YOU probably think nothing of lavishing your face with expensive lotions and potions, but how much effort goes into your hands?
YOU probably think nothing of lavishing your face with expensive lotions and potions, but how much effort goes into your hands?
Most women don't bat an eyelid about splashing out on the latest anti-ageing wonder creams and hi-tech serums, yet taking care of hands and nails comes way down on the list of beauty priorities.
We all know the hands are one of the first places to show the signs of ageing, but they're often the most neglected parts of our bodies.
Most women, me included, have drawer-fulls of half-used hand creams at home which are used religiously at first, only for the daily ritual to fall by the wayside.
But why let your hands or nails let the rest of your beauty routine down? After all, they're on show every day, and nothing can spoil the look of your smart suit or glitzy evening wear faster than ragged cuticles and chipped, tatty nails.
MD Formulations' Anti-Ageing Hand Care set, £45, is two products for day and night.
The hand and body creme has an SPF20 which provides long-lasting protection and moisture throughout the day while the Anti Ageing Vit-A-Plus Hand and Body creme delivers a moisture-rich formula containing Vitamin A, hyaluronic acid and antioxidants to rejuvenate and plump up the skin.
Figs & Rouge Camelia and Camomile Hand Cream, £9.95, at Love Eco, is a natural product which helps nourish neglected and hard working hands, feeding moisture back into the skin naturally.
The entire range is free from parabens, sulphates and synthetic aromas and are Vegan Society approved. And isn't the bottle lovely? It will look right at home on your dressing table.
Hand & Nail Salve, £5, from Rose & Co is a celeb favourite, packed with nourishing oils and waxes to treat dry, chapped hands, ragged cuticles and brittle nails.
If your nails are problematic, splitting, peeling or snapping off, they're classed as brittle, which can be caused by over-exposure to environmental pollutants like detergents, water, smoking and products containing formaldehyde.
Try Nailoid Results Tough N Up, £5.95 with beeswax, glycerine caffeine and lanolin to stimulate cell growth and nourish the nail plate and tip.
Or Myrrh Nail Oil, £8.50, Korres, which helps to strengthen brittle and splitting nails with keratin-strengthening vitamin B8 and B5 technology and the ancient benefiting properties of myrrh. It promises to visibly thicken and strengthen even the weakest of nails.
Nail Moisturiser, £14.50, from Nailtiques is a non-greasy, fortified conditioning nail creme enriched with soluble collagen, which restores moisture and promotes nail flexibility, and jojoba and aloe, which nourish and conditions the nail.
Nothing shows off well-tended hands and nails better than a slick of polish.
French manicures can often stray too far into WAG and glamour model territory, but for a classic, groomed look, it's hard to beat. Rimmel have launched a French Manicure range, Xtra Life Lycra, £4.49, containing micro- minerals, that promises to last for up to ten days.
The lycra helps to keep the polish flexible, minimising chipping and cracking, while the minerals make it shock resistant.
The range comes in four shades from French Rose to Cafe au Lait - a creamy light brown.
Woolworths have a handy French manicure kit, £6, which has all the essentials - it's a perfect stocking filler too.
Searching for a varnish that provides nails with colour as well as care and protection isn't always easy, however Elegant Touch, have created Colour Care, £4.95, to do just that.
Their formula has a ceramic base with calcium, iron, magnesium, aluminium and manganese, which work together to aid in hardening, strengthening and protecting nails.
Superdrug have a great range of colours if you're feeling bold.
Splash out on their vibrant NYC range, £1.99, in bright hues of orange, yellow and red.
