Nailing down the problem...

Dear BGND,

I have had it with my nails! They are so brittle and they break every chance they get. They peel, they are weak and it is so annoying to want to go for a manicure but not being able to because of my stumpy and sad nails. Please help! What can I do to make my nails grow, last and be healthy in general?!

Breaking in Boston

Dear Breaking in Boston,

Nails are difficult to be sure. I am not personally blessed with long, lovely nails that grow easily. I have had to force mine into submission and even then they do not always cooperate. But I do have some tried and true tips that I can give you both to get your nails in top shape, but to keep them that way.

1) Keep them covered

I know this idea of constant nail polish seems counter-intuitive but if your nails are in bad shape they are probably dry and dehydrated. And while it is important to give your nails the occasional breather, one of the easiest and best ways to strengthen nails in the short term is to keep them covered. Nail polish traps your nails natural oils and whatever moisture you already have in there, plus as we all know, polish is a hard cover. This will help peeling, breaking and general assaults on your fingernails.

I don't recommend continually covering your nails with dark polish. Try to rotate between soft colors and deep pigment (you don't want to stain or yellow your nails with too much dark polish). But if you are simply looking for something to cover your nails that is low maintenance I recommend good old fashioned Sally Hansen Hard as Nails or Sally Hansen Double Duty Strengthening Base and Top Coat (show below).

Available nationwide at drugstores - $2.99

2 - Love your cuticles
This goes hand in hand with the #1 tip on this post. Just like it says above, if your nails are dry they will break. Keeping your cuticles soft and moisturized will also go a long way in keeping your nails healthy and growing. The easiest way to achieve happy cuticles takes only a minute a day. To deal with this at night - rub cuticle cream into your nails before bed and then follow with a hand moisturizer. Or if you prefer to add that minute to your morning routine - rub some cuticle oil into your nail bed right before you get into your shower. I have found that the heat and steam of the shower will allow the oil to soak in as you get into the shower and even the 2 minutes before the oil comes into contact with your shower soaps will allow for some great moisturizing benefits. For your morning cuticle oil I recommend Sally Hansen Vitamin E Nail and Cuticle Oil. For your nighttime cuticle fix, I recommend Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream (shown below).

Online at burtsbees.com or at drugstores nationwide- $6.00

3) You are what you eat - and that goes for your nails too!
I love junk food. And when I over do it- my nails suffer. However, I always can tell when I have been really good with my eating because my nails look fantastic. If I am eating my fruits and veggies and drinking my water, my nails are healthy, shiny and long. It is an easy fix to your nail issues. Observe how your eating coordinates with your nails and you will see what I am talking about. Good for your body, your health and your nail growth!

So those are my top three major tips but some other good and easy ideas to keep your nails on the path to amazing status are below:

- Keep a nail file in your purse, in your car, easily reachable at home, in your desk at work etc.....That way every time you do have a break or a snag you can file in softly and not pick at it or peel the break away. If you file you are gently solving the issue, if you peel at a snag you will cause more tears and more damage to your nail.

- Treat your nails like they are already fabulous. File them, buff them, protect them everyday. Ask your lunch mate to open your can of soda and don't bite or chew on those nails. The better you treat your nails, the better they will be.

- Every time you wash your hands, follow up with hand cream. Constant washing is one of the easiest ways to damage your nails and strip them of moisture. Same can be said for those hand sanitizers....so if you are washing moisture off- replace it.

Well Breaking in Boston, I wish you luck. Hard, strong nails are difficult to achieve but well worth it and I think the tips on today's post will get your there.

Keep looking fabulous!
BGND

Shopping Surprises

Just a quick little shopping tip for your Friday..
If you are looking for some hard to find beauty item and the usual sites are coming up empty (Drugstore.com, target.com, beauty.com, walmart.com etc...) - there are two sites that should not go unchecked.

1 - Ebay.com
I know a lot of people are scared off by eBay but it truly can be your best friend for so many things. Often times there are not only hard to find beauty products on eBay but also things that have been discontinued. I have bought discontinued colors of some of my favorite lipsticks and lip glosses, hard to find/keep in stock OPI nail polish and many other beauty finds. So if you are looking for something and you can't find it either online or in any of your usual stores- don't forget about eBay!

2 - Amazon.com
I know, I know...most people only think of amazon.com as a place for books and dvds only. But what amazon.com can be SO GREAT for is beauty products. This was the only place I was able to find the foot lotion that I love recently and it was the cheapest that I have ever found it. Add to that the benefit of free shipping and you have found your go-to place for all your products.

Anyway, hope these two spots will make your hunt for beauty goods easier- I know they have for me.

Have a great weekend and keep looking fabulous!
BGND

Product of the week - October 23rd, 2008

Eye creams are a dime a dozen. So many work, so many do nothing..but in general I find it pretty easy to find a decent one for a decent price.

