Lipstick Powder N Paint

Nail polish has stepped into the spotlight as of late and it is hard to keep up with all of the trends. Is the new it colour black? Is it blue that looks almost black? Is it orange? We are going to stick with what we like, colour wise, but we’ve tested five major brands to bring you the best of the best.

OUR RATING SYSTEM
1 – Lackluster
2 – Not the worst of the bunch
3 – Getting there …
4 – Almost perfect
5 – Knock-your-socks-off good

Essie in Mini Shorts

The Claim: Famous for its chip-resistant formula, durability and huge selection of colours (over 200 in all).
The Truth: You get what you see with this bright, bright orange. After a few rounds of dishwashing the polish did begin to chip a little but it was minimal. Perfect for a manicure because it stays put.
One coat or two: 2
Chipped: 4 out of 5
Colour: 4 out of 5
Wow Factor: 4 out of 5

Essie
www.essie.com
Available at select salons and online at essieshop.com

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Cleopatra loved her milk. She acted like one of our modern day celebs would by constantly pampering herself with exclusive treatments. Her favourite – bathing in a tub filled with milk. These days, milk should still be part of your daily beauty routine, but it doesn’t have to mean immersing yourself in gallons of it.

Containing nine essential nutrients, including calcium, vitamins A, D and B12, protein, potassium, riboflavin, niacin and phosphorus, this “super drink” does more for you than just build strong bones. Here are just a couple of reasons why milk is going to make you a more gorgeous gal:

BEAUTY SLEEP
Milk promotes a better night’s sleep. Everyone knows that you need eight to 10 hours of fabulous shut-eye a night. And what could be better to help you fall asleep than a warm glass of milk? Did you know that it contains L-tryptophan, an amino acid that is a natural sleep inducer?

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Aging, like paying taxes, is inevitable. And with aging we may face, umm shall we say a little sagging, a couple laugh lines and the first signs of grey hair. Now don’t get us wrong, we love the sophistication and grace of an older woman, we just don’t like the not-so-fun parts that go with it. With more skin creams and potions on the market today, we sometimes think companies forget that our hair ages as well. But now with the launch of Joico’s re:nu Age Defy line, particularly the line’s pièce de résistance, the Re:nual Serum, grey hair has finally met it’s match.

The re:nu Age Defy hair care system targets the loss of hair thickness, manageability, vibrancy, shine, strength and the addition of more grey hairs with it’s scientifically advanced technology, designed to stop hair from acting it’s age.

Consisting of six wet line products, four styling agents and the Re:nual Serum daily treatment, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be turning heads!

Joico
www.joico.com
Available only at professional salons

There are products that promise to smooth bumps and lumps, and then there are ones that promise legitimate weight loss.

Nude Skincare Smoothing Body Refiner is prepped to trim and tone your wobbly bits. Unlike other cellulite busting creams, this one smells like a high-end fragrance (it’s actually cupuacu butter and ginger). It’s easy to apply, and you can easily slop it on if you’re rushed, because the formula is slippery, light and very fluid. There’s also zero stickiness.

Organic mountain ash, phytoactive ginger and ginkgo all get to work on stimulating circulation and aiding the detox process, while organic fig and green coffee strengthen skin. It also does a kick-ass job at standing in for your quotidian moisturizer.

The bottle suggests applying the lotion after a good dry brushing for the best results.

How could we forget the best part? We were down two full pounds after one week of diligent use.

Nude Skincare
www.nudeskincare.com
Available at Barneys, Space NK and Sephora

You’ve heard of some strange facial treatments, some of which you’d really rather not discuss and many of which probably involved some sort of food. Though you may feel discouraged from trying anything other than a bar of mass-market soap on your skin, we urge you to take one more risk. Azuki Micrograins and Brown Sugar Facial Soap from Chidoriya is made completely of azuki red bean micrograins and, you guessed it, organic brown sugar.

According to Chidoriya, the Japanese have used the azuki red bean for ages in face wash and for good reason – it works to dissolve any oils that clog your pores. As for the brown sugar, well, it’s simple – the natural quality and texture of this typical cookie ingredient smoothes skin texture. The combination of the two, which is made through a month-long aging and curing process, makes for a hypoallergenic, fragrance and preservative-free face wash bar that Chidoriya says lasts twice as long as most bar soaps. Plus, it lacks alkali, a skin irritant present in many other washes.

So, just one last time, skip that boring old soap and try the sugar.

Chidoriya
www.chidoriyaworld.com
Available online at chidoriyaworld.com