Will You Have On Trend Nails This Autumn?

I can't believe it's the beginning of August already - although the shops are filling up with AW17 clothes and the glossy magazines are encouraging us to sort out our make-up bags and get ready to dazzle.

Image credit: Nic Senior

According to Harpers Bazaar, Chloe featured the 60's eye heavily in this year's show whilst Giambattisti Valli featured blood red lips.  Neither of these trends are too much of a stretch for most make-up bags, particularly if you are lover of the iconic MAC shades Ruby Woo or Russian Red. Personally I've never mastered the 60's eye and still struggle with eyeliner but I've read good reports about Bobby Brown Gel Eyeliner for those of us who just can't get the lines straight!

Vogue says that this season's lip look is 'just snogged' and that it's perfectly OK if your lippie looks a bit, well, smeary.  Very handy for us mums who apply their lipstick with a child in one hand whilst desperately searching for car keys.  Worryingly, they also include 'bleached brows' as a look and 'over-liner' - lining your eyelid with a contrasting colour.

Image credit: Pixabay

If you can't be faffed with all that, there's 'Groomed Minimalism', groomed brows, curled eyelashes and a slick or gloss or there also seems to be an outbreak of 'rose' for eyelids, lips and cheeks.

Image credit: Pixabay

If you are more of a mani / pedi girl, the statement mani is back. According to Vogue there were checkerboard nails at House of Holland, crystal-studded talons at Gucci, chainmail accessories at Ryan Lo and pressed flower designs at Preen by Thornton Bregazzi.

At Milan Fashion Week, Elle Magazine found tiger stripe press ons at Emilio Pucci, bejewelled talons at Gucci and 60s tan manis at Moschino.

Whilst none of those designs seem particularly appropriate for the renewed school runs, a manicure or a pedicure is something we can all manage - even at home - perhaps by getting inspiration from one of Ellisons Professional Manicure Kits.

And, in case you've forgotten the key steps for a professional looking manicure at home, here's what to do:-

1. Remove old nail polish with a gentle nail polish remover.  Acetone nail polishes will work faster but non-acetone removers are kinder to skin.

2. Shape your nails.  Clip and gently file into shape with a gently abrasive emery board or crystal nail file.  Smooth the tops and sides of the nails with a slightly abrasive buffer but don't overdo it as the polish won't adhere as well.

3. Soak your hands and nails in a bowl of warm water.  You could add a little facial cleanser or shampoo to the water.  If you're going to trim your cuticles, soaking is necessary but only for around 3 minutes.

4. Apply callous/cuticle remover. When cutting away the thickened skin around the nail, applying a bit of cuticle remover will help.

5. Remove excess cuticle and callouses around the nail. Using the cuticle pusher from your kit, gently push the cuticle back away from the nail, but don't push it too far because it can damage nail growth or fray the cuticle.

Don't clip into the cuticle, just nip off the free edge with a pair of metal cuticle nippers. Don't overdo it because the cuticle helps protect the nail bed.

Image credit: Lele Breveglieri

6: Moisturize with a rich hand cream all over the hands and cuticles.

7. Prep for polish. Remove any leftover moisturizer on the nail with a cotton pad dipped in nail polish remover. You need to make sure that the nails have no oil left on them.

8. Apply base coat. If you have weak or brittle nails, use a base coat of ridge-filling nail polish to shore up the nail. A base coat also protects nails from staining (especially important if you prefer red nail polish) and prevents chipping. 

9. Apply your nail colour in layers, allowing each layer to dry between coats. Two coats of colour polish followed by a top coat to add gloss should do the trick.

10. Check for and clean up any mistakes—and you're almost done! It takes time for nails to fully dry, so be patient. A fan helps, but don’t use heat or your hair dryer or the polish will chip and peel. Also, don’t put your nails too close to the fan or you’ll end up with bubbles in your polish.

11: Reapply moisturizer! Keeping your hands and the nail area healthy-looking requires moisturizer. You can't have great nails and hands without this essential product.

Using the right tools will make a great difference and it's worth investing in a good set, especially when you consider how much you are likely to save on professional manicures.

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Tips To Help Introduce Your Baby To The Bottle

Readers of this blog may recall that my own attempts at breastfeeding were not particularly successful and, after 10 weeks with sitting with Caitlin for what seemed like hours, I swopped to formula feed and never looked back.  Caitlin wasn't putting on enough weight and as soon as I made the change she started to really thrive.  

Perhaps the problem was, as an older mum at 43, my milk just wasn't up to the job.  When Ieuan was born just 19 months later, he went straight on to formula. 

At some point, though, most children learn to take a bottle and it can be a bit of a daunting experience - particularly if you need them to learn this new skill in a bit of a rush.

There are many reasons why you want to introduce your baby to a bottle. You might want to start using a bottle so that you can start feeding your little one some expressed breast milk; or, know that you will need to leave your baby when returning to work, and you want to ensure they have some milk while you’re away from them.

Whatever the reason, here are some useful tips from Tommee Tippee whose bottles got both my two through their early years. 

The guide sets out how to go about giving your baby their first bottle, top tips in the early stages of introducing your little one to a bottle, and tactics that you can use when your child resists a bottle:

How to give your baby their first bottle

The common issue for babies being introduced to a bottle is that they will need to use a different sucking action compared to when they were breastfed and, it's likely to take them some time to get used to this new feeling.

To help, give your child their first few bottles when they are relaxed and happy as opposed to instances when they’re hungry and more likely to want to get fed by a method that they are used to. 

It is also a good idea to offer your baby a bottle in the evening once their regular feeding has been complete — you don’t need to give them that much milk in this instance, as it will be more about getting your child used to the feel of a bottle’s nipple.

Another tip is to get someone else to give your baby their first few feeds — the dad or a friend or family member — as that way your baby will not be near you and smelling your breast milk. 

It may also be best if the mother is out of the house while the baby is being bottle fed, as many youngsters can smell their mother even from a distance. You only need to do this a handful of times until your child is used to drinking from a bottle.

Refrain from forcing your baby to feed from a bottle too much, and only feed them enough milk until they let you know that they’ve had enough. This needs to be a smooth transition, so your child will be more likely to rebel if they aren’t enjoying their bottle in the early stages.

What to do if your baby is resisting

If you are struggling to get your baby to make the transition from breast to bottle, there are some techniques that could help.

You should take the time to find a suitable product for your baby. A bottle with a nipple that is similar to your child’s dummy will likely make it more appealing to your little one, for instance. A slow-flow nipple can get around times when your baby gags due to regular bottle nipples delivering them with too much milk at once.

A First Sippee Transition Cup from Tommee Tippee ticks all of these boxes, not to mention the fact that they are specially designed for a baby’s first sips and has a super soft spout that is gentle on your child’s sensitive gums. 

These cups may well be known to you, following a dad’s desperate search last year to find a replacement cup for his autistic son. The plea received over 12,000 retweets and the full story can be read on the BBC website.

It’s not just the design of the bottle or cup that can help your baby with the transition. Your baby may start sucking from the cup or bottle’s nipple if you place some breast milk on it and your child tastes it and enjoys the familiar taste.

Let your infant get used to their new bottle or cup in their own time too. Don’t be quick to take the product away from them if they begin to chew on the nipple — let them do this for now as they may switch to sucking on it once they are familiar with the feeling.

Babies may also feel more comfortable drinking from a bottle or cup when they are held in a different position to how you breastfeed them. Feed them from a bottle or cup when they are in a semi-upright position in a car seat, for example, or by having them on your lap but with their back to your chest.

Hopefully with this advice, your baby will be reaching for his bottle or cup for their feed before you know it.

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