My current fave is this week's POTW superstar...

Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Eye Cream - $12.99 (Online at cvs.com and at drugstores nationwide)

I LOVE this eye cream. I have been using it for well over a year. It is cool and soothing and chock full of all the good stuff - Lycopene, Vitamin C etc.. Best of all, it promotes cell turnover and diminishes all that puffiness and the nasty darkness that loves to lurk in the eye area. AND it helps smooth out those nasty fine lines. Even better- it smells fantastic. Honestly, it is a good deal, does it's job and does it for a decent price.

Don't walk, run out and go get this eye cream.

Keep looking fabulous!

BGND

Good vibrations

Well kids, I am sure you have seen the ads...I am sure you have seen the inserts...I am sure you heard the buzz - literally.

I am of course talking about the newest make-up fad on the market- "Vibrating Mascara". Now if you have not heard of this new fancy invention you may be thinking - "wtf"? Well let me tell you I have heard nothing but raves. The concept is simple, your mascara wand vibrates as you use it thereby depositing more mascara on your lashes but doing so without clumps and without your hand getting tired from the application of 15 coats per lash. It is new and fancy and the latest trick out there to get you ridiculously long lashes.

I have not tried out the vibrating wands yet but like I said, I have heard nothing but major kuddos. My one biggest complaint? The price tag! Of course for a make-up implement to be actually mechanical one cannot assume that the price will be under $20 (but BGND can dream!)



The best reviewed vibrating mascaras on the market?


Lancome Oscillation - $34 (Lancome counters nationwide and online at Lancome.com)

Now first things first- $34 - OUCH! That is some pricey lash ink! However, the brush literally oscillates to coat each and every lash from every angle and good old Lancome is known and thought by many to be THE industry standard when it comes to mascara. So in BGND's opinion, go big or go home. If you are looking to try out this (somewhat ridiculous) new invention - go with the grandaddy of them all.

Now I am not totally sold on the necessity of this kind of mascara - I have my good old fashioned favorites. However, make-up shouldn't be safe or have boundaries so I like that this is an out-of-the-box idea and I am going to roll with it.

So BGND readers, if you do pick up some of this mascara or any of the other vibrating brands- report- let me know what you think and let the great vibrate debate begin!

Keep looking fabulous!

BNGD

Stinky Business

Oh BGND friends....

Every once in a while, we all have a facial crisis of sorts...a time when our skin decides to rebel and do something so wrong, so evil that we can only hang our sad faces in shame, shake our heads and think- why skin? WHY?

Well ladies and gents, BGND is having one of those moments. The skin around my mouth, the sides of my nose, my chin and even my jawline and upper neck is FREAKING OUT. It is dry, it is red, it is itchy - IT IS ANGRY AT SOMETHING.

Well, I am sad to report- it is rebelling against something I had high hopes for. Something that had been recommended to me, something that has received beauty award after beauty award.

The offender?

AVON Renew Retroactive Night Cream

Now- the picture I have above is NOT the exact cream that I am using. I actually believe that my particular Avon night cream has been phased out by the company. However, I bring it up to you, my loyal readers more for the lesson I have learned from this ugly face situation than to diss this particular cream. I was recommended this cream - I was told how great it was, what it would do for my fine lines, how it would moisturize and make me wake up with fabulous glowtastic skin.

Well, it has not. Why you ask? Well first of all, let me tell you that I am using this cream on a lark (not always a great idea). I am currently traveling and I had this in my bag of "to try" products. So I packed it away instead of my usual night cream and after 3 nights- disaster. First of all, in the cream's one defense, I am in a different part of the country with different temps/humidity/water. However, the issues I have with the cream, not because of these factors.

The biggest tip off that something was wrong? The SMELL of this cream. Not sour or bad, but strong and very perfumed. I have a girlfriend who also recently tried this cream and she also told me of the smell (yay Beth!) and she was not joking. It seems like a scented body lotion in terms of scent strength, not a face cream. And what does that mean? ALCOHOL. And if you want to dry out your skin and irritate it into a inch of it's life- use a cream heavy in alcohol. In winter, you should be using something soothing and rich. Something to moisturize your tired skin while you sleep, give it new life and work with your anti-agers, not against them. This was not that cream.

Well, I have re-learned my lesson. Beware alcohol. It does not belong in your night cream. It will dry you out- it will make your anti-agers angry and it won't work. I tried to give this cream a shot, I thought all the reviewers couldn't be wrong. But I was right and they were wrong. BAD. VERY BAD. So if you get something new and it seems like you are putting perfume on your face and not lotion, get rid of it. You can give it a try like I did- but beware the possible results. And most importantly- 9 times out of 10 YOU CAN RETURN OPENED BEAUTY PRODUCTS. CVS takes things back, Sephora takes things back no questions asked..many places will take things back if you just explain you had a bad reaction. Even salons and day spas will often take things back...it doesn't hurt to try.

