CND Almond Soothing Creme

It is not often that I write a post about something other than nail polish, so when I do, you know it must be good. Like holy grail good. 

CND has just introduced a new line of products called Almond SpaManicure. This line consists of five products that are meant to be used both in the salon and at home: Almond Milk Bath, Almond Moisture Scrub, Almond Illuminating Masque, Almond Hydrating Lotion and Almond Soothing Creme. 

I had the pleasure of trying out their new Almond Soothing Creme. And it was just that, a pleasure. For all of you Solar Oil addicts out there (myself included), imagine a rich and hydrating creme that has the same amazing scent as Solar Oil. Finally, my dream has come true! 

I have been using this amazing creme religiously before bed on both my elbows and hands, and the results have been nothing short of amazing. Now admittedly, I use a ton of hand cremes through out the day, so my hands are pretty soft to begin with. Where I really saw (felt) the results was on my elbows! They are so dry (year round) and I have finally found a product that keeps them soft. CND Almond Soothing Creme is my new holy grail. 

CND Almond Soothing Creme Key Ingredients:

• Shea Butter - powerfully conditions with vitamins E and A. 
• Jojoba Seed Oil - moisturizes and conditions
• Vitamin E - moisturizes and softens/improves skin elasticity
• Rice Bran Oil - softens and conditions
• Sweet Almond Oil - softens and conditions - and responsible for the amazing Solar Oil scent!

Even if this stuff didn't work wonders on my dry elbows, I'd still buy it just for the smell. I wish blogs had a smell function so that all of you could smell it right now. I cannot say enough about the sweet almond oil scent. Amazing. Now I am also dying to try the Almond Hydrating Lotion. I am giddy over the thought of a daily body lotion with the same scent as Solar Oil.

CND Almond Soothing Creme, along with the rest of the Almond SpaManicure line, is available in salons and spas and at one of my favorite e-tailers, Transdesign.

CND Scentsations Winterberry Lotion & Scrub

It is no secret that I love everything CND, I mean hello Cuticle Eraser & Solar Oil! These two products alone have pretty much guaranteed that I will never have to reach for another *evil* cuticle nipper again. If any readers reading this now still do not have these products in their arsenal, get them, now. Your cuticles and nails will thank you.

Moisture is a very important part of my hand and nail care routine. Another product I have been really loving lately is CND Scentsations Black Cherry & Nutmeg Lotion. It smells absolutely divine, sinks into my skin quickly, and is very non-greasy. It just feels silky and wonderful! 

Since I have been loving everything CND lately, I decided to try their Winterberry scent that is new for Holiday 2008. The Winterberry scent is available in both the Scentsations Lotion and Scentsations Scrub.

OK, let me just say that CND Scentsations Winterberry Lotion + Winterberry Scrub = hands that are as smooth as a baby's bottom! I am loving my hands right now, they have never felt smoother. 

Let's talk about the scrub first. The scent is both sweet and a bit tart at the same time. I prefer sweet fragrances so this is perfect for me! The particles in the scrub are fairly large and coarse, which I love, because the finer scrubs just don't work as well for me. The particles in the scrub are suspended in this luscious and superbly moisturizing jelly like formula that is loaded with Sunflower Seed Oil, Shea Butter and Jojoba. Hello moisture! 

I attempted to photograph the scrub for you in the jar and on my hand so you can see the size of the scrubbing particles. Not sure if I've succeeded:

And here is my hand modeling shot of the jar (LOL):

Now on to the lotion. Again, just like my beloved CND Scentsations Black Cherry & Nutmeg Lotion, the Winterberry scent did not disappoint. Infused with Aloe Vera and Vitamins A & E, it has the same fabulous non-greasy formula that sinks in quickly and leaves my skin super soft. I also use this as a body lotion too FYI.  The Winterberry scent is both sweet and tart, but without being too sweet, just like the coordinating scrub.

Here is a picture of the lotion - I could have used the press images from CND  but it is so much more fun to pretend to be a hand model:

In short, using both of these products together will help stave off dry-weathered winter skin. These products are both being added to my "must have" list. 

The lotion retails for $11.50 and the scrub retails for $15.90 are are available online at Go Indulge.  You can also find my favorite CND products, including these, at my favorite e-tailers (links under "where to haul"). Both of these make great gifts!!

That is all for now (typing with ridiclously soft hands). See you soon!

xoxo,

Katee

Katee's Nail Care Tips

Hello, guys and gals!

I have had a few questions lately from readers about how I’ve managed to grow my nails to a long-ish length (not too long, I personally don’t want to have talons or claws LOL, I wear contacts and that would be dangerous) and keep them that way. So I’ve assembled a list of tips and tricks to help you! I am not a nail expert but these are things that I have found helpful and that have worked for me.

