From punk rock black to vampy red, the colour on
your nails can often speak louder than many other beauty choices. Fast
fashion has made ready-to-wear clothing trends inescapable, so importance has
been placed on beauty and accessories when it comes to creating a cohesive
head-to-toe look. Everything from the colour of your hair to the
"it" shoes on your feet are reflective of the trend-centred society
in which we live.
In an economic crisis, shoppers often flock to
beauty products as a more affordable luxury. In the past, nail colour was
just another part of the beauty look on the runway, but recently, nail colour
has become a marketable and very saleable part of the collection. To wit, Tip
Top's seasonal lacquer collections are among the most coveted and
typically move off the shelf as soon as they are released.
Whether or not the varnish is designer or
drugstore, the fascination with nails is just another step towards a complete
personal style, all the way down to your fingertips. Nail design is limitless, which makes it the
perfect way to accent anyone’s personal style.
The main nail trends for this
season are hot bright colours, pastel thrown in between, glitter and nail art
It’s that time of the year gain which means the launch
of the spring beauty collections, which in turn means the introduction of
brand new nail colours. Pretty pastels, sunny brights and whatever covetable
shades that fashion houses have dreamt up - these nail colours are the ones
we'll be pairing with our new season sandals, and painting onto nails that
will no longer be concealed by boots.
For spring 2012, a floral palette is clearly evident with petal pinks, pretty
lilacs and leafy greens abounding - everywhere there will be bold colours
mixed and matched with soft pastels. These colours, prescribe one of the
prettiest seasons for hands and feet in a long time. Colour Blocking will be
a BIG trend this season,
you
can keep it simple within the same colour family or go bold and
crazy—whatever suits your mood!
Tricks for wearing summer trends:
- If you love a colour but it is a bit too "in
your face" when it's on your fingers then wear it on your toes.
- You could also buy a clear glitter polish and put this over the top of the
colour.
- Try wearing a favourite colour of polish and wear the "tricky"
colour on your ring finger only. Accent nails are ‘in’
- If you don't want to waste money on a colour that you may not like on your
nails, pop a small roll of adhesive tape in your bag before you go shopping
then wrap a little around the end of your finger and ask if you can paint the
colour on the tape over your nail to see how you like it.
- If there is a colour you really like, wear it!
To show how easy it is to create Glam and Green nails that suit spring I bought these three polishes the other day from Clicks (R39,99)
Im officially obsessed with glitter nail polish to add a bit of sparkle!
A friend posted this picture the other day - also loving Tip Tip
Thanks Melissa for the photo
Thanks Cheri - some great tips!
Susan, Balm Balm
GET A SPRING IN YOUR
STEP
The birds are singing,
the jasmine has started to bloom and your heart is happy because spring is
(finally) here!
Chances are your skin
is moaning, sobbing and screaming after the long, cold dry winter. The elements take its toll on skin in
particular – low humidity, hot air, heat and almost no fresh air leaves skin
feeling stressed, dry, undernourished and probably a little older <big sad
wrinkled face>
Paired with this is
the stodgy food we tend to comfort ourselves with in the colder months. Spinach salad or macaroni cheese? Hmmmm.
Plus loads of coffee, tea or hot chocolate and very little water will
leave your skin severely hydrated.
Nevermind the fact that your digestive system is crying out for live
food like fresh fruit and vegetables.
Remember the golden
rule of health – balance your acid/alkaline levels. Disease and chronic conditions can only
survive in highly acidic environments.
If your system is alkaline and perfectly balanced...cancer doesn’t have
a chance! Just like your skin, your pH
balance is so important.
Don’t forget about
your digestive system – it’s the first elimination route for toxins, your skin
being the second. Live food for live
bodies. Dead food is for dead bodies.
Opt for colourful
living food and your skin will glow from the inside out. Colourful food means it’s packed full of
antixodants. The more colourful your
plate, the younger you’ll look. Beige,
brown & white makes for wrinkles and sagginess. (Did someone say macaroni cheese?)
5 WAYS TO GET A SPRING
BACK IN YOUR STEP
1. Eat alkaline food. Take Omega 3,6,9 supplements or Flax Seed Oil. You’ll notice shinier hair and glowing skin
in no time. If you suffer from severely
dehydrated skin and you drink 2 litres of water a day, you may be suffering
from a lack of natural oils in your diet.
2. Scrub: but be careful...your
skin shouldn’t get the same treatment as your potato bake dish after a rugby
braai! Only scrub once a week or once
every two weeks (depending on how thin and delicate your skin is)
3. Moisturise: Get a good antioxidant serum
for your face, a good (paraben-free) body moisturiser and a balm that can
double up for hands and feet. Above all...keep
it simple!
4. Hydrate: Stay away from energy
drinks, or hydration fluids. Just drink
good old-fashioned water. Don’t be
fooled by marketing...they are packed full of sugar, artificial colorants and
other nasty ingredients that will just rob your body and your skin of precious
health.
5. Ease up on the
chemicals: Be aware of
what chemicals are in your make-up (switch to a mineral or organic type if you
can) our beauty products are absolutely laden with horrific ingredients, some
are made from animal by-products, and some contain heavy metals which are
extremely toxic for human life. And most
block your pores and can cause breakouts.
Side Bar*
Ahem...what’s alkaline?
Alkaline foods are all
citrus fruits (lemon is amazing) – it may sound acidic, but when it hits your
body it immediately turns neutral. All
fresh fruit and vegetables are great alkaline foods.
Eg: fresh green salad with a variety of seeds, veggies, sprouts and
a home-made salad dressing made from lemon, olive oil, vinegar (a little)
Commercially sold salad dressings are full of RUBBISH!
So what’s acidic?
You guessed it. All meat, fish, chicken, wheat, dairy,
sugar. You’ve heard it all before.
Eg: A deep-fried corn
dog with chips and a coke. Really? Somebody actually covered a Vienna in batter
and then deep-fried it? Maybe don’t eat
that. Ever.
Our Spring Skincare product recommendations:
The more natural and
organic your skincare route is – the less make-up you use. You might say that you could tell – but I
haven’t used foundation or base since I’ve switched to an organic skincare
regime. I simply use mascara, eyeshadow
and sometimes if I look a bit pale I use a bit of light bronzing powder. LESS IS MORE!
Thanks Susan!
Wow! What great information! Thanks ladies, and thank you to those who contributed to Part 1 and Part 2 !
For more info on the brands featured in today's post, click below:
Let me know what you've thought about these posts! I'd love to know!
Look out for my next post as I'll be announcing a competition *yay*
xXx
The Glam Green Girl
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