Infinite Ideas - Look Gorgeous Always: Simple Ideas for Everyday Beauty

Look gorgeous always

Simple ideas for everyday beauty

Infinite Ideas with Linda Bird

7. Hands-on treatments

Your hands speak volumes about your toilette. If you cant stretch to salon manicures, there are easy ways to titivate your nails on the cheap.

Think of your nails as the icing on a cake the finishing touch to your outfit, shoes, hair and make-up. A neatly manicured set says youre well groomed and glamorous.

The first steps to gorgeous hands are to wash and dry them regularly and to always use hand cream. Keep a jar by every sink in your house plus one in your handbag. Okay, most women are meticulous about hygiene and we dont need reminding to wash our hands after using the loo. However, the more you do it the better. Interestingly, one US study found that if you wash your hands five times a day you could dramatically slash your risk of catching germs and getting ill. It was based on a two-and-a-half year hand-washing programme conducted by the navy. Another reason why everyone loves a sailor!

Dont underestimate the protective powers of a pair of Marigolds. Always use rubber gloves when washing up. Also, use them when cleaning as household-cleaning products can make your skin dry and your nails dry and brittle.

A nightly trick to soften hands is to smother Vaseline, or petroleum jelly, into your nails, which will have a dramatic effect on taming your cuticles. For best results wear cotton gloves to bed afterwards and youll wake with beautifully soft hands.

You can eat your way to better nails, too, say the experts. The best foods for nails include plenty of protein (fish, meat, soya, tofu, eggs) to help them grow and prevent those white lines from appearing across them. And B vitamins, found in eggs, seafood and root vegetables, are a good way to keep nasty ridges at bay. Eat plenty of fish, fish oils and seeds, which are all rich in essential fatty acids that help nourish nails. Foods rich in zinc, such as seafood, lean meat and wholegrains, help prevent white spots. Brittle nails? Youll need to eat lots of calcium and vitamin-A foods such as carrots, peaches, leafy vegetables and tinned fish, which are great for strengthening dry nails.

Treat yourself to a home manicure every week or two and save the real thing for special occasions. Remove old polish and then shape each nail with an emery board (nail files are too severe). Dont saw away at your nails or youll break them. Instead, use light strokes from the edges towards the centre. Massage your cuticles with cuticle cream or add a few drops of cuticle massage oil to a bowl of warm water. Soak your cuticles for five minutes, then push them back using a cuticle stick. Wash your hands, then apply a protective base coat of clear varnish to your nails, followed by a coat or two of colour. Leave your hands for twenty minutes or so to avoid smudging them, then add a sealing topcoat.

Dont forget to apply sunscreen on your hands. We rarely think about protecting our hands from the sun because we rarely burn there, but hands will give away your age better than any other part of your body and can even add a few cruel years too, so look after them. I once worked with a PR for a beauty company. She was based in LA and wore taupe leather gloves everywhere she went to protect her skin. She may have had a touch of the Howard Hughes about her, but it worked and she had the hands of a twelve year old.

How did it go?

QWhat can I do to minimise my huge hands?

ATry wearing billowy sleeves, which make arms and hands look daintier. Huge jewellery, such as chunky gold or silver bangles and elaborate rings, can make hands and fingers look smaller. Keeping hands exfoliated and moisturised can make them seem more feminine.

QI have yellowing nails. What can I do to whiten them?

AWearing nail varnish regularly can cause yellowing nails, so go au naturel at least one or two days each week, which will bring the natural pink colour back in no time. Also, scrub your nails regularly to clean them and try soaking them in lemon juice for a few minutes, which can remove stains without drying your skin.

QWhats a cheap way to pamper my hands without getting a manicure?

AOnce a week apply a moisturising face pack to your hands and leave for ten or fifteen minutes. Then rinse it off and give your hands a massage with some lovely rich gooey handcream or a natural oil such as almond or grapeseed.

Heres an idea for you

To calm yourself in moments of stress and to relieve headaches and any tension in your neck and shoulders, apply pressure to the acupoint between your thumb and first finger (to find it, feel for the muscle that you feel when you press your thumb and index finger together). Press for one second, then pump for a minute.

Defining idea

Without grace, beauty is an unbaited hook.

FRENCH PROVERB

8. Move that body

Exercise has the potential to transform your body and do wonders for your skin. And its free!

Theres nothing to beat a post-workout glow the radient skin and sparkling eyes. Except perhaps the smug knowledge that youve burned calories and helped tone your wobbly bits.

Like love, exercise is a drug. It can make you feel amazing and crap simultaneously. Extraordinary things happen at a physiological level when you exercise, too. When you start moving, endorphins natural opiates are released, which block your bodys pain receptors so you feel almost euphoric.

Exercise is great for your complexion, too, because it boosts blood circulation, which gives your skin a healthy glow and helps draw out impurities. When you exercise, a growth hormone is secreted into your body, which helps thicken and firm up the skin and puts wrinkles on hold. Studies have shown that athletes skin is thicker and contains more collagen than other peoples. The good news is that even a small amount of exercise can make a major difference. The aim is to increase oxygen to the skin. At rest the average person takes in about 0.5 litres of air with every breath, but with exercise your air intake can increase to 4.5 litres per breath, which means a lot more oxygen is getting to your skin.

Experts say we should aim for a minimum of three twenty- to thirty-minute aerobic sessions per week, such as running, swimming, cycling, dancing or brisk walking. If possible, also try to add in three half-hour sessions of weight or resistance work, which increases muscle mass and can boost your bodys metabolism and improve the way your body handles free radicals. These wreak havoc on your body, including your skin so invest in some dumbbells or try walking or cycling uphill.

If youre new to exercise, dont rush it. Start small and be realistic about what you want to achieve. Dont declare youre going to lose a stone in two weeks, which would be neither healthy nor realistic. Instead, focus on an event, such as having to fit into a dress. Every week aim to do something, even if its a twenty-minute stroll every other day. Make a list of what youre going to do each week and stick to it. And try to change your approach to exercise and think of it as a way to de-stress, energise and make your skin glow, not merely burning calories.

Exercise may also make you more interesting! Studies have shown that long-distance exercise such as rowing, walking, running or swimming is good for creativity because while youre doing it your brain is set free. Anything over ten minutes counts.

Try getting some friends on board. If you make a social event of your exercise, youre more likely to stick at it. In one recent study, people who made friends at their gym tended to exercise more often than people without gym buddies. If youre not a gym member, make dates to walk or exercise with a friend to help you keep on track.