Glamour Puss 2: No recession here

[Andora]

Am very jealous of folks who can afford Lancome for day-to-day stuff. :P ;)

My mom's been swearing by Avene, especially for redness relief. I may give their day lotion a try this winter, as my Olay spf 30 isn't cutting it.

[cruisin]

it makes every fiber of my germphobic being quiver with fear

As a fellow germophobe, I'm feeling ya! :lol: But, think about what the fish are eating - dead foot cells that have been trapped in socks and shoes. If they had bigger brains they'd be :eek:! :lol:

I am really liking my Cetaphil antibacterial bar soap and I just started using Eucerin original moisturizing lotion for my dry skin. It's helped a lot with my flaking cheeks, especially the Eucerin.

Cetaphil and Eucerin are (according to our dermatologist) the best drug store skin products out there. :)

Am very jealous of folks who can afford Lancome for day-to-day stuff. :P ;)

Oh, but it's not as expensive as you think. The Creme Radiance is so concentrated that if you use more than the size of a small pea, it's too much. Though it is more expensive than many other skin cleansers, it lasts two, three times as long. It works out to be cheaper in the long run, than the less expensive brands. And, since it takes even waterproof make-up off, you might not need a make-up remover. Another thing to remember is, if you buy Lancome in department stores, wait for their gift with purchases/purchase with purchases. They almost always give away sample sizes (sometimes even full sizes) of their face moisturizers. They are also very concentrated and you get a good amount. And you get other goodies too! :)

[my little pony]

I used to have one ashy elbow (yes just one) and I would scrub it with albolene cream cleanser then put lotion on it and it solved the problem.

[Andora]

So, I've seen the promised land, and I lament its lack of availability in Canada. Ulta is the BOMB. Even if it was missing a lot of stuff (Christmas) and didn't have as much NYX as I'd hoped (Sigh). :P But, wow, what a store!

A cousin told me about getting gel nails done. I'm thinking of getting a manicure before Christmas as my nails have gone to pot lately. Anyone have these done?

[cruisin]

So, I've seen the promised land, and I lament its lack of availability in Canada. Ulta is the BOMB. Even if it was missing a lot of stuff (Christmas) and didn't have as much NYX as I'd hoped (Sigh). :P But, wow, what a store!

A cousin told me about getting gel nails done. I'm thinking of getting a manicure before Christmas as my nails have gone to pot lately. Anyone have these done?

I do. I've had them for 7 years. I had acrylics for a while, HATED them. Acrylics destroy your nails. And if you snag an acrylic, the whole nail rips off. Gels are not quite as hard as acrylics and will chip, if you beat them up. But they will chip, not rip off. I open soda cans and they don't break, so they are not delicate. They look more natural than acrylics too. You can get French manicures done with the gels - they do a gel white band at the top and fill in the rest of the nail with a pink gel. They now also have colors in gels. So, you can get red nails - that are instantly dry, don't chip, don't get dull, and don't wear off on the tips.

This is what most salons use, explore!: http://www.lcnusa.com/index.php

I will warn you, you will love them and probably keep them!

[Rex]

I ended up getting something called Heel Savior. Gave my dogs a good cleaning, soaking and used the pumice kit thoroughly and liberally applied. I went to bed with tube socks on...:). Feet look and feel better, but I will need to do this again this week.

[Andora]

I will warn you, you will love them and probably keep them!

:lol: I'm glad you understand my real concern. I was hoping for a temp fix, but if I like 'em enough... :yikes:

I wonder if I can get 'em to do a light colour that I can paint over later if I want to change the colour? I'm soooo excited!

[Stormy]

I do. I've had them for 7 years. I had acrylics for a while, HATED them. Acrylics destroy your nails. And if you snag an acrylic, the whole nail rips off. Gels are not quite as hard as acrylics and will chip, if you beat them up. But they will chip, not rip off. I open soda cans and they don't break, so they are not delicate. They look more natural than acrylics too. You can get French manicures done with the gels - they do a gel white band at the top and fill in the rest of the nail with a pink gel. They now also have colors in gels. So, you can get red nails - that are instantly dry, don't chip, don't get dull, and don't wear off on the tips.

This is what most salons use, explore!: http://www.lcnusa.com/index.php

I will warn you, you will love them and probably keep them!

Does the manicurist shave down your real nail to put the gel ones on?

