french manicure strips: lazy femme's best friend!

2012-06-30T01:15:00.003-05:00

I love nail polish strips. They are a godsend. =) I've never been able to prevent air bubbles or nail polishes splashes on my cuticles while painting my nails, so doing DYI French manicures is another set of problems, and is more time consuming (like 2-3 hours!). Plus, I'm even more impatient with the drying time.With all the nail polish strips out there, from Sally Hansen Salon Effects to Sephora's own nail polish strips, I'm surprised they haven't come out with a French Manicure one yet! Avon first came out with a French Manicure nail strip kit (now discontinued, along with their other nail polish strip colors...boo!), about 6 years ago.

And then came Incoco. If you're looking for French manicure strips, Incoco's got 'em. They've been making French manicure strips for about 6 years now (as well as their other colors and now Nail Art designs; I've turned to Incoco once Avon stopped making their strips), and their French manicure strips are gorgeous. There are 5 different French manicure shades (my favorite one is Champagne...it's flattering on all skin tones, with a bit of shimmer). They're easy to apply, simply follow the instructions (you can choose to put on the tips first and then the colored strips, or vice versa). The colored strips (not the white tips) have different sizes on both ends, so you should be able to find a size that fits the contour of your cuticles. There are also French manicure white and colored tips available.

The caveat is that Incoco strips are only available online and in certain "Incoco Nail Bars" in New Jersey. (Walgreens used to carry Incoco strips in stores, but discontinued carrying them long ago. Sigh). So, until Sally Hansen and brands make French Manicure strips widely available in stores, Incoco is the go-to for French Manicure strips.They're $8.99, which is a little expensive, but they're worth it (since they're the only strips out there with different cuticle sizes to fit your fingers, and it comes with everything you need for a perfect application [cuticle stick, buffer, and a nail polish remover pad] ).

Have you found any brands out there that make French Manicure nail strips widely available elsewhere?

Lazy Pimple Popper: Poppin' zits with flossing sticks!

2012-04-03T21:11:00.000-05:00

Although dermatologists advise against pimple popping (because it can lead to acne scarring, infection and the spread of bacteria), they do have tips on popping pimples "safely". Dermatologists and facialists emphasize using very clean fingers (or disposable tools such as cotton swabs or tissues, or fingers wrapped in tissue) and gently pressing away and against the pimple.

I discovered a "lazy" way to pop zits: dental floss picks. It's a great sterile choice, too, like cotton swabs and/or disposable gloves used to gently extract zits. You just throw the pick away after you're done extracting a zit, and bacteria is less likely to spread (as long as you're not reusing the pick to pop other pimples, which is a big no-no).

To "safely" pick a zit with a flossing pick, clean your hands and face well. For easier extraction, apply a warm compress to the pimple to open up the pore.Make sure your fingers are very clean, and that the zit is "ready" to be picked. If it's mostly white and looks like it's about to explode, then it's easier to extract. If it's mostly red with little or no white center, then leave the zit alone.

1) Use the pointy end of the flossing pick (the white ones by Dentek in the picture above are a good choice) to gently poke a hole in the pimple.

2) Then use the flossing part of the pick and gently roll over the zit with the floss to extract more pus. Use gentle pressure; don't force all the pus out. You can also press against both sides of the zit gently with the floss and roll over the zit to extract it.

3) Once you're done extracting the zit, throw away the pick. Do NOT reuse the pick, otherwise you'll spread the bacteria around. Use a NEW pick if you feel you need to go over the zit one more time. Wash your hands and clean the popped zit and the area around the zit. Optional: after cleansing, dab pimple cream (I prefer ones with benzoyl peroxide) on the popped zit to kill bacteria.

lazyfemmebeauty

french manicure strips: lazy femme's best friend!

Lazy Pimple Popper: Poppin' zits with flossing sticks!