I like having a manicure as much as the next girl. I don’t like having to make appointments, or carry cash. (Most walk-in nail places don’t take credit cards, and larger salons require appointments.) Given the opportunity to check out a nail care dvd that would teach me how to do my own manicures, at home, I jumped for it!

Bring It Home Beauty is a company that has produced two dvds: Hair Care Secrets from the Professionals and Natural Nail Care Secrets from the Professionals. I’ll write about the Hair Care dvd in a separate post (it rocks too!).

Natural Nail Care starts with a segment on safety and sanitation. This is followed by step-by-step instructions on doing a plain manicure. Then there is a segment on doing a spa manicure with a scrub and paraffin dip, followed by a segment on men’s manicures. Basic nail polish and french manicure polish are covered, as well as plain and spa pedicures.  Each segment explains what tools and products you’ll need, has a detailed description of each step, and close up shots so you can see what’s going on.

So who needs this dvd and why? If you’re like me, and have had few manicures in your life (I’ve had 3) you probably can’t remember exactly what they did to make your nails look great when you left the salon. There are tutorials online, but I personally think these can’t replace the clear step-by-step instructions and the super-helpful close-up shots of the procedures. The little tips are also invaluable – using an orangewood stick to swipe away polish on the skin, for example. The most valuable step for me was how to repair a broken nail – how often have I grown my nails out a bit only to have one partly tear, grrr! In the past I would end up cutting all my nails short to match the now-short broken one. This dvd shows you how to repair it!

The dvd is $29.95 and can be purchased here.  Save yourself the time and expense (and questionable sanitation!) of salon visits, and do your nails yourself! I really recommend this dvd as a useful tool in your beauty arsenal. Watch it with your best girlfriend and take turns doing each other’s nails – this is my plan!

October is almost over, but it’s not too late to make some last-minute purchases in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. Sean Jean fragrances is donating $10,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation from sales of Unforgivable and Unforgivable Woman. I haven’t experienced Unforgivable (the men’s fragrance) but I have had a chance to try out Unforgivable Woman.

First of all, take the name with a grain of salt. I generally tend to disregard celebrity fragrances, mostly because they usually stink. Literally. Believe was the first one I thought was pretty good, and I like Covet too. The problem with most celebrity fragrances is that they are formulated to appeal to the widest crowd possible, and thus are usually really boring. Apparently Sean John (aka Diddy aka Mr. Combs) was very hands-on with the development of his fragrances, and the result is that Unforgivable Woman is much better crafted than your average celebrity scent.

The notes are bergamot, orange, neroli, cassis, grapefruit, apple, cucumber, piña colada, orange flower, jasmine, violet, muguet, freesia, cyclamen, amber, tonka beans, coco de mer, vanilla tears, cedar, sandalwood, oak moss, patchouli, vetiver and iris. The ones that stand out to me are mostly the cassis in the topnotes, the piña colada and vanilla in the middle, and some light woodsy notes in the base. I’ve seen it described as “sun warmed sand and coconut” and I have to agree.

The perfume is advertised as being “the essence of sensuality”, but personally I find it more quiet and reserved. It isn’t brash or overly aggressive – I think as long as you don’t drench yourself in it, you could wear it to work, although date night with the man might be better. It’s like a figure-hugging cashmere sweater, warm and soft, but a little sexy too.

I really, really like body scrubs. I have some specific criteria for what makes a Claire-approved scrub, however. It should be scrubby but not scratchy. It should be moisturizing, but not greasy or too oily – otherwise my shower gets slippery and I hate that. It should smell good.

The Almond Joy Body Scrub from The Body Deli fits all those criteria. The Body Deli is an independent shop located in California. Their special concept is to create face and body care products that are handmade in small batches and incorporate raw, fresh, natural and organic ingredients. Each products carries an expiration date, and some of the products are even shipped on ice!

On to the scrub! Almond Joy Body Scrub is a salt scrub, with a slew of skin-friendly oils like shea butter, cocoa butter, and virgin coconut oil. These oils are also basically solid at room temperature, which I personally think contributes to the excellent texture of this scrub. It is definitely NOT soupy and didn’t leave my tub an oil slick – most of the oils stayed on my skin. The smell is divine!! It is just like marzipan, as they claim. My skin was really soft after using the scrub, and I loved how the scent lingered on my skin.

The scrub, and this seems to be true of The Body Deli’s products in general, contains minimal synthetic ingredients. Fresh body care products, like fresh food, need to be used up promptly – you don’t want to let them sit around for months, languishing in your shower. Besides, this product is so nice, it would be a shame to let it sit unused! Try it on your hands for an exceptional hand scrub.

I have some more Body Deli products to review – look for my Creme de la Rose and Light Facial Emulsion review in the coming days.

I don’t know a lot about Tommy Hilfiger, except that it’s a clothing brand and there are some perfumes in the line. I learned a lot more about Tommy Hilfiger perfumes when I read Perfumes: The Guide and read the five star review for Tommy Girl. Color me impressed! I gave it a spritz the next time I saw it in a store, and thought it was really nice – not really my thing, but certainly really pretty.

When I got the chance to try Dreaming by Tommy Hilfiger, I was pretty excited. During October, Tommy Hilfiger will donate $15,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation from the sales of Dreaming and also Hilfiger for Men.

