DIY French Manicures

After working in a coffeeshop where we weren't allowed to wear nail polish, I find any chance I get to give myself a manicure a treat. You can certainly find a cheap manicure place to get your finger and toes done for under $30 a visit, but if you're going to do this regularly, it can really add up.

When using regular polish, there's not much to it. Use layers and go about 2 or 3 rounds in addition to base and top coat. But if you want a french manicure, this can get tricky. There are two tricks to doing this on your own.

1. Use a white polish and draw the tip cross-wise across the tip of your fingernail. This requires a lot of control and get kinda tricky when you're painting your dominant hand.


2. This trick is something I learned when I got a manicure done at a high-end salon. Paint just the tips of your nails with a white polish and let dry thoroughly. Then, find a tiny cup (Dixie cup, etc.) and fill it with a little bit of polish remover. Use a nylon-bristle brush to dip into the remover and go backwards by removing the white polish to leave the french tip behind. Essentially, you're painting the tip and erasing the excess. Process as usual.

A big tip for any type of polish is the top coat. I got this from a friend once, and it's UNMATCHED, in my opinion, when it comes to shine.

This Dry Fast Top Coat by Seche Vite, which you can find at Ulta, will run you a little less than $10 a bottle, but lasts you a good while because you only use one coat. I try to save money on colored polishes and give the illusion of quality polish with this top coat.

One more tip for you... when you're finding that your polishes are going a bit clumpy, add a few drops of acetone or remover to the bottle and shake well. This helps thin it out again.

All Eyeliners are Not Created Equal

In high school, I wasn't very social and found myself with a lot of time on my hands. I would spent my evenings in front of my giant mirror trying new tricks with make up. I've used every kind of eyeliner there is. While I like the convenience of a pencil (I used to use Clinique Quickliner for Eyes), I appreciate the clean lines of a liquid. Liquid liners, however, come with the hazards of diminished control and having to wait for it to dry. Makeovers by various make up counters and their "experts" left me looking awkward and overdone, but I did discover the joys of Bobbi Brown's Gel Eyeliner.

This eyeliner allows you a higher level of control in regards to thickness and shape, and it's also long lasting. Of course, it takes a bit of getting used to, because you're not going to be using a pencil. You'll need this:

Start in the inner corner of your eye and slowly make your way across to the outside by making short dashes. Keep in mind that you should thin out as you get closer to the end. You can go dramatic with a thick line and cat's eye curl at the end, or you can go natural with a thin line all the way across. Either way, remember to stay as close to the lash line as possible.

Tip: If you are Asian, like me, it will take a little bit of experimentation to figure out what looks best. I notice that if I make the line thicker towards the center and just a little to the outside of center, this makes my eyes look bigger, whereas a thicker line toward the inside of my eye has the opposite effect. Also, apply powder to your lid before applying liner to keep it from smudging. I also apply concealer to the entire under-eye area.

The pot is $21 and the ultra-fine eyeliner brush is $25. The high-quality brush will last you a LONG time (I still use the very first brush I bought some 4 years ago) and should be washed gently with soap and water every so often. After each use, I like to wipe off the excess on some tissue and do the same before every use, too. The pot will probably last you a good 4 or 5 months.

DIY... it's cheaper

I give props to anyone who can sit in a chair and get their hair dyed over the course of 3 hours and $200. Because I have a LOT of very THICK hair, getting regular salon color treatments just isn't realistic for me. I would need to get re-colored every 3 months or so, and that works out to $800 a year! I think not. So I've discovered a cost-effective solution to do my own color at home.

Color is definitely something you have be careful with. It also takes some degree of confidence and risk, but once you get the hang of it, you'll wonder how you made it any other way. One box will run you about $12 and the whole process from base color to highlights will take about 2 hours. Here are a few tips.

• Make sure you choose a mild color combination for your first attempt. This way, the worst that could happen would be a few misplaced highlights. Start slow.


