On the road to better nails?

Hello everyone.

As I said in my ‘Late-August/not-quite-September-yet purchases’ article, I’m trying to get my nails in better shape. This is a short post to show you what my nails look like right now. I’d say they are very dry, especially the cuticles, and they are brittle and bendy; not how I’d want my nails to be. I understand that diet is another big factor to take into consideration when trying to get better nails but I won’t include anything that isn’t nail care related.

So here is a quick list of the products I am trying out, again, they were all in the article I mentioned above.

1. Leighton Denny Crystal Nail File.

2. Leighton Denny Quatro, 4 in 1 Nail File & Buffer.

3. O.P.I. Original Nail Envy used as a base coat.

4. Seche Vite used as a top coat.

5. Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream to soften my cuticles.

I will probably write articles about these products, when the trial is over. Until then, here is a picture of my nails this evening, just before I manicured them.

Before I end this post, here is a picture of my nails after a manicure and with a nude nail polish on. The polish is Ciate ‘My fair Lady’ and guess what? It is a full size bottle, and came free with the September 2011 issue of Marie Claire. The colour on the picture is pretty close to the one in real life, only a little pinker, I’d say it is a perfect nude for fair to light-medium skin tones, that’s not saying you shouldn’t try it if you are of a darker complexion.

What condition would you say your nails are in? Do you know of any ‘miracle’ products that could help me get healthier nails?

Juliette

Do you dare to go sheer?

Hello everyone.

Until recently, I haven’t felt comfortable enough with the way my skin looks to wear light coverage foundation let alone try a tinted moisturizer! I was always an Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation kind of girl. I have since learnt that I didn’t need much coverage and that a bit of concealer would do the trick, and so I have been experimenting with new products to even out my skin tone without putting a full mask on.

I started with lighter coverage foundations then obviously tried a couple of BB creams, and I’m finally at the tinted moisturizer stage. Today’s article is a review of the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer spf 20 – Illuminating which is the sheerest product I have ever used. The illuminating version is a variation of the infamous tinted moisturizer the brand is known for (well that and the fact that they pioneered the foundation primer).

Now, I have never tried any other Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer but I know I like a dewy finish as I find matte finishes make my face look pale and flat. I went to my local department store and asked to try the illuminating tinted moisturizer rather than the classic one. The sale assistant agreed that is was an excellent choice as I was telling her how much I loved the new YSL foundation.

The tinted moisturizer comes in a 50ml tube, it has a SPF of 20 and is available in five shades : Bare Radiance, Natural Radiance, Warm Radiance, Golden Radiance and Bronze Radiance. We tried Warm Radiance, which was too red. Golden Radiance looked good but Natural Radiance looked perfect on me. Honestly, I could have gotten either of them, they are so sheer.

So what does it look like? It is scented? How does it feel? The product comes out a bit darker than it will apply so don’t worry about the way it looks do try it on and see what it looks like in natural light. It is quite hard to explain how the product look but I suppose i could say there are glowing particles in it. Some may say shimmer but it really isn’t shimmery at all I’d say it’s a pearlescent moisturizer and it feel really silky. The product isn’t really scented, in fact I can barely smell anything when I apply it. When you blend it to the skin there is hardly any coverage at all, I’d say it just improves the appearence of the skin by making it look more healthy. The tube suggests that you layer for additional coverage, and so I did try, but I didn’t like it. It just didn’t look right, I don’t think this product should be layered on.

Now that I’ve used it for a little while I’d say the best application is with fingers or a classic foundation brush, I use a Sigma F60 for example and I then apply some concealer where I need it. I do not wear anything under it now as I found that the usual products I put under my foundations make the tinted moisturizer slide off my face. When I had the demo at the counter, the lady did put a prier first, the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer – Radiance, this made my face look absolutely amazing helped keep the tinted moisturizer on and I’m thinking of going back to buy that primer too.

While there is an oil-free version of Laura Mercier tinted moisturized, this one contains oil and so it probably isn’t for oily skin and I would use with caution on combination skin. I don’t powder but maybe this would help.

I’ve read some reviews suggesting this might be more of a summer product, I tend to agree with this but I’m not against wearing it for a bit longer this year and maybe try it during winter. I can always use it as a very light highlighter during the cold months.

So what do I actually think? Well… I have a love/hate relationship with this product, while some days I love it and I think it’s the best product ever on my skin, other days I put it on and take it off straight away to replace it with something with more coverage like my YSL Teint Touche Éclat. As I said above, this product only improves the appearance of your skin, making it look healthier. I wouldn’t recommend it to those of you who need a medium or higher coverage or if you need to cover quite a few problem areas.

I think it is a bit too daring for me right now but I am still working towards using sheerer products on a daily basis as I know my skin is in very good condition, I just need to get used to it.

If you dare to go sheer then you should really try one of the infamous Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizers. Get the illuminating one here.

What do you think of tinted moisturizers? Which on is your favourite one?

Juliette