So go forth BGND readers- with soft, smooth, NON-DRY facial skin!

Keep looking fabulous,
BGND

I love a Parade....

In this age of the Internet and news every which way, very few of us still pick up a newspaper - BGND included. Well, my mother is an avid newspaper reader and being that I am at the 'rents house right now, I have perused a newspaper or two in the past few days.

Well, I was SUPER pleased to discover that one of my childhood faves- Parade Magazine is still out there and in full effect every Sunday. I have always loved Parade for the random articles, the "profile"on the last page and the questions section on the inside of the front page. Well yesterday I was pleased to discover that Parade's main article of the week was something BGND related. This week's Parade highlighted the subject of women's health. And although here at BGND we are primarily beauty focused, I am a firm believer in you are what you eat, take your vitamins, drink at least 8 glasses of water a day and get as much sleep as possible. All of these things will help you in your quest for beauty far more than any product. So this week's Parade subject was right up my alley.

Best of all, the article does not disappoint. It highlights the following:

1. Breast Cancer diagnosis and screening




2. How to avoid the common injury




3. Four ways women are different from men




4. Sensational skin at any age

All of the topics are well covered, well written and a fresh breeze in your day from a reliable old school source.

You can read the entire selection here:

http://www.parade.com/healthystyle/index.html

So check it out and enjoy the blast from the past that is Parade Magazine.
All of the information is great and totally relatable!!

Keep looking and feeling fabulous!

BGND

It's Not Easy Being Green...

Ah, going "green"...oh so trendy, oh so of the moment....oh so not something people are really doing. Yes of course, we have our canvas shopping bags and we have started using those energy saving light bulbs- all worthwhile efforts.
But have you ever really stopped and thought about what your product addiction is doing to the environment? If you are like me, you buy many different things and a lot come double wrapped in plastic with fancy eye-catching packaging.

Well remember, you CAN recycle all of those containers although you may not think so....seriously, even the little plastic tubes and tubs your eye cream comes in can be recycled. And of course, your shampoo and conditioner bottles, your shaving cream cans..these days most things can be reduced and reused.

So today, here are my top 5 tips for going "green" when it comes to your cosmetics...
(On a side note - I am not going to address the chemical implications of cosmetic companies and trying to be organic - that is a topic for a different day.)

1- Recycle within your favorite brands and companies
Many brands out there will offer incentive programs for bringing back empty containers of their products. Often times you will get a discount or a free refill but even if not, it makes you feel good. I am aware that M.A.C. and Aveda both offer recycling programs and I know many other companies out there do as well. So if you have a favorite brand, check out their website, ask a sales clerk- you never know what do-gooding possibilities lie within the walls of your favorite store.

2 - Buy in Bulk
Now we all know Costco is a dangerous/glorious place when trying to curb your crazy over-consumption. However, if there are things that you always use- your bathroom staples if you will - that are available at Costco or Sam's Club...there is really no reason not to buy them in bulk. You will save money on the price of the product, you will be using and recycling one large container instead of many little ones and you will be saving gas on fewer trips to the drugstore (oh- and saving money by going to the drugstore less and therefore buying less impulse purchases!)

3 - Packaging, packaging, packaging
Don't judge a book by it's cover and don't buy something just because it is wrapped up in a nice little bow. I am victim to buying something that has more packaging than usual because it comes with a "free gift" attached...and guess what, I never use that free gift and off it goes into the garbage full of product instead of into the recycling bin empty. So although it goes without saying, look for products that are not wrapped when not necessary - why does lipstick need to be in plastic on cardboard? It doesn't - try to shop for companies that recognize this.

4 - Disposable probably means disposable in your routine as well
You all know my feelings on the "facial in a cloth" - unnecessary. The same can be said for most "one-use" beauty products. Don't use individual exfoliation pads- use a reusable washcloth. Try to use the replaceable razors, not the all in one disposables. There are tons of "one-use" items on the market and almost all of them are cheaper and better for the environment in their original form- in bottle or can with washcloth or good old fashioned bare hand application.

5 - Think outside the box
You can save money and the environment by thinking outside the box. My biggest shower change this year? I went back to good old Dove soap and a washcloth instead of the shower gel and poof. Now I recycle the cardboard the soap comes in and can wash the washcloth over and over again. All this = very little waste. Shower gel comes in a plastic bottle that cannot be refilled and shower poofs go straight into the garbage when tired and worn out. And the cycle of buying the poof and the gel just keeps going. All that = lots of waste. This one change has allowed me to reduce my consumption (and save money) in a big way.

Now don't get me wrong - BGND is not perfect...never have been, never will be. But I can try to be green whenever possible so I am making a real difference in my home, not just by showing off my canvas bag at the grocery store.

Keep looking fabulous!
BGND