Practicality rules over all. The shape is softly rounded. The look lies with medium-sized nails with a French manicure, with clear varnish down the length and white crescents at the tips (check out the Tips and Toes Manicure Kit).

The colors in vogue are a trifle more complicated. It’s red for the night – we are talking pure fire-engine matte red, the sort of red that makes men go week at the knees and declares you’re a bad girl. The wishy-washy pinks and purples which held sway for a bit and the grotesque steel gray, which became ubiquitous shade for the wannabe hep cats, have all been relegated to the back. The neon greens and blues are best left to the teen brigade where they are slowly crawling down the ladder from hip to has-been.

Transparent camels and frosted sables are the shades to watch out for on toes. These are the shades they’re showing off in open toed sling-backs in Hollywood. They’re also wearing matte and opalescent whites. However, since both pale and pearly nail polish tend to highlight any bumps or ridges, prime nails with a clear base coat first.

Shimmer is so big that Estee Lauder, Yves Saint Laurent and L’Oreal seem to have got an entire range to boast of. These are shades straight from your heart, but with a twist. Sable with an oil slick effect, or opalescent nail polish with a petrol sheen (the multicolored rainbow look) are what are giving nails the hip hop look right now.

The surest, softest and the most chic look amongst the haves is that of sheer coat – the transparent shines that just lets the soft sheen of gloss show the true shade of the nail underneath, but this is a look of the grave. For the woman who has more chores like cooking and cleaning to be done, such daredevil bravery is uncalled for…she should get herself a skin tone matte, or a light peach opalescent. It doesn’t show as much when it chips.

 Also, it’s not enough just to have manicured nails today. The hippest craze is to have them stenciled, painted, even pierced, so that you don’t see nails in the same light again.

Even the best shades will fall flat on hands that are not maintained well. Make sure to give them a manicure once a fortnight at home or in a salon. Massage a hand cream into your hands at least a couple of times a week, and make sure you wear gloves when you’re washing up or cleaning. And above all, keep your nails at a tolerable length – shall we say one that will allow you to dial from an old telephone instrument.

Chapped hands
The repeated use of soap and water damages the top layer of the skin, and can cause excessive scaling, or chapping. When washing hands lukewarm water and the simplest soap should be used. Exposing unprotected hands to bleaches and other kitchen chemicals, and also to shampoos, can aggravate chapping.To protect hands, wear plastic gloves. Cold weather can also cause chapping of the hands. The skin becomes sore and red and may begin to crack. One has to use cold cream at this time.

Eczema
In some extreme instances, chapping can lead to eczema, or inflamation of the skin. Eczema can also affect people who are allergic to certain materials. As the hands are almost always in contact with some material, the condition can persist. One has to see the doctor in this condition.

Warts
Children in particular are affected by warts, which develop on the hands or fingers and are contagious. Most warts disappear spontaneously, as immunity develops, though they persist for a year or more. There is no way of preventing them. If they cause concern they should be seen by a doctor, who can destroy them with corrosive or freezing fluids.

 Nails and their problems

The main function of the finger nails is to protect the sensitive tips of the fingers and concentrate the sense of touch. On average, a nail grows from its base to its top edge in about six months. If nails are not cut they will become split and broken.

Flaking nails
The top layers of nails can seperate and start to flake off if they are exposed to too much soap and water or detergent. If flaking occurs, wear plastic gloves when washing dishes or clothes, and massage nail cream into the nail base each day.

Brittle nails
When nails easily crack or break they can be a permanent worry. Weak nails are caused by general ill health or a protein defeciency in the diet. You can increase your nutritional intake by eating more lean meat, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables.

Brittle nails could also be suffering from extereme dryness and, if this is the case, rub in a nail cream every morning and night and keep the nails fairly short until the condition improves.

Loose nails
The excessive use of nail hardeners containing formaldehyde can cause the nail plate to seperate from the nail bed. The space beneath the nail may then become infected, causing discoloration. Loose nails can also accompany diseases such as eczema and psoriasis.

Hang nails
If the nails are frequently immersed in water the outer skin layer may split away from the cuticle. The splits, or hang nails, are painful and can become infected. They can be snipped off with sharp nail scissors. To prevent them occuring the skin should be kept flexible by nightly applications of cold creams

Black nails
A heavy blow on the nail—or jamming it in a door—can cause bleeding under the nail which eventually fall off. New growth will cure the condition. If the injury is very painful the nail may have to be removed surgically.

Nail Biting
In both adults and children, nail biting is a common habit, sometimes stemming from insecurity, boredom, anxiety or excitment. Excessive nail biting results in very weak nails and in extreme cases, damaged fingers caused by chewing the nail down to the quick—the sensitive skin beneath the nail. The best remedy is often to appeal to the individual’s vanity. Failing this, the person concerned must use willpower to conquer the habit.

Get your creative juices flowing and fuel that spirit of adventure. Don’t hold back, go crazy! Here’s how you can get an astounding array of custom designed talons.

Nail art

First apply a Crystal Clear, (Wear Extraordinaire) shade or Top Coat, this prevents staining the nails.

Deeply Red, was used as a base coat for nails on both hands. 

