Nothing makes a girl feel like a million bucks like a fresh manicure…or maybe a wardrobe full of Chanel. But since most of us won’t experience the latter, we want to make sure the manicures we spend our hard earned moolah on last as long as possible. Follow some of these guidelines to extend the life span of your colored nails regardless of what you have to do afterwards.

Pre-Condition
Before you paint your nails, make sure they’re ready for polish. In other words, keep them healthy—moisturize and clean cuticles. We really like Calvin Klein's Nail Treatment Splendid Condition Moisturizing Cuticle Cream Treatment, which is designed to strengthen your nails and soften your cuticles pre-manicure. Let is soak in about an hour or so for the full effect.

Get Rid of the Oils
The biggest hurdle between you and a long lasting mani is the natural, non-visible oil on your fingernails. These oils prevent the polish from sticking, so you want to make sure your fingernails are completely dehydrated before you manicure them. One way to do this is by using an old, dry toothbrush to scrub the oil off. Or you could use polish remover or even vodka to dry out our nails.

Use a Base Coat
You’ve heard it a hundred times before: use a base coat, but the reason why is less well known. Simply put, a base coat sticks better to the nail that lacquer does; it also prevents bright colors from staining your nails.

Let ‘Em Dry
The biggest manicure faux pas? Not giving your nails enough time to dry. Despite the special heat lamps and drying sprays many spas offer, the best way to truly dry your nails is with good old-fashioned time. Sure, it can be dry to the touch, but nail polish takes an hour to dry completely. If possible, avoid putting your nails under heat for 24 hours after your treatment—keep water temperatures cool and mild so not to melt the layers of your polish.

Have any great tricks for making your mani last? Tell us in the comments!

While skincare products play a big part of keeping your face looking healthy, sometimes the easiest way to create beautiful skin is from the inside out. Nutritionists and dermatologists have long said that what you put inside your body greatly affects how it will appear on the outside, you've heard the saying, you are what you eat! So what does that mean? Besides the obvious—eating greens, drinking water, avoiding caffeine—there are other products you can consume to ensure a perfect complexion. You might even save yourself from spending big bucks on cosmetics! Here are the products we like that create a naturally beautiful you:

Vitamin E
One of the best things for maintaining a gorgeous appearance is vitamin E. This vitamin is an anti-oxidant, meaning it fights damages caused by free radicals (UV Rays, cigarette smoke, pollution etc.), locks in moisture and helps spread oxygen throughout the body. The result? Healthier looking nails, hair and skin. While dark leafy greens are the best way to get your vitamin E fix, a supplement like Carlson ACES antioxidant formula- vitamins A, C, E plus selenium, will work too.  

Rooibos Tea
Rooibos (pronounced “roy-boss”) is a herbal tea that hails form South Africa. It is packed with a blend of anti-oxidants, but unlike green tea, is naturally caffeine free. Rooibos, which translates into “red bush,” is great for fighting acne and reducing inflammation from eczema and sunburn, and it tastes a lot better than some other herbal teas. You can always add a little milk for a creamier flavor! Rooibos is available at most supermarkets and any natural health food store

Garlic
This Italian-loved herb does more than add some flavor to your pasta; it’s fantastic for your body, too. Garlic is a natural anti-biotic that has long been known to fight skin infections and inflammations. The difference is that garlic doesn’t get rid of your body’s “good germs” and you won’t build immunity against it—it will continue to be effective as long as you take it. Crush a little garlic into your food or veggie juices as often as you can, or, if you’re not a big fan of the flavor, take a garlic supplement like Now Foods garlic tablets for similar results.

Is your current fragrance lackluster, and leaving you feeling a little lifeless? Well then, Demeter has your perfect perfume pick for the season – one that will survive your long work day and put to rest (in peace) any cravings you have for re-animating aromas. You don’t need to eat brains for this one; just use yours and check out the limited-edition, innovative duo: Zombie for Her (and Him). The walking dead have surely never smelled this divine, and of corpse, these new scents – which are part of Demeter’s classic collections – will be the ones that you will be dying to get your hands on.

Zombie for Her (and Him) are both described (in a stiff’s whiff) as enlivening bouquets reminiscent of a “forest floor” brought to life through “a combination of dried leaves, mushrooms, mildew, moss and earth.” The female version also includes “a touch of Dregs from the bottom of the wine barrel” to add a distinguishing “feminine touch.”

Both products come in Demeter’s signature 1oz. and 4oz. cologne spray glass bottles, which feature zombie creatures on the front to make it easy to “ID” these invigorating bodies of fragrance. So whether or not there is a zombie apocalypse, these products are bound to awaken the senses and resurrect the fun of fragrance for everyone who wears them.
Not too fond of the apocolapyse scent? Check out an entire fragrance library of other scents, including angel food cake, apple blossom cologne, and brownie!