• Get all your materials together BEFORE you start. A dark-colored bath towel will help keep your skin and clothes from getting dyed (always wear clothes that you don't care if you ruin). A hair claw will be very helpful (as will a comb with a pick at the end for selecting strands of hair, but it's not necessary). Remove anything from your bathroom that you're afraid of getting dye on.


• When applying the all-over color, take the top half of your hair and twist it up in the hair claw. Make sure you get your roots and saturate all your hair when dyeing. Then, do the same to the top half. If you have a lot of hair, like me, this will make the process more manageable and will make sure you get an even distribution of color.


• Don't bother drying your hair before moving on to the highlights, as suggested in the directions. I find it unnecessary and time consuming. Just be sure to towel dry your hair thoroughly and detangle completely. Also, when applying the highlights, be sure to part your hair the way you normally style it.


• You will only really need to highlight maybe the top 1/4, if not less. Take your hair claw and gently pull back a section of hair, about 2 inches on either side of your part, and twist it up and out of your way. Use the mascara-wand-looking applicator's back end to pick up small sections of hair for highlighting. Be sure your sections are no bigger than the width of your pinky (unless you want more dramatic highlights). Also, take sections that are close together at the root. This means, when you imagine the area where all the roots of that section are, this area should be close together rather than long or wide (up and down the scalp, or across left to right).


• When highlighting, I don't bother using either applicator included in the box. Use the back end of the mascara-wand-looking applicator to grab sections (use your pinkies to separate unwanted hair), and use the mixing paddle to apply the dye. Make sure not to pick up too much or you will drop it on unwanted areas. Start close to the root and make your way down. Once you've applied the dye, take the strand of hair in your fingers and massage the dye in all the way down with your fingers (except the pinky!). Try your best to get close to the root. You know you're using enough dye when your section looks a bit white, but it doesn't need to be completely covered. Focus on evenness. When you're done with that section, gently lay it down.


• Highlight sections about an inch apart on either side of the hair you've twisted up. Once you're done, continue to release half of the that hair and repeat. I try to highlight sections alternating positions with the previous (don't highlight sections on top of ones you've just done).


• KEY SECTIONS TO HIGHLIGHT are the very front sections that frame your face.

Many dyes these days can actually improve the look of your hair. They have good moisturizers and scents that are much different from what we had to use even just 5 years ago. I say try it out. The WORST that can happen is that you have random splotches of highlights that don't run along the length of your hair. In this case, you can always wait a week and use another all-over color to undo the highlights.

Rarely have I been overjoyed at the quality of a dye job I got in a salon enough to justify paying more than $200 (and that doesn't even include a cut!). I think I've mastered the art of home hair color... at least for my own hair. Hope you try it out!

Eat for Less

You should try this now. Now. Go. Do it.

Restaurant.com offers gift certificates for restaurants organized by distance from an address you enter at a fraction of the price. For example, most places offer $25 certificates for $10 and $10 certificates for $4. The added bonus is that various coupon codes work for an additional discount. Try using "SUPPER" for an additional 80% (get a $25 certficate for $3!!) or "ALL" for 50% off.

Many of the restaurants listed are not hugely popular yet or are smaller, therefore trying to drive business. Be sure to read the exceptions, too, because some of these are not valid on weekends or maybe dinners. Some also have minimums that won't include alcoholic drinks. The REAL deals come in when you find new additions for restaurants you already love.

What do I look out for? I look for higher-end restaurants (French, tapas, sushi) located in downtown areas where you know you'll already spend at least $50 for 2 people. It sounds high, but if you include an appetizer or a dessert for a special occasion, it's really easy to get there.

BON APETIT!

Like Buttah

You can always find an abundance of lip balms/chapsticks and lotions in my purse. My problem with most lotions is that they usually smell too strongly, dry on my skin too quickly (which is why I prefer creams to lotions), or leave my skin oily (I prefer not to leave my fingerprints all over everything). That's why this find was so exciting for me.

