B’s Beauty: Le Bonne Arbonne

There are few things better than walking into a store and finding everything you need—and then some. What is better, however, is not even having to walk into that store, let alone extracting yourself from that dent you’ve created in the couch.

That’s where Arbonne comes in. From vitamins to shampoos, if you want it, they sell it. Don’t let the prices hold you back; it is a bit more expensive than your basic drugstore product, but that’s because this isn’t Boots. Quality does come with a price, but it also means a little goes a long way. As with most quality investments, you’re better off in the long run.

Exfoliating New Cell Scrub

What sets Arbonne apart from other online retailers (and many other retailers in general), is the quality of the products. All Arbonne’s products are entirely natural and botanical-based. Arbonne’s researchers and scientists in Switzerland (where the company is based) are also constantly innovating and developing new, safe, and effective skin care.

I have tried quite a range of what Arbonne has to offer. My personal favourites are their cleansers, particularly the exfoliants with their small sand-like grains that clean to the core, and the moisturisers.

You can also get involved with the company itself and sell the products to friends and family. We’ll understand if you end up investing the cash you’ve earned right back into the company. It’s hard to resist.

Arbonne Deep Cleansing Mask

 

B’s Beauty: Nailed It

I have rather small, stubby hands. I thought I was doomed to doll-sized phalanges until I saw 30 Rock. Hope! You spring eternal!

Until I can get that transplant, I figured the best way to distract from my hands was to beautify my nails. However, my nails aren’t naturally great either. Weak and prone to breaking, they never seemed able to step up where my hands let me down. In a last-ditch effort, I began taking the Boots brand “Skin, Hair and Nails” supplement, which contains biotin and Evening Primose Oil. There are other supplements on the market, such as Perfectil, that address the same issue, but these sell for three times the price or more. As far as I can tell, the Boots version is doing a bang-up job.

Boots "Skin, Hair and Nails"

Boot’s “Skin, Hair and Nails” supplement

The second step in this action plan: nail oil. It took me quite a few tries to find one that really did the trick. I’ve used the OPI version, which comes in a nail varnish jar, so you simply brush it into your nail beds once or twice a day. This product is OK, but OK isn’t good enough for £16.  The oil was too thin and liquidy and would never fully absorb into the nail beds. I also tried a Boots brand oil that came with a little “eye dropper” top, but as far as I can tell, that product is no longer available.

Then—Hallelujah—I found the Body Shop’s version. Yes, the Body Shop reminds of Junior High (all those strawberry lip balms and passion fruit body butters!). But it’s still making great products, such as their almond nail oil. It comes in a little twisty pen with a brush at the end. It’s thick enough to not drip off your fingers post-application and it is quickly absorbed into the nails and cuticles. This is by far the best product of its kind I’ve found so far. For added fun, the lid doubles as a cuticle pusher. My only complaint is that it’s not big enough; I find myself twisting an empty canister after about three weeks. But a trip to the Body Shop is hardly a chore.

The Body Shop almond oil nail and cuticle pen

 

Retails for £7

The Body Shop “Almond Oil Nail & Cuticle Treatment”

R’s Beauty: Coconut Oil: Multitasking Marvel

My mother made a keen observation recently: she noted that B. is low-maintenance but looks high-maintenance, whereas I am high-maintenance but look low-maintenance. Cheers, mum.

Well I’ve got a spanner (that’s British for “wrench”) to throw in those works. If I were stuck on a desert island (or, um, England), I’d make sure I had a hefty jar of coconut oil to see me through to my rescue, or at least through my thesis defense.

There’s not much this stuff can’t do. In addition to its professed internal health benefits, coconut oil is a beauty multitasker: I use it as a skin and nail moisturizer, a hair conditioner and gloss, and a lip balm. Its antimicrobial properties make it a great salve for minor cuts and scrapes, and it’s even purported to help control dandruff. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature but melts easily upon contact, and its scent is subtle as—you guessed it—a tropical breeze.

See, mom? Sounds pretty low-maintenance to me.

R’s Beauty: The Nails Have It

Idle hands, you may have heard, are the devil’s playthings. Conscious of the truth of this adage, I made sure to occupy my hands on a recent shopping trip with B. by painting all the nails of my left hand—I am right-handed—with not one, not two, but all three nail varnishes in Chanel’s Autumn Collection (entitled, tongue-twistingly, “Illusions d’Ombres de Chanel”). The combination looked a wee bit odd, I must admit, and I could see that B. was, for a split-second, considering pretending not to know me. But I was rather pleased: just for a moment, my inner socialite and inner rebel were at peace with one another.

Remember: this was a rush job. Outrunning the devil ‘n all. From left, "Peridot," "Graphite," and "Quartz"

There is a distinct air of autumn about Chanel’s collection, although the varnishes would also look beautiful during the winter holidays. Although it looks a bit brownish in the bottle, “Quartz” is a sheer pinkish-grayish-taupe with such tiny bits of champagne sparkle that even one coat seems to glow ever so subtly.

Chanel's "Quartz" Nail Color

“Graphite,” a bit bolder, appeals to my inner astronaut (I have many inner selves), as it appears to contain within it the whole of the night sky when you are far, far from civilization (and yet still wearing nail polish, for some reason). It’s a darker and cooler gray, and though it has bigger flakes of silver glitter, you won’t look like a teenager. “Peridot,” in my humble opinion, is misnamed: it takes more after the extraordinary metallic green-and-gold Golden Ground Beetle (Carabus auratus) than a gem. If you click on the link, however, you may understand why, despite this creature’s resplendency, Chanel chose not to evoke it.

The only trouble has been choosing between the three. But then I look down at my left hand—nails still a-gleam—and think I might be able to start a trend.

This is a limited edition, so you’ve gotta be quick—or head to eBay.

 

http://www.chanel.com/en_GB/fragrance-beauty/AUTUMN-COLLECTION—ILLUSIONS-D’OMBRES-DE-CHANEL-125149