Top Tips for Surviving the Coming Colder Months

Winter is coming, and its the time of year, our skin, hair and nails really suffers.  So here is some of my top tips for keeping everything looking amazing over this colder season:

1. Avoid hot hot showers or baths - Its easy to try and keep warm in water, but it washes away your skins protective layer, making it dry and tight.

2. Use a thick body butter - Use this where you can, and often. This will help not only hydrate your skin, but protect it too against the drying effects of the bitter cold weather.

3. Use night time to heal your lips - The perfect time to load up your lips with soothing, healing, hydrating balm. Our lips are always exposed no matter how much we cover up, and your lips will need some TLC at night time.

4. Keep your hair glowing by using treatments - Much like our skin, our hair is often exposed to the elements. Using a thick treatment conditioner twice a week, will help lock in moisture and keep your hair looking soft and luscious.

5. Avoid over washing your hair - Washing your hair not only cleans it, but It will strip out your natural oils that will protect your hair. Use dry shampoo to keep your hair looking clean.

6. Don't leave your nails naked - Having something on them (shellac, Polish etc) will help keep them protected. A common myth is that your nails need to breath, this is just that, a myth. Your nails absorb oils, but they don't breath.

7. Use regular cuticle oil - Much like everything else, our nails are often exposed to the elements. Keeping them hydrated, will not only keep them healthy, but it will stop those dry cuticles that we often chew away at when they are dry and scratching.

8. Lotion, lotion and more lotion - Keep those hands and nails lotion'ed up. That will help protect your skin from the elements and keep them looking young and smooth.

9. Wear Gloves - Chemicals etc will not only dry out your skin, but will strip your nails of their natural oils. Over winter you want to keep as much of those oils on your skin as possible.

Quick and easy at home nail art - Love Hearts

Here is a video I made some years ago.  I wanted to create simple things that people could create at home.

Enjoy xx

Summer Nail Trends 2015/2016

With Autumn on the way and the last of Summer about to end, now is a good time to take a look back on the nail trends we have seen in the salon in the past six months.

The polish trends for Summer 2015/16 include every shade of pink ranging from neon pink to a pale blush pink. Bright colors such as coral and orange have also been really popular and brighter red shades have also been on trend. We have also seen a multitude of nude colors ranging from pale grey to soft beige being chosen.

Classic Reds like Wildfire  by CND are always going to be a staple nail color, no matter what season we are in and it looks great on all nail lengths and shapes. 

Neon pinks such as Beach cruiser by Orly looks great in summer as it is a fun and bright color and it also looks great on toes for those long days on the beach.

Nudes such as Satin Pyjamas and Bare Chemise were also popular this past Spring/Summer season. There is a nude color that will suit every skin tone and will leave your nails look on trend and perfectly manicured. We also saw a lot of sparkle in the more neutral golds and rose golds. 

Things To Look For When Choosing A Nail Salon

1. Communication with a Nail Technician: There is more to a great service than choosing a pretty nail colour. Good communication with the person doing your manicure is very important. If you can't communicate and let them know exactly what you want and what you expect from the service, it is likely that you may not be entirely happy with the overall service. Miscommunication is also one of the many causes that may lead to nail infections.
2. Do some research online: Look up the salon you are planning on going to for your manicure or pedicure online. Reading reviews will give a good indication of the quality of their work and reputation of the salon. If they have a good online presence and update their social media regularly, then chances are they are a reputable salon.
3. Ask about how they clean and disinfect their tools: When visiting a salon, learn more about how the salon disinfects their tools. Do not be afraid to ask them questions like "do you disinfect and sterilize your tools?, do you cut cuticles?, do you use single-use files?" etc.
4. Does the salon appear to be clean? : Check the floors and see if there are any nail clippings etc. and check the desks that the technicians are working at. If they do not appear to be in a reasonably clean state, then you may want to consider another salon for your services.
5. Check the products and chemicals used by the salon: Every product that is used should be clearly labelled and should be genuine product. Any product or chemical that is not as it was labelled may be damaging to the nails.
6. Did the nail technician explain the service to you, ask questions about your needs and inform you of proper home care?There have been so many advancements in artificial nail products that nail technicians can make the most natural looking nails in the world, but artificial nails aren’t for everyone. Your nail technician should ask you about your needs and explain the at-home maintenance you should perform to care for your nails between salon visits. You should also share pertinent medical information with her/him (certain medications, for example, can hinder the application of certain nail products).
7. Does the Technician use a drill or electric file? :Drills (or electric files) are commonly used in the industry and, when used properly, are perfectly safe. You should not feel any pain or burning when the drill is being used; if you experience any discomfort, tell your technician immediately. The only time a drill should be used on the natural nail is with a buffer (no grit).

Hopefully this helps you choose a decent nail salon.  We at Verdo Parnell pride ourselves in taking hygiene and your safety first.

