Beauty-beat: How to achieve a long-lasting winter manicure
Trend: Luminisers
Highlighters can morph from barely there to dazzling, depending on the dip of a brush. If you want a subtle highlight, go for finely milled powders with just a hint of shimmer. For a finish that gives more oomph, try spritzing your make-up brush with setting spray before dipping it and applying.
Road Test
This week I try … a spa manicure
The lowdown I am back in a favourite Sydney beauty haunt, renamed Door No. 18, for a deliciously relaxing manicure. This is surely one of the quickest ways to lift my mood: choose a favourite nail polish shade, have nails shaped and buffed to perfection, follow it with an invigorating dry
exfoliation and tension-releasing arm and hand massage. The colour I have chosen is a winter favourite – a variation of grey with a touch of taupe, mysteriously named O.P.I Infinite Shine in Coconuts Over OPI, with claims of 10-day longevity. Of course I will be topping up every two to three days with a matching topcoat to keep the polish looking fresh.
Pain factor Pure pleasure from start to finish.
Downtime Forty-five minutes.
Results I am at day eight and my nails still look pristine, with a soft squoval shape (a combination of square and oval).
Where to get it Sydney: Door No. 18 Day Spa, doornumber18.com. Cost: $70. Melbourne: La Face Beauty Clinic, lafacebeauty.com.au. Cost: $80 for one hour.
At home O.P.I Infinite Shine in Coconuts Over OPI, $23, opi.net.au.
Add to Cart
This fabulous Lancôme peeling concentrate works best during the skin-regenerating overnight hours. It is a clever blend of glycolic acid, for exfoliation, and argan and rose oil for hydration. Just mix it into your night cream, apply, then sleep. Lancôme Absolue Precious Cells Rose Drop Night Peeling Concentrate, Main photograph by Cybele Malinowski. Fashion editor: Penny McCarthy. Make-up: Charlie Kielty using Nars at Mecca Cosmetica. Ha $215, lancome.com.au.
Ask Stephanie
What can I do about in-grown hairs? My therapist friend Jocelyn Petroni recommends using a body exfoliator every second day when the hairs are just about to protrude from the skin. If this is not enough and breakouts persist, apply a fruit acid serum every day. Try Ultraceuticals Even Skin Tones Serum, $99, davidjones.com.au.
Follow Stephanie Darling on Instagram @mrssdarling. Send questions to stephanie@darlingbeauty.com.au