On the left hand – The thumb is painted with Abrupt, and Jet, the pointer with Jet, the index finger with Brisk. The ring finger with Fatigues, (Wear Extraordinaire) and the little finger with Abrupt, and Brisk.
On the right hand – The thumb is painted with Jet, the pointer with Zippy the index finger with Brisk, the ring finger with Pearly Whites, (Wear Extraordinaire) and the little finger with Boogie, After you’ve adorned your nails, apply Crystal Clear, this prevents your nail colors from chipping and peeling. If your nails are weak, use a nail hardener.

Swiss Manicure

First apply Abrupt, as the base and then apply striking gold, stroking the sides of the tips of your nails forming a V shape.

TIPS:

Color always looks better on nails that are well shaped. If your nails are wide, taper the side edge and give it a round look. File long nails straight across and round the edges. If you’ve large hands, go in for a square-rounded shape .
Apply the nail polish in the middle of the nail close to the cuticle at the base, stroke up the nail allowing the brush to spread. Stroke one side of the nail in a half circle to the tip and repeat on the other side of the nail.
Before you apply the nail enamel, rinse well and dry your nails thoroughly – polish sets best on clean and dry nails.

The Classic French Manicure

If you want to flaunt virgin nails and sport a clean look, a French manicure is the best bet, it never fails.

First brush Pearly Whites, across the tips and Sheer Ivories, provides that eternal glaze. Simple and eternally elegant.

Funky Ten Commandments

Here’s a crazy option to contrast the classic look! Paint you nails with any wild color, may be a purple or blue. Or just to be absolutely different and don’t have the patience to create a special look on each nail, take the easy way out. Just paint each nail with a different color.

The Top hand – Starting from the thumb, Jet is painted on, then Departure, Wild Grape, and finishing off with Deeply Red, The Lower hand – Starting from the thumb Departure, Deeply Red.

Purple Maze

Here’s a crazy option to contrast that classic look! Paint your nails in a haze of lilac.

TIP:

Always let the first coat of nail enamel dry and then apply another coat.

The face may be the window to our soul and thus, deserving of all the special care that we lavish on it but our hands do a lot for us and those around us and our feet do the important task of carrying our weight to all places imaginable and sometimes, unimaginable. Considering that, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that we don’t always give them the kind of care and attention that they deserve. Anyway, it’s still not too late to make amends. There are loads of things that you can do to pamper your hands and feet without going to a salon.

Taking care of your hands and nails

As far as your hands are concerned, taking care of your nails are a must. For starters, you can rub petroleum jelly, coconut oil or even castor oil on your nails and then buff with a soft cloth. That should render an amazing shine and look of health to them. Massaging them every two days will help those with soft nails that break easily.

Another way to harden soft nails would be to soak them in warm olive for 20 minutes every second day.

There’s stuff you can do even during your regular chores. Making the dough for rotis? Don’t just wash off the atta – just mix some milk and a drop or two of lemon and leave it on your hands for a few minutes. The kind of cleansing and softening this can do for your hands can be rather hard to beat by a lot of cosmetics.

To soften coarse and dry hands, mix one tablespoon of lemon juice mixed with a teaspoon of sugar and water. Rinse hands after a minute or so. You can also mix 1/3 of a cup of glycerine and 2/3 of a cup of rosewater, mix them well in a bottle by shaking them. Store in a cool place and massage into your hands regularly.

 For exfoliation, mix two tablespoons of oil (baby, safflower, vegetable, olive) with three tablespoons of sugar, preferably coarse. Make a paste out of it and gently rub it into your hands. Rinse with warm water.

For cuticle care, you can use a teaspoon of warmed olive oil or two drops of eucalyptus essential oil and a teaspoon of Jojoba oil and push back your cuticles and massage the oil into it.

Besides, always keep a moisturizer handy at work. Using some moisturizer once in a while is a good idea.

Foot care

For starters, while you are doing your washing chores, you can let the soap stay on your foot and brush it off once your chores are over. You could try the milk and atta (whole wheat flour) combination on your feet as well. Believe it or not, toothpaste is known to be great for cleaning and softening the feet. You can round off with a short massage with a cream or a moisturiser.

You can also mix half a bowl of water with half a bowl of lemon juice. Then gently dip paper towels into the mixture and apply to your feet. This should soften, smoothen and even help remove odours from your feet.

You can make your own foot lotion if you don’t want to invest in any of the lotions available across the counter. You will require a tablespoon of almond oil, a tablespoon of olive oil, a tablespoon of of wheat germ oil and 12 drops of eucalyptus essential or fragrance oil. Mix all the ingredients well, store in a dark colored bottle and rub into your feet. Store it in a cool place.

Need some exfoliation for the hardened skin on your feet and soles? You could take some warm water; mix one of your favorite shampoos or that which you are trying very hard to finish off. Use a foot file to clean and soften the skin and finish off with a moisturiser. You could also use foot scrubs that are available in the market, for effective exfoliation.

Or else, you could make your own strawberry exfoliant. Mix eight strawberries with two tablespoons of olive oil (or sun flower oil) and a teaspoon of kosher salt. You could also add half a teaspoon of finely chopped almonds if you wish. Make a paste of all the ingredients but be careful not to over blend it. Or else the paste will not be very consistent since strawberries have a lot of water in them anyway. Massage it on to your feet, leave it on for a while and then wash off, preferably with warm water.