Luxe Looks Have Never Been Easier
As time passes, our hands keep score. The skin on your hands is the thinnest on the human body, rivaled only by the petal-thin epidermis of the eyelids. Unlike the eye orbit and the rest of the face, your hands contain zero sebaceous (oil) glands, meaning that your hands have little to no natural protection from the elements, ranging from skin-shriveling UV to harsh soaps and hand sanitizers. š²
FIFTYNIFTY EXCLUSIVE:
Spring Scrub for Gorgeous Hands
OUR GET-FRESH SPRING SCRUB:
In a small bowl, combine:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- Ā¼ cup coarse sea salt
- Ā¼ cup turbinado golden sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Mix together with your fingertips to form a kinda chunky paste. If it feels too dry, add a few drops of water, or olive oil. Wash your hands with a gentle soap, then slowly work a dime-sized bead of the paste into your skins, starting at the nails and working up toward the wrist. Lightly scrub in small circles, then rinse with warm water. Pat dry, followed by hand cream and sun screen.
Smells delicious, but we donāt recommend eating it! (And itās fine, BTW, to use refined white sugar and bottled lemon juice if thatās what you have āon hand.ā)
Even the glossiest, glammest nails canāt shine bright if the skin of your hands looks dull and dry and feels rough. Whip up this yummy organic scrub in your own kitchen to gently exfoliate, then follow with moisturizer and sun screen. Um, yes, you do need to wear sun screen, especially on your hands which are exposed to sun and all kinds of weather year-round.
For spring 2023, weāre loving Coppertone Every Tone, a moisturizing but lightweight broad spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen lotion that leaves no chalky residue, even on deep-toned skin. Dermatologist Susan C. Taylor, MD, Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, University of Pennsylvania, says:
āThere are several compelling reasons for the use of sunscreen to ensure Beautiful Black Skin. Although melanin provides some measure of protection from the harmful effects of ultraviolet light, it does not provide complete protection. This means that Black skin is not immune to sunburns, sun damage, and aging changes. In fact, with aging, uneven skin tone, discolorations and an overall darkening of the skin may occur. Regular sunscreen use will help to prevent (and may even help to treat) these skin changes.ā
OPI to the rescue! Treat your hands to a glamorous spring makeover just in time for bottomless-mimosa brunches and whatever other wild escapades you have up your sleeve. And hereās a news flash: you no longer have to commit to hours in the salon chair, just to have fabulous hands: OPIās freshest spring looks are press-on nails you can apply yourself in under 10 minutes at home, on that flight to Bali, whatever! Press-on obviously saves you heaps of cash, not to mention hours and hours of your precious time having those acrylics or gels applied, refreshed, and replaced.
Our style experts weigh in on the two sure-to-slay styles for spring:
SOPHISTICATED LADY:
Black and white patterns call up Art Deco vibes of the 1920s and 1930s. āThe Ebony Venusā Josephine Baker would have loved these elegant abstracts, yet the look is utterly of-the-moment and complements every āfit from that cute velvet tracksuit to your finest off-the-shoulder evening gown. The subtle yet jazzy play of black and white geometric shapes also suggests the classic inlay arts of Egypt and the timeless tile work of Morocco and Algeria for a subtly Afrocentric statement. Create your snake-iest, shapeliest mani with reptile-patterned OPIāS āPump the Snakesā press-ons.
Oh, Prince, how we miss you. Since the time of classical Egypt and Greece, the color purple (and thank you, Alice Walker) meant royalty. The ancient Phoenicians established themselves as a world power because they discovered the only known source of stable purple color available before modern aniline dyes: the murex, a clam-like mollusk found in the waters of the Mediterranean. The living mollusks were jealously guarded, and gently squeezed (yes, really) to release their precious violet dye which was then imported all over the known world. The scarcity of purple meant that only the Emperor and upper crust were permitted to wear purple. Thank goodness those days are gone, although all shades of purple retain their royal rep. We love OPIās āI Lilac It, I Love Itā collection of easy press-ons for a dainty, feminine spring mani.
Make sure to let us know in the comments if you plan to try our scrub!!!
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Great Recipe for my hands and yes Iāll use it!