July 11, 2020

5 Reasons Why You Need a Top Coat for Perfect Nails

Even though my nail polish collecting days are behind me, there are still some staple products that I hold on to for my at-home manicure and pedicure to get perfect nails. I actually remember my very first ‘serious’ top coat purchase—it was Orly’s Top2Bottom base coat and top coat in one. To be honest, a two-in-one is a great purchase if you’re on the fence about needing a top coat in the first place. However, if you SERIOUSLY want to make your nail polish last longer, you’ll want a separate top coat and base coat.

What is a top coat (and how does it give me perfect nails)?

A good top coat is more than just clear nail polish! Tell me this—do you find your manicure always chips faster than you want it to? (I know, this makes gel manicures really tempting, but hear me out). Seriously, the answer to the question, “How long does nail polish last?” depends on your base and top coat. These are two key products that you need to get perfect nails.

Or maybe you find waiting for nail polish to dry takes way too long? Believe me, it shouldn’t take hours—what if a top coat did that for you? How to fast dry nail polish is really, really easy with the right top coat. On nails, a good top coat makes a huge difference.

A high quality nail polish top coat does all this and more. I literally don’t do my nails without top coat—even if I’m just putting on a sheer nail polish, adding a quick-drying, glossy layer over the top is just *chef’s kiss*. Perfect nails, instantly.

1) It makes your manicure last longer

Nail polish top coat adds a glossy seal over the polish you’ve just put on, ensuring it doesn’t chip away as easily. This glossy, shiny final layer makes it harder for chips to form in the first place—and works especially well if you’re wrapping your tips.

How make nail polish last longer is something that I took forever to figure out too—however, it’s really easy to get perfect nails when you stop relying on the nail polish alone and use a good top coat.

2) It helps your nails dry faster

How to fast dry nail polish is really freaking easy with a dry fast top coat. Who would have thought?

I totally get it—many of us are fidgety, impatient people and we need this polish to dry RIGHT NOW. How long does it take for nail polish to dry, anyway? (Pssst, that depends on your top coat.)

To be honest, I don’t even consider a top coat these days if quick dry isn’t mentioned anywhere on the label. I’ve got things to do and I can’t wait around for my nails to dry all day! To put it simply, quick dry top coats work by literally solidifying faster, making bumps and nicks harder to make in the nail polish itself.

However, there is a limit to what a quick-drying top coat can do. You can help it work better by not applying super thick coats of nail polish and allowing them a little bit of time to dry before applying top coat. Usually, the time it takes me to paint all my nails is enough!

3) It can make your manicure look like gel

A really good top coat adds some serious gloss to your manicure, too. Seriously—pay attention to how your nails look before and after applying top coat. The nail with the top coat will usually look shinier and thicker—literally more polished to perfection.

Top coats add a more glossy finish and high shine to perfect nails, giving them the illusion of a thicker layer of polish that looks like gel. This is how top coats with ‘plumping and volumizing’ claims work—they’re SUPER shiny in a way that looks like there’s more layers on your nail.

4) It smooths any over application mistakes

This is another thing that helps to lift at-home manicures to the next level. Obviously, you’d hope for no smudging, no little nicks—but sometimes, they just happen. Even when you swear that you stayed still the whole time, there are still tiny little bumps and scrapes that seem like they appear out of nowhere, right? However, there’s no reason to stress—your perfect nails aren’t ruined!

In most cases, they’re small enough that the whole nail doesn’t need redoing. This is where the top coat comes in. It’ll smooth over and fill any tiny little nicks and bumps just enough so that they’re not noticeable, saving you from doing over your nails.

5) It makes your at-home nail art look pro

It is so easy to do nail art at home these days, and half of making it look like a pro did it comes down to using a top coat. When you apply top coat over nail art, it unifies everything and makes it look like a single image (and no, I don’t mean blending all your hard work together)!

It adds that finishing touch and makes everything look 100% better—I promise. There's also nothing worse than working on some amazing nail art from home, only to have it look less than stellar when you're done because you don't have a high-gloss top coat!

Which top coat is best?

A lot of people think that their nail polish chips because they’re using a cheap brand. The thing is, it doesn’t matter what brand of nail polish you use—if you’re using a good quality top coat and base coat, you can make ANY nail polish last (and look good!) for perfect nails.

