When I get my fingernails done, I always request the French manicure look, except without the white strip that makes it the French manicure. To get this color, the nail tech usually layers two different Essie shades.

I’ve had many different color combos in the past, including Mademoiselle + Allure, and many many more that I can’t even remember. Of course, each time I get it done, I run right out and buy the shades they used so that I can give myself manicures at home. Never works, because I can never apply it as evenly as they do at the salon. Hence, I have various shades of light/baby pink that are separated by mere pigments undetectable to the untrained human eye. (Ha!)

Anyway, the point is that I just found my favorite combo by far: Limo-Scene + Sugar Daddy.

What is your favorite French manicure combo? Tell me, and I will try it out next time I’m at the salon.

My toes are in terrible shape (I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m still sporting the same pedicure from an earlier - way earlier - post). But my fingernails are looking fantastic. I did them myself, and I must say, I am quite impressed with my own technical abilities.

I trimmed the cuticles, cut and filed them into a square shape, and painted four separate coats of polish on them without too many dings or mess-ups. However, this entire process took me a total of an hour, and caused me enough tension to be the precursors to the ulcers I am sure to get later on in life.

Yes, painting my nails causes me a lot of stress. The thought of messing up after three coats and having to start all over again is just too terrible to think on. I’m trying to be thrifty now that we’ve got a mortgage, and save on the manicure money, but I wonder if it’s worth the stress?

Anyhow, I painted my nails with Essie’s Mademoiselle, a very pale, pretty pink. I would have layered this with Essie’s Allure, but I couldn’t seem to locate my bottle. Mademoiselle and Allure together give you that pale, natural nail look you’d get with a French manicure. But leave off that fake French manicure strip of white, and you’ve got a look that’s more casual and unaffected. Perfect for summer!

After a month of grody nails, I finally treated myself to a pedicure on Friday.

Want to know what that shade is? It’s Daytripper by Lippmann Collection. The publicist for Lippmann was the one to tip me off to this gorgeous color. When I saw it in the bottle, though, I was afraid it’d be a little too neon. I’m usually an Essie Ballet Slippers fan, so this was definitely a departure for me. But I love it!

Corals, reds and brights are where it’s at for summer, so don’t be afraid to slap a little Daytripper onto your tootsies. A bottle is $15 a pop (not cheap, in my book), but it’s worth it as the color is vibrant, and has remained chip-free so far.

What shade are you wearing this season?

You know how sometimes you find that one special product, and it makes you think to yourself, “life is really worth living.” Henceforth, I am creating a special category in my right sidebar entitled, “Products That Make Life Worth Living.”

I just discovered Cake Beauty’s Milk Made Hand and Cuticle Buffer. It’s made of milk proteins and oils like avocado, grapeseed, sweet almond and coconut for softening and moisturizing, plus sugar grains for buffing.

What I love about this product is that it comes with a special little spoon that you use to mix the sugar and oils together since they separate. I like the process, and having to work for it. I also love the sugar crystals which are very fine, so they’re ultra gentle on your hands while also getting the job done. Lastly, I adore adore adore the scent which smells like a vanilla milkshake.

It’s such an enjoyable product, and I’ve been treating myself every night before bed so that I have super smooth hands when I wake up in the morning.

A 4.9oz jar retails for $18 US at Cakebeauty.com.

For everyone who was asking for an update on the Avon Instant Manicure that I wrote about a couple weeks ago, here is how they fared a week after I applied them:

I think they did pretty well for what they were. The decay rate ended up being about the same as that of a normal manicure.

Also, since it was my first time using the Avon set, I had a hard time applying the strips. There was some wrinkling and bubbling at the edges near my cuticle, which just made chipping easier. But they say that you get better with each application.

By the way, sorry to say, but the sale I last reported on is over. Avon Instant Manicure is back to $8 a set. That is, unless you know an Avon rep you can try to bargain with. Hehe…

So what do you all think?

I’m actually pretty amazed with the results. When I first heard about the Avon Instant Manicure, I thought the idea was pretty dumb, to be honest. It sounded like the millenium edition of Lee Press On Nails.

A pack comes with 16 color strips that you just peel off and press right onto your nails. The extra six strips is so you can choose the right size for your nails. They are tricky to apply and take some patience, but you get quicker with practice. And there’s no wait time for your nails to dry, which I like.

I have yet to see how they wear, but so far so good. A bit of emailing in the morning and some dish washing in the afternoon, and they’re holding up pretty well. Avon says the stuff lasts up to 14 days, so we’ll see.

I think these are actually great if you’re headed on vacation and don’t have time to get a manicure at the salon beforehand. I’m not one of those people who minds doing embarrassing things in front of people I don’t know, so I would happily kill 30 minutes of my airplane time sitting in my seat putting these on.

A set retails for $8, but they’re on sale at the Avon site now for either $4.99 a set or $8.99 for 2 sets. Anyway, for someone who both lacks coordination and is on a budget, I’ll take it!

By the way, I’m wearing Bayberry in the picture. I’ve also got a pack in Reddy to Go, which is a deep wine color I’m saving for a holiday party or something festive like that.

During the drive back from church on Sunday, I happened to kick off my ballet flats and prop my feet up on the dashboard. When I noticed my YELLOW TOENAILS. It was nastalicious.

I’ll spare you any gross pictures of my feet, but it prompted me to jump on the internet when we got home, and hunt for a remedy.

I know the problem is my nail polish, but I thought I’d been so good this year, going for a couple weeks with the polish on, and a couple weeks off, so my nails could breathe in between. And I don’t even use dark shades, which are usually the cause of the problem.

Anyway, I found some sites which had helpful tricks on getting rid of the yellow, including Marie Claire’s Ask the Beauty Department. They recommend you bleach your nails with a solution of 1 tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide mixed with 2-1/2 tablespoons of baking soda. You end up with a pastelike mixture that you dab onto your nails (including under the tips) with a cotton swab.

Or if you haven’t got time for that (and it does sound labor intensive and better suited for those with very patient dispositions), they recommend soaking your nails in denture cleaner for about five minutes.

Lemon is another way to go. Even better is lemon oil which will condition at the same time.

If you’re wondering how to avoid yellow claws in the first place, supposedly a base coat will help. I have been using one religiously, though I don’t think doing so has helped much. Either that, or my nails could have been in worse shape than they are now. (I shudder to think.)

And if all else fails? Wait four to six months for your nails to grow out. And say that at least you tried. Haha.

Remember these? Hard Candy nail polish used to reign supreme in the high-end nail polish market, with a bottle retailing for something like $12, $14.

Now they cost $7, and only because they’re “vintage.” Yes, at 10 years of age, you’re considered an old fogy in the beauty world.

Regular Hard Candy nail polish is on sale at their website for $5. A great deal for us, but part of me aches for the Hard Candy empire and how far it has fallen. But that’s probably just me, getting all sentimental and nostalgic for what used to be. Sigh.

Did any of you own a bottle of Hard Candy back in the day? I never did. My lack of a job in high school meant I had to stick to the drugstore stuff.

Congratulations on reaching the end of another week!