I’ve been keeping this baby in my pocket and applying about 3x a day:

I know that there are plenty of great hand creams out there, but L’occitane is probably still my favorite. This lil tube was only about $10 at Sephora (those freaking tempting little glass boxes full of inexpensive treats!) and it’s been totally worth it.  My hands SUCK right now.

Some tips:

- don’t forget to rub the lotion around your fingernails so that your cuticles are soft too
- reapply after each time you wash your hands… don’t get lazy!
- during the winter, put on lotion on places you wouldn’t normally think of (buttocks?! yes!)
- invest in a good lotion for the winter, don’t skimp! this is your skin!! go drink Starbucks next week…

And… as one picture for inspiration, I give you this.

SJP, I love you but your hands need lotion.

BUT.. the UV nail process is completely different than a regular manicure! They have a different line of nail color polishes, so you can’t select the regular colors. Luckily, the salon I went to still uses the OPI brand for their UV nail colors!

First off, after they cut/file/pamper/massage your hands and nails…. they put on a layer of some type of clear polish. I’m guessing it acts as a “gesso” first layer. Then they make you dry that first layer under the UV machine. They add 2 coats of the polish, repeating the same process. (1 coat, dry… 1 coat, dry)  They add a top layer (dry) and then some other type of a finishing sticky/shiney layer.

Pros:

- is since you’ve been drying the layers, you walk out with dry nails! no more ruining your nails 5 minutes after you walk out of the salon!
- it’s supposed to last to 2 weeks without chipping (depending on how you treat your nails)
- less likely to break because of the thickness
- looks very much like acrylic nails but not as fake!
- your nails look perfect, shiny and fantastic for at LEAST a week!

*blurry, sorry!

Cons:
- expect the last layer to feel sticky and maybe have some dust stick to it!
- it has the same problem as acrylic nails when it grows out… your regular nail looks so wimpy in comparison, so you probably would get addicted to it!
- it’s not as bad for your nails as acrylic, but your nails probably can’t “breathe” either so it’s gotta be somewhat bad for your nails!
- expensive! Mine cost about $45!

I would describe the UV nails as a way better acrylic alternative. They don’t shave down your nails to a fine thin layer and ruin your nails like the acrylic process does. It adds about 5 layers of thickness to your  nails so you’re less likely to chip or break.  BUT because it’s so thick, it does look sort of weird when it grows out.  I wash my hands like 100x a day so the top part started to lift.

Mine lasted about a week and a half before the lifting started driving me crazy! When I see lifted skin or nail or something… I HAVE to rip it off or else it’ll bug me all day long. I’m sure if I had never peeled off the polish (which all came off in 1 nice strip) then I’m sure it would have lasted 2 weeks. But I also take really bad care of my nails (picking at them, using them for maintenance stuff around the gallery and apt) so I’m a bad example. Or maybe I’m a good example? =)

I would DEFINITELY do this for a special event! It’s so much less fragile than a regular mani!

It seemed almost as easy as applying white out on your nail tips! Also, it’d be great for someone who has a steady  hand to draw designs on your nails.

I first applied a clear gloss, then applied the nail art to the tips to make a french tip.

HOWEVER, the nail art is really, really flimsy and comes off super easy. I noticed that it started to streak almost immediately, even when it looked perfect while it was drying.  The nail art pen doesn’t really hold well at all….

So in the end, I would NOT recommend this pen for the future! Even being really careful, for some reason the white liquid doesn’t stay put!!  Perhaps there’s another type of pen out there that would work better???

Love the look? Here’s how to get it AND it’s easy enough for me!

I decided to check out Sakura Nail Salon on the UES:

First of all, this place is TEENY WEENY. It’s very narrow and they had a humidifier on even though it was a regular 65 degree day. (?) The place was pretty cramped, although decorated nicely.

One of the main reasons why I like getting mani’s and pedi’s done is the massage. If you’re like me, you’ll be very disappointed because my hand & foot massage combined was less than 1 minute. I even went home to change into sweat pants so I could roll up my pants to my knees, but don’t even bother — they don’t go past your ankle and wrists. BOO!

Given my lady was the only non-Asian working there, I think the service was just alright. Nothing special, she didn’t talk very much. I am really good with nails but sometimes just want to treat myself out (especially for the massage) so as someone that knows how to do nails well, I was not impressed at all.

Also, I wanted to catch up with a girlfriend of mine, but they didn’t really make efforts to have us sit together and have us chat.  The place wasn’t that busy and I know some places go out of their way so you can sit & chat with your friends in a nice environment.

I don’t think I’ll be going back. Not worth a $35 pedi if it’s nothing I can do myself. (like a 15 second massage!) However, I do appreciate that they don’t push for you to upgrade or anything. But that’s pretty much the only positive!