1. Your nails are jewels, not tools! This is my most favorite saying ever. Do not use your nails to pick sticky price tags off of things and do not use them to open things like pop cans. Do not tap your nails on hard surfaces, do not scratch them against anything, hopefully you get the idea. Just chant “jewels not tools” in your mind, hundreds of times, over and over again, until it sticks.

2. Which brings me to this tip, wear rubber gloves AT ALL TIMES when doing dishes or chores around the house, especially when using any cleaning products. Period. Have you ever broke or chipped a nail while srubbing something and you jam your fingernail into a hard surface? Exactly. Ouch!

3. Do not cut your nails with clippers unless it is an emergency or something. Using clippers puts a huge amount of unnecessary pressure on your nails and can cause splitting. Use a crystal nail file when you need to take any length off of your nails. Use only a crystal file, no old fashioned emery boards or stainless files.

4. Keep something on your nails at all times whether it is nail polish or a treatment product like China Glaze Gel Calcium Nail Fortifier. This should actually be tip #1 but I really did not put these in any particular order. If you only take one bit of my advice, this should be it. Followed my #1 here (“jewels not tools”) which should be #2 after this one.

5. Moisture. Constant moisture. Wash your hands? Moisturize. Cough? Moisturize. Breathe? Moisturize. Hopefully you are catching on. I use CND Cuticle Eraser about 3 to 4 times a day followed by CND Solar Oil and then hand lotion. My boyfriend thinks I am an obsessed freak and maybe I am. But take a look at his nails and cuticles and then take a look at mine. Sorry honey, but you don’t read this anyway.

That is all I can think of for now but I reserve the right to update this when I discover something new. 

On to some other stuff:

Have you entered my giveaway yet?

Have you seen my OPI 90210 collection swatches yet?

Have you seen the China Glaze Romantique swatches yet? Just want to make sure that you guys haven't missed any of the really good stuff lately.

See you later. Love you, readers!! Thank you for reading e-polishblog. It truly means the world to me!! 

Also, if you use Google Reader or any other blog reader, why don't you take a second and subscribe to e-polishblog? You can at the top right hand corner of my blog. It would seriously mean the world to me. I've recently started using Google Reader to keep up with my favorite blogs and I freaking love it. 

xoxo,

Katee

Do It Yourself: Katee’s Home Manicure Tips

My friend Jen contacted me the other day wanting to know my top tips for a fabulous at home manicure. Her main concerns were polish dry time and how to avoid getting nail polish on her cuticles and skin. So Jen, this post is for you!

First, get a top quality quick dry top coat. I like Seche Vite. I have also heard great things about Poshe Super Fast Drying Top Coat. I will say that Seche Vite is a little thick and might be difficult to apply for a “beginner,” so for that reason Poshe might be a good option. For me, the discovery of the quick dry top coat was like one of those moments where the clouds parted and I heard angels singing. Before this discovery, I could do my nails an hour before bedtime, and still wake up with sheet marks on my nails. Forget doing my nails during the middle of the day, because I would not be able to do anything for hours after that for the fear of denting or smudging my nails. With a coat of Seche Vite over my wet nail polish, my manicure is pretty much dry in 5 minutes; it’s rock hard, and both smudge and dent proof within 15 minutes. This stuff is amazing and has changed home manicures for me forever.

Unless you are ambidextrous, getting nail polish on your cuticles is pretty much unavoidable, at least when you are painting with your “other hand,” for me that would be my left hand. Practice makes perfect, and I have definitely gotten better over time since I’ve started painting my own nails on a regular basis. Since the little goofs are a fact of life, you need to get a nail polish corrector pen. I use the OPI Correct & Cleanup refillable pen. Sally Hansen also makes one that should be readily available at your local drug store. A Corrector Pen is essentially a marker that is filled with nail polish remover. Use this to “write” over the nail polish that got on your cuticles. I like using a product like this better than an orange wood stick and cotton because I like to keep cotton and wet nail polish as far away from each other as possible or else I end up with cotton in my wet polish!

Other tips:
Use a quality base coat like CND Sticky or Orly Bonder. Using a quality base coat and top coat will extend the wear of your nail polish and protect your nails from yellowing.

Get a crystal nail file. Not glass, crystal, and there is a difference. I like Essie's Crystal File which you can pick up at a beauty supply store. A crystal file will prevent nails from peeling and splitting. They also seal the edge of the nail preventing water damage. Don’t saw your nails when filing and avoid filing the sides of your nails. File slowly. I don’t necessarily subscribe to the mantra that you must file in one direction though. But, like I said don’t saw away at your nails, be gentle.
Use cuticle oil or balm, DAILY! I like CND Solar Oil and Solar Balm. Keeping your nails and cuticles hydrated is the single most important step to beautiful and healthy nails.
Well, there you go Jen! I hope these tips are helpful for you and that you’ll give it another go at painting your nails at home.