Some top coats that I’ve purchased again and again in the last few years include Seche Vite, Essie Good to Go, and Essie Gel Setter. I’ve also enjoyed top coats from Sally Hansen and Essence, too—as long as it’s labelled high shine and quick dry, I’m usually happy with most top coats that I try. Let’s break down some of my favorite top coats together.

Seche Vite Top Coat Review

Seche Vite Dry Fast top coat is a classic— as a nail polish blogger, I saw it being recommended again and again, so I thought I’d give it a go. There’s a good reason it comes so highly recommended—I don’t think I’ve ever had my nails look so much like gel before. However, it thickens very quickly and requires the Seche Restore brand thinner to use it again due to Seche Vite’s unique formula. Aside from this, it only has two cons (or one, depending on your perspective).

First, Seche Vite is notorious for causing shrinkage. This happens when the top coat shrinks away from the edges of the nail—here’s a good example of it happening. I’ve only ever had this happen with Seche Vite, but it can be prevented most of the time by wrapping your nail tips (I touched on this earlier in the post). The second thing is that Seche Vite contains toluene, a solvent that some people prefer to avoid.

Essie Good to Go Review

Essie Good to Go is one of my original favorites—I used this before Essie released their Gel Setter Top Coat, and I think it’s one of their first fast-drying top coats. I used this so long ago that I think the packaging has changed twice since I started to use it!

It dries quickly and super shiny, but doesn’t make nails look as gel-like as other top coats. However, it’s one that I relied on for a long time and I would happily recommend it.

Essie Gel Setter Review

I was really curious about this one when it was released because at the time, I was such a fan of the existing Essie Good to Go top coat—so I wondered how Essie Gel Setter could be even better. There was a big trend of nail polish brands adding ‘gel’ to their top coats—the thing is, these aren’t real gel top coats. They’re just making claims about making your regular nail polish look and last as long as gel.

So how did Gel Setter fare? Well, I loved it (and still do!). It’s definitely similar to Good to Go, but to me has a little more plumping and a gel-like finish for nails.

Sally Hansen Big Shiny Top Coat

I was actually sent this one in a PR parcel yonks ago, and I gotta say I used it up until the last drop. I really, really liked the Sally Hansen Big Shiny Top Coat. It was Big, Shiny, and quick-drying—and easy to get and cheap. What’s not to love? I know, it seems like I don’t have a lot to say about this one, but at a certain point if a top coat claims that it’s shiny, it dries fast, and it lasts for at least a week, it speaks for itself (and it’s a tick in my book).

I've also heard good things about Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri in the red bottle—this one has been around for a long time and still gets recommended, along with Mega Shine.

Essence The Gel Top Coat

I actually have a post reviewing this top coat, but I think it’s worth adding to this roundup list. It’s another cheap and cheerful top coat that just works. It ticks all the boxes for me: I get at least a week of chip-free wear, it’s beautifully shiny, and it dries fast. That's all I ask for in a quick dry top coat to give me perfect nails.

Plus, Essence is an affordable brand pretty much everywhere you go. I've spotted it here in Georgia (Eastern Europe, not the American state) and I'm relieved to know that I can get my hands on some old favorites here.

What about matte top coats?

Ooh, I love a good matte top coat. I think they look great over nail art to bring another dimension to your mani—here’s a dry brush manicure I did a while ago, and I think it looks even better matte than glossy.

The thing with matte top coats is that they’re a ‘special effect’ top coat. Even the best matte top coat isn’t designed for this. They’re not formulated to make your manicure last longer or dry faster—so don’t expect them to do that for you. The best way to use a matte top coat is after you’ve sealed everything in with a high-shine, so you get the best of both worlds: a long-lasting mani, and a unique matte effect on your nails.

So, what's the fastest way to dry nails again?

Answer: with a top coat—so skip all those Pinterest hacks about putting your hands in iced water. Apply thin coats of nail polish, let it dry a little in between, and seal everything off with a good top coat (and your nails will probably look better and last longer than gel, too!)

Here's to good manis and pedis ahead!

July 07, 2020

Birch Sap Benefits for Anti-Aging with Noomi

We’re all familiar with most of the famous anti-aging ingredients out there—peptides, retinol, lactic acid, just to name a few. However, there’s a new ingredient sourced from Scandinavia called birch sap. It comes with a load of promises to improve skin—but is this miracle tonic really a miracle? Let’s start with what birch sap is in the first place.

What Is Birch Sap?