Dreaming is a soft, floral fragrance – very sweet, very feminine. I’m not usually a fan of fruity florals but occasionally I find one that I really like. The notes include peach, tuberose, freesia, white hibiscus, white woods and orris. I definitely get the peach right away, and then the florals surface. Unlike so many floral fragrances that include tuberose and freesia, this one isn’t too sweet or cloying – rather, it is very cool, pale, and clean. One of my co-workers complimented me on the fragrance today and said he liked it because it was clean smelling. I like that it doesn’t drift into laundry detergent-land however, which is a little too clean for me… I would use words like innocent, pretty, fresh, and romantic to describe it. It’s appropriate for work, but would also be nice for a dinner party or a wedding – any gathering where you don’t want your perfume to overwhelm the folks around you.

Some people don’t care for the bottle, but I like it. The slightly rounded square shape seems very elegant and I like the clean lines. The little charm that accompanies the largest size is cute.

This is a fragrance find I’m very happy with. Get it in October, and help contribute to breast cancer research!

You may have noticed that the nail category has been expanding this month, from its previous post total of ONE post. That’s because I decided to make October “Claire focuses more on nails” month, so here we are!

I am notoriously hard on my cuticles. I work in retail, which means unpacking shipments of products and banging up my cuticles on cardboard boxes, and also getting paper cuts from paper bags. Regular use of a cuticle care product helps keep them healthy. What makes these particular cuticle care products different from regular lotion or hand cream is that they contain more oils than I’d want for all over my hands, whereas a dab on each finger deeply nourishes and heals the cuticles more than hand cream alone.

My favorite right now is Badger Balm Cuticle Care. Rich in shea butter, beeswax, essential oils and sea buckthorn extract, a little tiny dab suffices for each hand and my cuticles and nails stay happy. I also rub some into my rough heels in the morning before putting my socks on and my feet are less rough and dried out. Go Badger!

I also really like Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme – which isn’t really a cream, but is also a balm. This one has vitamin e, cocoa butter, and a fabulous lemon scent. If you want a more versatile product, get the Lemon & Vitamin E Bath and Body Oil. I love body oils for after my shower – massage a small amount all over your damp skin and it helps combat dry skin. Rub whatever is left on your hands into your cuticles, and voila! It’s a total body treatment.

L’Occitane also makes a great cuticle cream – this one has 30% shea butter and carrot seed oil. I like it because it’s a true water-based cream, so it won’t leave your fingers oily after use. It’s pricier than the others, but the little tube will last forever, since a tiny dab on each nail will suffice.

I haven’t personally tried it, but I’ve heard good things about Lush’s Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter.

As far as I’m concerned, Tweezerman makes the best tweezers around. (I just spent 30 seconds looking at the word “tweezer” and thinking it’s hilarious…) However, in the past I’ve been really cheap and bought other, inferior tweezers. Thanks to their commitment to raising $75,000 through their BCA program, this month was the right time for me to finally get myself a pair.

$1.00 from the sale of each limited edition Precision in Pink tweezer will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, as well as other charities throughout the country.

Seriously, if you are doing any tweezing on your face at all – brows, chin, whatever, you owe it to yourself to get a decent pair of tweezers.

I’m a long-time fan of Pacifica Candles. I love the candles, especially the container candles, and I’m also a fan of their soap and perfumes. I already own Tibetan Mountain Temple, Nerola Orange Blossom, and Gardenia, and I recently added Avalon Juniper to the pile.

Avalon Juniper is an interesting combination of grapefruit, juniper, and heliotrope. It’s a head-scratching description, since in my experience real juniper bushes smell vaguely of cat pee. In this case, it is more like juniper berries than juniper branches – this is probably a good thing. The grapefruit hits you first, with that mood-lifting citrus zest, and then the heliotrope calms it all down. Heliotrope is a sweet, watery floral scent.

Pacifica describes it as a fire and ice scent, but to me, it’s all ice and no fire – which is why I like it. Usually I think of grapefruit as a summer thing, but here the notes blend into a fragrance that reminds me strongly of crisp winter days. Amidst all the cinnamon and spice that pervades most holiday fragrances, this one provides some relief. I can see spritzing it on to perk up from all the stuffy indoor heating.

Also, the packaging is adorable. I love the owl and raven on the box, and the bottle features them too.

I haven’t had a chance to try it in person, but I strongly want Mexican Cocoa too. I have the soap and love it.

Here are five more products you can purchase that benefit breast cancer research and awareness.

1. ghd IV styler hot pink. Spendy? Yes. Awesome flat iron? Yes. $15 from every hot pink styler sold is donated to the Young Survival Coalition.

2. Several Conair styling tools.  CONAIR will donate between $.50 and $1 per product and will make a minimum donation of $100,000 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. I have the blow dryer, and it’s great.

3. Ojon Revitalizing Mist. I love this stuff – it leaves my hair soft and shiny, and it smells so nice! Ojon will donate 20% from the sale of this product to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, up to a maximum of $35,000.

4. Skyn Iceland Detox Kit for Stressed Skin. I love Skyn Iceland products, and this little set is a nice way to try them. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, during the month of October Skyn Iceland will donate $5 from the sale of each Detox Kit to Gilda’s Club.

5.  Sonia Kashuk Brush Set. According to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s website, 15% of the purchase price of the set will be donated to BCRF.