I also picked up Handy Gurugu which is a lovely hand lotion, it soaks right in! All of Lush's products are nicely concentrated and are to be used sparingly, I seriously don't know if I can get through that whole tub of Lemony Flutter in a year. When I compare Lush to other similar products and factor in the amount you need to achieve the same result (and better!) these are very fairly priced products. I am excited to see how Lemony Flutter gets me through the winter. I have also added this into my cotton-glove routine with great results.

Oh and that guy who demonstrated Lemony Flutter to me? I was highly amused to find out that he had also made my tub of Lemony Flutter--Thanks, Corey, it works great!

Lush Lemony Flutter made by Corey!

You can check out my Pinterest board, The Arsenal, to see what other stuff I am using right now on my nails.

Products:
OPI Avojuice
Bliss Kiss Pure Nail Oil
365 Days Of Color
LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics

Have you loved your cuticles today? What products are you loving or want to try right now?

Beautiful Cuticles: My Favorite Products

With my nubbins for nails this week I decided it was finally time for a product post. When I first started looking at blogs I was always envious of all the beautiful cuticles. It must be witchcraft! I thought. Well surely Photoshop... I am proud to say that I do no editing of cuticles on this blog and can tell you it is possible without selling your soul or spending hours fiddling with technology.

I want to talk about a few basics so everyone can get started. First I recommend reading THIS POST by The Lacquerologist for some science basics on nails. The Lacquerologist is a trained nail tech and really knows her stuff while making it understandable for us laymen (or laywomen). Please note, I will continue to use the vernacular terms I know we all understand.

Okay, now that you've read the science, here is the beginning routine!

Step 1: STEP AWAY FROM THE NIPPERS
I'm serious. I put mine away in the bathroom so that I will not sit and clip every little piece of skin I see. It's not healthy and ends up making your cuticles look worse. Only for hangnails, no more! While you're at it, throw away the nail clippers and use a file only to shorten and shape your nails (that will be another post).

Step 2: Cuticle Remover
I do this about once to twice a week. I first tried Sally Hansen's Instant Cuticle Remover and it worked great so I never looked for anything else. It is affordable, available just about anywhere, and it lasts forever (mine is going on a year and still over 1/4 full).

Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover--comes in an orange box!

I do one hand at a time and use an orange stick to gently slough off the remover and dead cuticle, operative word being GENTLE.
Please note: Read the directions as this is a chemical and can be harmful if used improperly. I promise you will be amazed at the difference in your cuticles, however DO NOT be tempted to do it everyday because you will get a chemical-burn-type of thing (and yeah, I know from experience). Trust me, once or twice a week at the most is all that is needed. Especially if you do Steps 3 and 4 religiously.

Step 3: Moisturize
You know from The Lacquerologist's post that the skin around your nails is different from the skin on your hands. In order to best moisturize your cuticles you need special products, not just any old body lotion. Sometimes I can be a real cheapskate, but I have really noticed a difference in my cuticles since I started using specially formulated oils.
Here are the current lotions and potions that I collected from around my house and purse:

Soap & Glory Hand Food, Gold Bond Ultimate Intensive Healing, Sunny's Hand Cream, Avon Moisture Therapy in Intensive and Oatmeal, KBShimmer Lotion

Sunny's Miracle Balm, Glisten & Glow Nail & Cuticle Balm, Badger Balm (not pictured, but is also great--so great my mom stole it from me)

NailNation 3000 Pineapple Cuticle Oil, Butter London Holiday Handbag Cuticle Oil, Glisten & Glow Glis-tics Cuticle Oil, Avon Cuticle Oil Pen, KBShimmer Cuticle Oil Pen, Bliss Kiss Pure Nail Oil Pen, LynBDesigns Bubby & Toot's Cuticle Loot Oil (not pictured--I forgot it I have so many haha, but it smells wonderful!)

Step 4: Repeat Step 3
...several times a day, as needed.

So while I showed you an arsenal of products, these three are my Holy Grails and will likely be my exclusive future purchases now that I know what works best for me:

Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover + Hand Food + Bliss Kiss = Beautiful Cuticles!

I hope this has been informative! With the dry winter upon us in the US, December is an excellent time to make this a resolution. I find the best time to do my routine is Sunday and Thursday evenings while vegging out in front of the TV. I also keep lotion and oil on me at all times so I can moisturize whenever I notice my hands and cuticles look or feel dry. Stick with it and it will become a reflex.
It takes 30 days to make something a habit. Just think... by New Year's you can have beautiful and healthy nails!

Check out the "Beautiful Cuticles" tab on my home page for more information and purchasing info on some of these products! And for the love of humanity... I hope you've moisturized ;-)