We all know what sap is, right? Just in case you’re not sure, sap is the liquid that drips out of trees when their bark is cut or otherwise damaged. The most famous sap is usually found in a kitchen pantry—maple syrup!

Like maple syrup, birch sap is harvested by making a small cut in the bark and collecting any sap that flows out. The best time of year for this is early spring—during the winter, birch trees hold on to as many beneficial nutrients as they can. These include vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—it’s these retained nutrients that make birch sap so beneficial.

Birch sap goes by a few different names, too—it’s called birch water or birch juice, depending on where you are in the world. However, birch juice wasn’t harvested at first as a beauty product—it was (and still is) consumed as a health tonic in parts of Europe, especially in the Nordic regions.

Some skincare brands are reaching for birch sap instead of water as the base for their skincare formulas. Now, there’s nothing about water that damages skin. However, if we could replace the water in skincare formulas with something that has even more benefits than plain water, why wouldn’t we? By doing this, you can get even better results from your skincare than you thought possible. So, what exactly does birch sap do for skin?

What are the Benefits of Birch Water?

Now that we know just what birch water is and where it comes from, what are the actual birch sap benefits for skin?

A Rich Source of Antioxidants

Studies show that birch water is high in polyphenols and Vitamin C, two powerful antioxidants that benefit skin. As antioxidants, they can help protect skin from damaging free radicals—the molecules responsible for accelerating the signs of aging.

Could Help Support Healthier, Firmer Skin

Further research has found that birch sap has a noticeable effect on increasing keratinocyte production. Keratinocytes are the main type of skin cell and have an essential role in skin structure, as well as turning into other types of cells to support healthy skin.

Birch Water Skincare with Noomi

Skincare brand Noomi Stockholm has combined pure Nordic birch water with the proven anti-aging powers of retinol to create a multi-tasking nighttime serum for smoother, more radiant skin. Just in case you need a reminder, retinol is the number one anti-aging ingredient—it does what no other skincare can do!

It tackles fine lines, wrinkles, and can even prevent them with proper use. By including encapsulated retinol in a formula with Birch Water, Vitamin C, Lingonberry Extract (just to name a few), the BirchTech Hybrid Night Serum has everything you need for a good night’s beauty sleep for better skin—for the rest of your life!

*sponsored post

June 13, 2020

How to Use Retin-A (and Other Retinoids): a Guide

If you’re reading this article, either you a) already have a retinoid in your hands and are looking for the best way to use it, or b) you’re thinking about getting one. Either way, congrats—retinoids are one of the most amazing ingredients in skincare and will go a long way to making your skin look absolutely amazing. However, how to use retinoids isn’t a walk in the park—trust me. I’ve used retinoids for the past seven years for my adult acne (and I guess at this point, for anti-aging too).

Retinoids are a holy grail category of product for me—I couldn’t imagine my routine without one because it does so much heavy lifting when it comes to making my skin look good. How to use tretinoin cream isn’t as straightforward as you might think, though.

This category of ingredients is really confusing for the initiated—there are a lot of similar-sounding names that are easy to mix up! It’s important that we’re all on the exact same page when it comes to retinoids—so let’s define what exactly that is before we can talk about how to use Retin-A.

What is a Retinoid?

Retinoids are a group of molecules that are derived from Vitamin A. It’s the name that covers pretty much all Vitamin A derivatives. Retinoids are used for both anti-aging and anti-acne. However, they’re not all created equal! There are multiple generations of retinoids—just like a family, and they each act slightly differently when applied to skin. Vitamin A has to be converted to one of these forms in order to work on the skin.

Is Tretinoin a Retinoid?

Yes! First-generation retinoids include tretinoin, retinol, retinal, and isotretinoin. Yes, these are ALL different! Second-generation retinoids include etretinate and acitretin. (Never heard of these? Me neither. First and third-generation retinoids are much more common!) Third-generation retinoids include tazarotene and adapalene.

Is Vitamin A the Same as Retinol?

Not exactly. Imagine Vitamin A as the ‘grandmother’ of the family, with each molecule in the generations down being derived from Vitamin A in different ways to give their individual effects. They act quite different from Vitamin A, and in fact pure Vitamin A applied to skin doesn’t do much. That’s why we’ve created retinoids—molecules that our skin can actually do something with.

What groups each retinoid to a specific generation is that they have similar modifications to the original Vitamin A structure within that particular group. I’m not going to get into that too deeply, but it’s a crucial difference.