The 60 Second Fix for Hands from Crabtree & Evelyn contains the PERFECT lotion and then some. The Hand Therapy Cream feels almost whipped and keeps your hands moisturized for a long time without any greasiness. It also has a very mild flowery fragrance will go unnoticed after a few minutes.

The kicker, though, is the Hand Recovery Cream. If you've used St. Ives' Apricot Scrub on your face, then you know how smooth your skin feels after a good but gentle exfoliation. Meet the equivalent for your hands. This mild scrub exfoliates your hands with a warming sensation and leaves your skin both smooth and moisturized! I use it just once a week or so to rejuvinate after a long week. I prefer the kit pictured here, which runs $28. As you can see, the tubes in this kit are pretty small. You can get full-sized versions of the lotion and scrub for $14 and $20, respectively, but I find that I don't use enough of the scrub to warrant such a big tube (bulk isn't always better, friends) and I like the small lotion to fit in one of my purse pockets. I discovered this wonder duo in Las Vegas this past March (I had brought none of my own lotion and the air ravaged my skin!), and I've replenished only once. I bet one treatment will inspire you to pamper yourself with a manicure... once you see, smell, and feel the results, you won't be able to stop!

Get the Perfect Canvas

Let's stick with the skincare theme. I mentioned before that I really loved a cleanser from Sea Breeze way back in junior high, when my skin was at its worst. It's taken me a long time to find a cleanser that has everything I want: gentle enough for sensitive and dry skin, strong enough to fight acne, foams (unlike those gentle cleaners that are just a cream), and can remove eye make up (I really hate eye make up removers, which I've found to be too oily or ineffective). Enter Boscia Clear Complexion Cleanser with Botanical Blast.

Like me, you may have heard a lot of hooplah over sulfates and other inorganic ingredients in cosmetics, skincare, and other beauty products. Basically, sulfates are commonly used chemicals that are considered bad for the environment and, more importantly, for your health. They've been shown to increase risk for cancer and toxicity. Boscia is one of the safest brands, in this respect, and I've noticed a distinct improvement in my skin's ability to hold moisture (no cleanser will replace a good moisturizer) and stay clear. And HOORAY, it also removes my eye make up! One bottle runs you $22 and lasts me at least 4 or 5 months. Remember, also, that because it does foam, you don't need a full pump. I use about a 1/2 pump to make it last longer. Here's a tip for you if that seems a bit steep for a facial cleanser... those coupons you get in the mail from Ulta can be used on Boscia products! Sometimes that means $3.50 or 20% off! You can also find this cleanser at Sephora, where you can earn Beauty Insider points.

Skincare—including cleansers, acne products, and moisturizers—is one area that finding the right product that works best with your skin is the priority. This doesn't necessarily mean that an expensive or brand-name product is best. Give products a try, and if it doesn't work for you, most retailers are willing to take them back, at least for store credit.

You're Glowing!

If you have dry skin, are looking for more of a glow than a "bronzed" look, or if you're just looking for a way to make your skin look generally improved in tone and health, this is a must-have. I stumbled upon this item while shopping at the local Nordstrom makeup counter. I've successfully turned at least 3 people on to this product as a lifetime MUST, and it's only the beginning!

You'll find that the various colors on this palette (which comes in 6 variations; I use Bronze) really compliment your tone to give you just enough little color, making it look moisturized and healthy, rather than caked, overdone, and fake like a lot of bronzers out there do. The colors are really beautiful and can be used as eye shadow too, as I mentioned when I wrote in to Self magazine. I was in their July 2006 issue showing the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick as my summer fave, but it's really an all-year product. It will run you about $38, but a good friend of mine (now addicted to several suggestions I threw her way) says that http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/ often has coupons and deals. It will last you at least a good year or so, too. Again, wherever you buy this or any other product, be sure to search online for coupons! Here's to jealousy-worthy skin, ladies.

By the way, if you've stopped by and found something helpful, and especially if you've tried a suggestion and found it good, let me know by leaving a comment! Thanks!