[cruisin]

:lol: I'm glad you understand my real concern. I was hoping for a temp fix, but if I like 'em enough... :yikes:

I wonder if I can get 'em to do a light colour that I can paint over later if I want to change the colour? I'm soooo excited!

Yes. And polish remover does not effect the gels at all.
I get mine done every 2/3 weeks. When I have whites done I go longer, because you can't see the nail growth. But with color I go two weeks, though I could probably go a bit longer.

ENJOY! These are little life pleasures, be nice to yourself. :)

Does the manicurist shave down your real nail to put the gel ones on?

No. When I get maintenance, she grinds down the old gel to the real nail. but does not grind the actual nail at all. They don't have to "rough up" the nail, like they do with acrylics.

This is how gels go on:

They paint on a very thin base first, which goes under the ultraviolet light.
Then they put a layer of the nail building gel on, that goes under the ultraviolet light.
Then a second coat of the build up, again under the light.
Then they use a nail grinder to shape the hardened gel.
Then a finer grinder.
Then an emory board.

If you have whites (AKA French manicure) they then put a thin top coat on, which goes under the light.

If you want color, they can either do color gels, or put the top coat on and use regular nail polish.

It does not smell at all, acrylics were brain damaging!

If you are lengthening your nail, they put a foil shaper under your real nail and build up the gel to extend past your real nail. No fake tips.

They are also able to grind them fairly thin, so they don't look like those thick fake nails of years ago.

Check out the web site I posted, it's fun. :)

The best part is that if you get gel whites or gel color, you can do whatever you want right away. As soon as they come out from the ultraviolet light, they're hard/dry.

[Hedwig]

I got the Crema conditioner and just tried it out the first time! :cheer:

My hair feels really silky and I think it looks better! :) I will have to see how it holds up but for now I am very happy with it!!

Thanks for the tip!!

[cruisin]

I got the Crema conditioner and just tried it out the first time! :cheer:

My hair feels really silky and I think it looks better! :) I will have to see how it holds up but for now I am very happy with it!!

Thanks for the tip!!

It will get better with every use! Yay for Hedwig!
I'm so glad you love it and it worked for you. If it hadn't I'd have felt awful for you going to so much trouble!

[my little pony]

Hedwig, where did you get it? Did you have to have it smuggled across the border?

[kimkom]

I got the Crema conditioner and just tried it out the first time! :cheer:

My hair feels really silky and I think it looks better! :) I will have to see how it holds up but for now I am very happy with it!!

Thanks for the tip!!

:cheer2: :cheer2: It's fab, isn't it? Just remember not to use very much, or your hair will feel heavy. Did you get the tube or the bottle with the pump? I buy the pump and I only need one pump and a little bit more for my shoulder length hair. Maybe about the size of a grape.

[vesperholly]

So, I've seen the promised land, and I lament its lack of availability in Canada. Ulta is the BOMB. Even if it was missing a lot of stuff (Christmas) and didn't have as much NYX as I'd hoped (Sigh). :P But, wow, what a store!
Aren't you in Toronto - did you come down to my store just over the border?? :cool: Their BOGO sales are awesome, and they have almost the entire line of every d/s brand. Some stuff like Physicians Formula is higher priced than Walmart, though. Our store *just* opened a few months ago.

I found a ridiculous amount of NYX at the Perfumania in the outlet mall. Like, 3 times as much as Ulta.

[Andora]

Aren't you in Toronto - did you come down to my store just over the border?? :cool: Their BOGO sales are awesome, and they have almost the entire line of every d/s brand. Some stuff like Physicians Formula is higher priced than Walmart, though. Our store *just* opened a few months ago.

I found a ridiculous amount of NYX at the Perfumania in the outlet mall. Like, 3 times as much as Ulta.

I hit up an Ulta just inside Michigan on a REALLY short family visit. (As in the only shopping I got to do was Ulta and Target) Mom was cursing my wanting to go to the store, but she wound up spending more than I did. :lol: We really had NO TIME to go there, but I'd heard so many great things. I totally used the BOGO on Essie polish! I wish they'd open up here!

Are you near Buffalo? I swear it was a Perfumania in Tonawanda (??) that I found most of my old NYX stuff at years ago. They had EVERYTHING. If it's the same outlet mall, I'm glad to hear it has lots of NYX still. :D