Is a Retinoid the Same as Retinol?

Technically, retinol is a type of retinoid.

What makes plain retinol different from prescription retinoids is that retinol on it’s own isn’t usable right away by the skin. Retinol, or how it may appear in ingredients lists as retinyl palmitate, retinyl linoleate, retinaldehyde, propionic acid, or retinyl acetate, needs to convert to all trans retinoic acid before it can be effective.

(All trans retinoic acid is just another name for tretinoin, by the way! I hope you’ve been taking notes!)

For this reason, retinol products are generally considered gentler than the prescription-strength versions. Are they less effective? Well, you could say that they take a much longer time to see effects, but given enough time they can definitely help. However, if you’re looking for a product to treat acne, prescription retinoids are the go. Their formulations will be much more effective for clearing skin.

Why?

In comparison to retinol, prescription retinoids are already converted into forms that don’t require any further processing to be effective on the skin. They can be readily used by skin straight from the get-go, which is what makes them so potent (and prescription-only in some countries). If you’re thinking of noping out of this blog post because you use retinol, don’t worry! This guide is great for how to use retinol too.

How Often to Use Retinol/Retinoids/Retin-A

I know—it’s really tempting to just go ahead and slather it on twice a day. Using more of it means you get results faster, right?

Wrong.

How to use retinoids properly has one golden rule: start using them slowly. How to use Retin-A (and any Vitamin A-derived skincare) takes patience.

I see so many people falling into the trap of thinking they’re not going to get irritated from a retinoid because they used it every night for a week with no irritation. Unfortunately, that isn’t how it works!

The thing with retinol usage is that they’re not like acids, where you get a stinging sensation and irritation when you overuse them.

Retinoids and Retin-A play the long game when it comes to skin irritation because of how deeply they affect corneocytes, just one type of keratinocyte (skin cell) that makes up the epidermis (the upper layer of the skin).

As part of the natural skin cycle, these corneocytes travel from the lower layers of the epidermis to the upper levels of the stratum corneum (the topmost layer of skin, the one we touch and feel). When they make this move is when skin becomes irritated—retinoids literally rearrange corneocytes. It takes a while to get to this stage, which means that the side effect of irritation sneaks up on a lot of people!

Does Everyone Get Irritated by Retinoids?

Some people claim they never get irritated from retinoids or tretinoin usage. The thing is, it’s really rare for someone to not get irritated at all. To be honest, when someone says their retinoid doesn’t irritate them, I assume a) they’re lying and b) they’ve used it for a week or less. In my opinion, it’s always better to assume that your skin will get irritated (and have the right products preparing for that) than to think you won’t, but end up with really irritated and red skin.

What Are the Retin-A Side Effects?

I’ve already touched on irritation as one of the tretinoin side effects, but there are a couple more major ones. Let’s get this one thing out of the way—these side effects are likely to happen and you should prepare yourself for them. However, just because you don’t get one or more of these side effects doesn’t mean tretinoin isn’t working. Here are the two other side effects of tretinoin usage:

01. Skin Purging

The most famous side effect is the tretinoin purge. Skin purging is definitely a phrase that sparks fear in most peoples’ hearts—especially if you’re using retinoids for acne.

The thing is, there’s no getting around the purge. A skin purge is usually classified as a ‘acne flare’ in medical journals and by dermatologists, and the simple way to put it is an increase in acne for a short period of time before it all goes away.

You can tell if you’re going through a tretinoin purge if you seem to have more acne in places that you normally get it. The thing about skin purging is that it doesn’t last the same amount of time for everyone. I’ll have a blog post about purging (and how to deal with it) up very soon!

02. Dryness and Peeling

Dryness and peeling is another common Retin-A side effect, and is usually paired with irritation. Because your skin’s corneocytes are rearranging themselves, skin tends to dry out faster than it normally would if you didn’t use a retinoid. However, don’t get this mixed up for reducing oil production—peeling skin is usually caused by a lack of water-based hydration.

You can combat dryness and peeling by adding more watery serums to your routine, and using a thick occlusive (especially in the early stages of adding retinol to your routine) on dry spots to help them heal over faster.

03. Increased Sun Sensitivity

Using daily sunscreen is non-negotiable if you use any type of retinoid. Retinoids make skin more sensitive to the sun, potentially causing more damage than good. This Retin-A side effect gets overlooked a ton—the truth is, you should be wearing a dedicated sunscreen product every day anyway. However, the importance of that basically triples if you use anything that photosensitizes your skin, like a retinol—so don’t skip it!

