Say ‘I do’ to picture-perfect hands on your wedding day!

DEAR RISSA,

I’m getting married next month. I am getting a manicure several days before the actual wedding, but my fingers and nails tend to easily look beat-up. Maybe because I have naturally dry hands and I use my hands a lot for work and everyday tasks. What can I do so my hands look like they’re fresh from a manicure on my wedding day?

JEDA

What an exciting time for you! Wedding planning is fun yet can also be tiring. That’s why it’s important to take extra care of yourself. Constantly hydrate — drink lots of fluids and diligently moisturize your hands with a hand cream every night as early as now. Then on the wedding day itself, treat your hands to a mini spa of sorts. I remember during my wedding day, I made sure to pack face and hand masks from The Face Shop. I devoted 20 minutes of “me-time” by putting on a face and hand mask while just lying down on the bed with my favorite music. Yes, you need your hands to be picture-perfect, too, because I’m certain there will be a lot of photos of your hands when you say “I do.” I highly recommend you get the new Paraffin Nutrition Nail Pack from The Face Shop. It’s made so that you can easily slip on a treatment mask over every finger. The size is quite generous and will cover not just your nails but even most of your fingers, too. I always still keep a pack so I can give my fingers some TLC when needed.

Best wishes on your big day!

RISSA

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REMOVING MAKEUP: EASY DOES IT

HI, REGINA!

I know it’s bad, but sometimes I’m too tired or just too lazy to take my makeup off after a night out. Is there an easy way to do it that won’t take too much effort on days like those?

ANNE

Hey, that happens to the best of us! Cleansing water is really the best answer to that problem. If you get the pre-soaked clothes (like Koh Gen Do’s), all you have to do is gently wipe your makeup off with it. You might not get all of the makeup off  — soap is still best for that — but it will take most of it off, and that should suffice until you can dedicate yourself to more thorough cleansing.

My favorite cleansing water right now, though, is Bioderma’s Sensibio Micellar Water. I painted my face white with greasepaint to practice a Halloween look, and that usually requires a good amount of cleansing oil to remove, but a couple of cotton pads soaked in the Micellar Water took almost all of the white makeup off with even less effort than cleansing oil needed. It works even better with foundation than the theater-grade face paint.

I would suggest doing two passes of your face with the cleansing water-saturated pad, just to make sure you remove as much as possible.                  

REGINA

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WHEN YOU SHOP, DO AS THE FRENCH DO

DEAR LUCY,

I think I shop too much that clothes and accessories are spilling out of my closets and into other areas of my home. It is driving my hubby nuts and I think I should do something about it. Problem is, how do I even start?

CHARLEY

How to do it? Just dive into it head-on. Be ruthless. Assess all that you have accumulated. How much have you spent on everything collectively? Quite a sum, I’m sure. Go through every piece with a critical eye. Get rid (by that I mean give away) of anything that you do not absolutely love and does not absolutely look good on you. Absolutely, no ifs and buts! And next time you go shopping, do as the French do. I have been told that the French women do not shop every month or go crazy whenever there is a sale (the way most women tend to), rather they shop only once or twice a year. But when they do, they get the finest quality their money can afford and these pieces serve them well for years. That is so liberating, don’t you think? Not only do you spend your money wisely, nothing finds its way to your closet that will not look gorgeous on you, too. Another plus is, with only the best for you hanging on the bars and folded neatly in drawers, you significantly cut the time you spend choosing what to wear. There will be times that you will falter, but keep at it till it becomes a habit.

LUCY

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 Send e-mail to Lucy Torres-Gomez at ltg@pldtdsl.com. E-mail Rissa Trillo at stylesos_rissa@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter @RissaMananquil. Send Regina Belmonte your questions at vivatregina.tumblr@gmail.com or tweet her @vivatregina.