We are based at 245 Parnell Road.  

Tips For Keeping Your Feet In Tip Top Condition In between Your Pedicures

Summer is here, and that means, Jandals, beach time, running around in bare feet and dry feet with potentially some horrible cracks in your souls.

So here are a couple of my favorite things to do, to keep my feet in good condition in between the best pedicures.

1. Have a piece of pumice or a foot buffer in the shower, use this once or twice a week towards the end of your shower.  This will help keep the dry skin off your heals and those pressure points.
2. Get a really good gritty scrub, like Pure Fiji Sugar Scrub.  You can use this after you buff your feet, or twice a week in between your buffing.  Give your feet a really good scrub, focusing on heals and those areas where dry skin accumulates.
3. If you like to sit and relax, fill a bucket with warm water and epsom salts.  This helps keep your feet clean and kills any bugs, but as epsom salts are high in magnesium, this gets absorbed in through your skin and makes you relax and feel amazing.
4. Find yourself a thick, delicious body butter, like Pure Fiji Body Butter.  Lather this on your feet, and put socks on.  Leave it for about an hour, and relax.  You will find the body butter will absorb into your feet and hydrate them.
5. Keep your toenails tidy.  Summer means your hair and nails can grow super quick.  So keeping your toe nails short and tidy, will save them from breaking or from hurting your other toes. 

We have been providing Auckland's best pedicures since 2010.  We believe that our pedicures should be a real treat, as well as providing you with an amazing pedicure.

Amber xx

Our Absolute Favourite Pure Fiji Products

It took me a good 2 years to find the most perfect product for my salon in salon in Parnell.  I tested a lot of products designed to be used in Manicures and Pedicures, however, I felt that they never really did the job they said they would do.

Then on a trip to Fiji one year, I stumbled across Pure Fiji, and instantly fell in love with the product, and the philosophy of the business.  They use natural ingredients, and they use the local villages to help source the products and employe over 700 Fijians to help create the product.  With the way my skin felt, I knew I was instantly hooked and needed this product in my salon, NOW.

So one of my favorite products in the Pure Fiji Range, has to be their coconut sugar scrub.  This is the main reason our Manicures and Pedicures in salon are the best in Auckland.  They are gritty, but just enough to allow for the removal of even the stubborn dry skin.  What I love even more, is that the Sugar Scrub starts to dissolve with the addition of water, this allows the enzymes in the sugar cane to help take the exfoliation to the next level. 

Little tip for those who are using it at home, to get the full benefit of using the sugar scrub, add water slowly to the scrub and let the sugar cane dissolve, this will leave an oily type substance on your skin.  If you can leave this on your skin, the longer the better, then you will see that your skin is even more soft and moisturized.

As the scrub is made out of sugar cane rather than salt, this means your skin is left hydrated, as you will find salt scrubs will leave your skin dehydrated and tight.  Once you have scrubbed, you will be left with an amazing oil on your skin.  This means you don't need to moisturize or anything after you have exfoliated.  Pat yourself dry, and you going to feel amazing and your skin will glow.

We proudly stock and use Pure Fiji products in our Manicure and Pedicure Treatments in our Salon at 245 Parnell Road, Parnell, Auckland.

Come and experience Auckland's best Manicures and Pedicures.

Benefits of Regular Pedicures

Having regular pedicures isn't as vain as it sounds, apart from having beautifully pedicured toes, there are some great health benefits for regular pedicures, even in the cooler months.  They hold the same benefits for guys as well.

Think about how much you walk over a year, on average we take between 8000-10000 steps per day, that adds up to around 3 million steps over a year!.  That's a lot of time on your feet, so its important to make sure you look after them.

Decreases your chances of infections.

Tending to your feet, in the way of shortening toe nails (which can stop ingrown toenails), also, the elimination of dirt and bacteria, will keep your feet in tip top condition.

Exfoliates the feet.

Apart from your feet feeling amazing, regular exfoliation of your feet helps removes dead skin cells, and prevents them from accumulating on the feet and causing things like bunions and corns.  Also, removal of dry, dead skin (especially around the heals) helps with encourage new cell growth and in turn make your feet smoother and look more hydrated.

Promotes circulation.

When you are having a pedicure and there is usually a scrub and massage component to your pedicure.  This helps move blood around your legs and distribute is through your body.  This helps reduce swelling and painful feet.

Relaxation.

Taking some much needed "me" time is always good for you, but adding in a massage and some relax time, helps recharge your batteries and you always walk away feeling a million dollars.

Over the years we have carefully crafted our pedicures to help, not only maintain the health of your feet, but to help give you some time out from your busy life.  We pride ourselves in providing the best pedicures in Auckland.  We use Pure Fiji products through our salon, and I can promise, this will leave your skin feeling amazing.