How Frequently to Use Retinol?

When starting to use any retinoid, slow is the name of the game. Because retinoids fundamentally change your skin deep in epidermis, it’s really unlikely to avoid any irritation at all. However, introducing it slowly to your skin

As I said before, every night is too much, too fast. A great starting point for most is twice a week. Or if you want to take it really slow, some dermatologists recommend short contact therapy—where you wash off the product after a certain amount of time. You would eventually build up to applications where you leave the retinol on overnight, and then you can think about how often a week you apply it.

But how slow is too slow?

That depends on what you’re using Retin-A for. If you’re using a retinoid for anti-aging, you can take advantage of starting reeeaallly slowly, like with a once-a-week application at first.

However, when it comes to using a retinoid for acne, there is a small element of speed we want to keep—and that’s because of the purge that I mentioned before. It depends who you ask, but I would rather get over the purge quickly, rather than draw it out. By applying a retinoid consistently (but not too frequently) you can speed up skin cell turnover (which is what affects the purge).

I think a good rule of thumb for most people is twice a week for around 6 weeks, three times a week for 6 weeks, every other day for 6 weeks, then from there, you can maintain every other day OR go ahead to nightly application.

Retin-A: How to Use it in a Skincare Routine

This is a really contentious subject—I’ve seen so much information about using retinoids after thin, watery-textured products based on an application rule of ‘thinnest texture to thickest’. The truth is, that’s not a blanket rule that applies here.

People forget that tretinoin or other retinoids aren’t regular skincare, which the texture rule generally works for. Retin-A, Differin, and most retinoids are actual medications.

Since it’s a medication, any retinoid ideally should go on clean, dry skin—ahead of any toners, first essences, serums, whatever. In my experience of using many, many prescription acne treatments, you are always going to get the best results when you apply it directly to the affected area.

However, in reality, applying it before or after a thin watery serum is completely up to you. I would still keep it to one layer in between bare skin and tretinoin—applying too many products before your retinoid could make it pill up. You know, when you product build up that looks like eraser dust? Blech.

Personally, this is the order that I use and that works for me.

Cleanse (with a gentle, non-foaming cleanser)
Retinoid/Retinol
Hydration Serums/Toners
Moisturizer and/or Facial Oil
Occlusive, applied to very dry spots

It's important to note that this is only my evening routine—you should only use retinols once a day, at night. I know what you’re thinking—what about other products I already use? Can you use retinol and Vitamin C together, for example?

Yes—but with conditions.

When starting a retinol, it’s a good idea to hold back on all other actives for a while. This includes Vitamin C, Salicylic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, and pretty much any type of exfoliator. This loops back to skin coming sensitive due to retinol usage (at first.)

After three months, you’re good to go to start adding products back in—but take it easy and start with just one at a time and you'll be on your way to good skin.

If you're ready to start your retinoid journey, I have a downloadable guide for you right here—including the 10 Commandments of Using Retinol and a FREE suggested schedule for how to use retinoids in your routine!

June 01, 2020

How to Grow Long Nails: 6 Best Tips for Healthy Nails

I know, it’s been a while since I posted about nail polish—but it doesn’t mean that I’m not full of nail advice for ya! Today’s topic: how to grow long nails. I keep my natural nails pretty short these days, and sometimes I can't believe how long I was able to grow my nails back in the day. Seriously, check this out:

Long nails painted with turquoise glitter nail polish

I can’t believe these were MY natural nails once upon a time, and honestly, I wouldn't believe it now if I didn't have these photos. I remember that I would get asked ALL THE TIME if I had acrylic nails, and people were always shocked when I said no, these are my natural nails!

To grow my nails this long, I created good habits that encouraged nail growth and avoided doing things that might be damaging to nails. Now, I'm not saying that you need to walk around wearing silk gloves and not lifting a finger—but you've probably got some bad habits that are stopping you from having long natural nails!

How to Grow Long Nails

These are all tips and tricks for growing long nails that don’t limit what you can do. I still keep a lot of these habits today—just because I keep my nails shorter these days doesn't mean these tips are only for long nails! They're a great guideline to keeping healthy nails, no matter the length.

1. Stop Using Your Natural Nails as Tools

How to grow long nails starts with this major step—not using nails as tools. This was a huge one for me. It's not something you would think of as damaging to your natural nails, but once you realize how much you use your nails for, it makes so much sense.

You probably use your nails as tools more often than you think—lifting can tabs, peeling oranges, opening lids… There are so many ways I’ve seen nails used as tools and it has to stop if you truly want to grow long nails! Using your nails as tools is the number one way that you're going to break your natural nails. How?

When you use your nails as a tool, you subject them to pressure that makes them break easily. Some breaks are salvageable (but obviously not desirable), and some are incredibly painful when the nail breaks right down into the nail bed. Ouch! Luckily, breaking nails this way is easily avoidable if you know what to do.

You also potentially cause jagged edges that will cause your nails to split and break off easier—even if they didn't necessarily seem damaged or break at the time. Instead, grab a spoon to lift aluminum can tabs. Use anything other than your nails for picking at things and opening lids!

Neutral nail polishes in clear cosmetic pouch

2. File Your Nails the Right Way

How to grow longer nails also has to do with your nail filing technique. I know what you're thinking—there's a 'right' way to file nails?

There totally is. And if you can’t grow out your natural nails, I bet you’re filing your nails the wrong way.

The first step is using the right kind of file. Most of the old-school emery boards that most people reach for are incredibly rough—not what we're looking for when it comes to the right nail file.

Why?

If your file is too rough, your nails aren’t going to have a smooth edge. This matters because fingernails are made of individual layers of keratin. When the nail edge gets frayed, it’s easier for these layers to start peeling and separating, contributing to weak nails that never seem to grow long and strong. Looks like it’s time to throw out those old emery boards!

Keeping nail edges smooth and unfrayed is a crucial part of keeping nails strong, and a key to how to grow long nails. Instead of using an emery board, I recommend getting some high-quality nail files. These aren't hard to find these days, either! You can easily find them at pharmacies and drugstores, and they're almost the same as the ones that nail technicians are using on you at the salon.

How to Choose a Nail File

Just like regular sandpaper, nail files have grit ratings too. When it comes to shaping natural nails, the numbers you want to look for are anything between 180-220 grit. The lower the number, the rougher the file.

For example, see how these cardboard nail files* have 180/240 on them? That means one side is 180 grit, and the other side is 240—both grits are safe to use on nails. All files will have a numbering system on them so you can tell if it's the one you need.

Or, instead of buying disposable nail files that get thrown away, get a crystal nail file. My personal favorite is this one from an Australian Company called Manicare. I’ve only ever had three nail files since 2012, and I only needed to replace them because I broke them—not because they went dull.

However, not all crystal nail files are equal. If the price is too good to be true (just a couple of dollars) it's probably just glass with a fine-grit sandpaper stick on it, which will wear out quickly. Trust me, I've made this mistake before! A high-quality glass nail file* has the grit etched into the glass itself, so it'll take a long, long time to get dull.

There's actually a lot of conflicting information online about how often to replace them—as I said, I've never had one go dull on me before and I've had them for years!

How to Use a Nail File for Stronger Natural Nails

The second thing you need to do when filing nails is to evaluate your technique. If you have a good nail tech, pay attention to how they file your nails. They file your nails using little swipes instead of see-sawing the file on your nail, right?

Here’s the deal—filing in the same direction prevents your nail from splitting and peeling. If you have a habit of see-sawing back and forth, it might be hard to break that habit. The thing is if you manage to, it’s so worth it—your nails will be way less prone to splitting and you’re on your way to growing strong natural nails.

3. Use a Nail Hardener

There are a LOT of nail strengtheners (also known as nail hardeners) out there that can help with how to grow long nails. These nail strengtheners work by literally hardening the keratin in nails—perfect for soft, flimsy natural nails that peel often. Different nail strengtheners use a variety of different ingredients to help the keratin harden and encourage nail growth.

The best way to use a nail strengthener is to use them as a basecoat. Some of them come with initial instructions to reapply for a certain number of days in a row at first—it's important to follow these instructions at first for the best results! I've followed these instructions, and then eventually tapered off to using the strengthener as a base coat every time I do my nails. In my experience, this is the best way to ensure that you're consistently using it!

The one that I’ve used for at LEAST five years is the Duri Rejuvacote 1*. Technically, it's a two-step strengthener but I've never felt the need to go to the second step. I also find it's a marvelous base coat and helps to keep my polish on for at least a week, totally chip-free. I don't know what kind of sorcery they put in these bottles at Duri but I live for it.

However, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing—nail strengtheners may make nails too hard, ultimately making them brittle. Luckily, there’s a really easy way to stop this and still strengthen your nails—cuticle oil.

Cuticle oil, glass nail file, and nail hardener

4. Use Cuticle Oil Religiously

Despite its name, cuticles aren’t the only thing that benefits from cuticle oil. How to use cuticle oil the right way is also a pretty confusing issue, so let’s start with the basics—what does cuticle oil do?

Cuticle oil conditions and moisturizes the skin around your nail and your nail plate. Remember how we said nails are made of keratin? Hair is also made of keratin, and can absorb oils into its structure (this is how deep conditioners work, FYI)! These absorbed oils strengthen hair and moisturize it from within—and a similar thing happens with your nails.

Just like hair, dried nails show signs of damage—splitting, feeling rough, and generally, just not looking nice. However, going back to how oil deep-conditions hair—it does the same thing to nails. Cuticle oil benefits nails by making them stronger and moisturized, so they can bend (with strength) and won’t break.

You can buy ready-made cuticle oils*, but cuticle oil DIY is a great option too. While there are suggestions that some oils work better than others, pretty much any plant-based oil will do wonders. If you have a facial oil that didn’t work out in your skincare routine, a great way to repurpose it is as a cuticle oil—just use a half drop or so on each nail and massage in. I like doing this while watching a movie (or binge-watching my current favorite tv show).

Just like with using a nail strengthener, consistency is key to how to grow out nails with cuticle oil. Cuticle oil pens* like this are great stashed all around the house, so your cuticle oil is never out of reach! I prefer the empty ones so you can fill them up with whatever oil you prefer.

5. Wear Gloves When Cleaning

This tip has TWO benefits for your nails—first off, it helps make your manicure last longer! Second, it helps to strengthen nails by preventing soaking them in water. If you've ever soaked your hands for a LONG time (while swimming for example), you probably noticed that your nails become soft while they are wet.

When your natural nails are this soft, they’re vulnerable to damage, such as nail layers splitting and breakage. Luckily, it’s easy to avoid this just by wearing gloves while cleaning—especially while washing dishes.

6. Stop Peeling Off Your Gel Polish

This is a BIG one and I’m pretty sure everyone can relate to this one. I know what you’re thinking—is gel polish bad for your nails?

Nope!

When applied and removed correctly by a skilled nail technician, gel nail polish does not damage your nails in any way, shape, or form. Healthy nails are possible if you are a gel manicure fanatic! The only reason I don't use gels is the safe removal process is a pain (in my opinion) and I change my nail color often enough that the long-wear of gel isn't worth it.

So why do people think that gel polish is bad for their nails? If it's not the nail tech and not the product, there's only one answer—people are damaging their natural nails themselves.

Hear me out—most people damage their healthy nails by peeling off gel nail polish. Here’s the thing—gel polish is made up of polymers cured to the surface of your natural nails. Put simply, when you get a gel manicure, the polish isn’t just painted over the top (like with normal nail polish). When it goes under the UV light to cure, the polymer solidifies and attaches itself firmly to the top layers of your nails.

And if you follow what I’m saying—it’s these same upper layers that get peeled off when you peel off your gel manicure. Ouch! No wonder people complain about gel polish damaging their nails—peeling off these layers leaves nails weakened and in extreme cases, sensitive and painful. And that’s not even the worst part!

IMO, the worst part is that it's completely preventable if people just wouldn't peel off their gel polish manicure! (Thanks for coming to my TED talk).

There you have it—my six best tips for how to grow your nails longer (and get healthy nails in the process). All of these habits add up and you’ll have long, strong nails in no time!

February 10, 2020

How to Shrink Your Pores with the 60 Second Rule

Have you ever paid any attention to how long you actually wash your face for? I know a full minute doesn’t sound like a long time at all, but have you ever set a timer for a minute then washed your face? I tried with the very scientific method of counting “One mississippi two mississippi…” and found that I was probably washing my face for only twelve seconds at the most. I mean, with the right cleansing oil/face wash combo that’s all the time that I needed—or so I thought. Today's skin care blog post is going to be all about shrinking your pores.

What is the 60 Second Rule?

The 60 Second Cleansing Rule is the idea that you should take a whole minute to massage cleanser into the skin to ensure that it’s completely clean and free of impurities, and perfectly prepped for your skin care routine.

What I think is the best thing about this ‘rule’ is that it can work into any skin care routine for every skin type. No matter if your skin is dry, oily, acne-prone—what really hinges on the technique working for you is the type of cleanser that you use. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of the Hada Labo Cleansing Oil, but there are plenty of other products that would work just as well with this method.

However, what I think is what really key is using something that is oil-based—whether that’s an oil cleanser, sherbet cleanser, or cold cream. You’ll want something with enough slip to feel comfortable on your skin, plus I just don’t think you’ll get as good results from something that’s not necessarily oil-based. However, I’m not saying that you won’t get results at all—I just have a hunch that oil-based cleansers will work a bit better!

How does the 60 Second Rule work?

My guess is that really having that extra time, instead of going, “Oh my mascara’s dissolved now? I’m done,” really helps cleanser melt down into pores and dissolve whatever’s hanging out in there. Even if you’re not a frequent makeup wearer, there are other factors on your skin that could be causing skin problems—whether it’s product residue, or even just grime from the day not being washed off properly. Yuck!

Who came up with the 60 Second Rule?

Honestly, I don’t know—but as soon as I saw the hashtag popping up on social media and all the support it was getting from pretty much everyone, I knew it had to be good. So naturally, I gave it a go.

While I am encouraging the use of it with a cleansing oil, there’s nothing that says you can’t do it with your regular cleanser to get results. However, pretty much every single thing that I’ve read online about it recommends an oil-based cleanser (which I agree with) so if you haven’t got a cleansing oil yet, this is a great reason to finally pick one up. In case you’re thinking “wait, I don’t wear makeup. Why do I need an oil cleanser?” this technique is more than just a really, really good way to remove makeup—it's amazing for your skin.

How do you actually do it?

How do you use 60 Second rule? Well, it’s pretty simple and is exactly what it sounds like. I love that it doesn’t require anything other than your hands, like a Foreo or other ‘ultrasonic’ cleansing device. As always, if you’re using a sherbet cleanser or cleansing oil, you’ll want to massage it onto a dry face. Get Alexa to set a timer for a minute, or if you’re uber scientific like me, you can count it out. Counting “one-one thousand, two-one thousand…” does take me a little bit over a real minute (I set a timer one day out of curiosity) but it’s still the perfect amount of time to do it’s magic. There isn’t a makeup product that will survive a whole minute of oil massage—even the most stubborn waterproof mascaras.

It’s incredibly important to be gentle with this—it’s a lot of face contact, you don’t want to be scraping and scratching around on your face! Just gently massage, ensuring that you’re getting right to your hairline and to your neck if you wear makeup. I also like to take the time to focus on my problem areas—for me, that’s my nose. My pores there are very visible and this method goes a long way to making them look like I just did a clay mask.

After massaging for a minute, rinse away with lukewarm water and use your second cleanser. Don’t forget to check if you’re using your second cleanser properly, too. It’s up to you if you want to use your second cleanser for a full minute, but I find that around thirty seconds is enough for me.

The results?

I have to say, I was really impressed with the change in my skin after I started the 60 Second Rule. For some backstory, I’m still a tiny bit prone to random blackheads even though my acne is largely under control. I also deal with very visible pores on my nose and cheeks that I wish were less noticeable.

The changes in my skin were subtle, but totally worth it for doing something that doesn’t necessarily involve buying a new product. My skin was soft like you would expect after exfoliating—with no exfoliating necessary! For me, this is a big deal. Because I already use Retin-A, I avoid exfoliating products like scrubs and acids like the plague. It’s way too easy to overdo it with my skin and leave it completely over-exfoliated with dry, peeling bits—no thank you! Obviously, I don’t think any exfoliating is happening here, just super-thorough, but gentle cleansing.

The other thing I noticed (and again, is also a big deal for me) is that my pores looked a lot smaller. As always, it’s important to mention that you cannot change the size of your pores. What you can change is how they look. In my personal experience, what changes how they look is how much sebum is in them and how hydrated my skin is. If you want to know how to shrink pores, that's technically impossible—but what you can do is minimize any gunk build up to ensure that they look as empty (and small!) as possible. That's where the 60 Second Rule really helps!

The other benefits of super-clean skin? Well, the cleaner your skin is (without being stripped!) the better it can take advantage of your full skincare routine. There’s no dead skin cells or lingering makeup in the way so your skincare can absorb better—now I call that a win-win!