Tips for Nails:

• File down nails (preferrably with a glass file to minimize tearing and splitting) to even them out relative to each other. Sometimes if I break a nail, I may keep that one short but keep the rest even with each other. In general, I try to keep them all in line, in terms of length and shape, with each other.
• Find the shape that suits your hand. I go for the “squoval” or a squarish oval.
• Take care of cuticles by using a product like Creative’s Cuticle Eraser (I always keep a couple on hand and stash them around the house: by my desk, on my nightstand, and on the bookshelf near the couch).
• Wash hands thoroughly before beginning the process of applying polish. Any dirt, grime, or lotions will make it harder for the polish coats to adhere to the nail base.
• Find a good top, base, and fast dry coat to use. I love Zoya’s ColorLock system because it comes with everything you need, and I’ve been using it for weeks now with amazing results. I have also had good results using Creative’s Stickey base and Seche Vite’s Fast Drying Top Coat.
• I prefer a top coat or dry coat that quickly dries my polish–enough at least–that I can resume some activity. Remember, nail polish doesn’t set immediately, even with a dry coat; usually the polish is fully set an hour later. Ensure that you don’t get texturized by your bed sheets by applying polish well before bed time!
• By applying a base coat (which anchors the polish better) and a top coat (protects the color, prevents chips), you automatically increase the wearing time of your manicure.
• Buy your salon favorites at online retailers like 8ty8 Beauty, Head2Toe Beauty, & TransDesign, rather than in drugstores. If you buy enough, you will not only offset shipping, but save money, too (and who doesn’t LOVE to do that?).

Now that you know how to make the most of your polish, here are some great shades to help you mix and match and coordinate with your holiday pieces this year.

China Glaze’s Heart of Africa is a superb mix of raspberry and ruby reds; it shimmers subtly, and we love it as a modification of traditional reds at holiday time.

China Glaze’s Ruby Pumps is a most gorgeous shade of red with berry undertones with lots of festive red glitter for the holidays. Just make sure you have a good polish remover for this one!

Essie’s Who’s She Red is a lovely creme bright red; surprisingly it isn’t as daunting as one might think, it is really quite complimenting.

China Glaze’s Up All Night is a gorgeous shimmering rich navy blue that is so in right now.

OPI’s Russian Navy is one of the “it” polishes of the season.  It really is not to be missed, as it is almost duochrome in sheen.

OPI’s Jewel of India is a lovely, iridescent shade of raspberry with fuchsia-purple reflection.

Essie’s Showstopper is yet another amazing variation of the red holiday nail (this is part of their Winter ’07 collection!); more subdued than a typical creme red, but it still has plenty of punch with fine, shimmery red glitter and a mauvey-raspberry-red hue.

China Glaze’s Black Diamond is my pick for a gunmetal gray polish, which is always a great dramatic nail choice. I found that this one gives me the exact color I want, but it isn’t so shimmery that it shows brush strokes in the end like some other polishes do (that are more metallic).

We have given you several gift guides to celebrate the season of giving, and we hope you have found a few ideas for your family and friends (or even a few for your own wish list!). Make sure you didn’t miss any of the ones we’ve posted this month…

• Your Minimalist Mom
• Your Beauty Addicted Mom
• Your Amazing Father
• Your Best Friend
• Your Darling Sister
• Your Gal Pals
• Your Boyfriend, Brother, and Boy Friends
• Gifts Under $10
• Stocking Stuffers

What are some of the beauty-related gifts you’re giving this season? Share your ideas in the comments!

If our guide to Gifts Under $10 wasn’t enough to give you a few ideas for stocking stuffers, here are a few more we think might be just up your alley this year!

Perfect Stocking Stuffers for This Holiday Season

• MAC’s Brush Cleanser ($10.00) removes excess makeup and residue while disinfecting and conditioning the bristles.
• Japonesque Soft-Touch Lash Placement Kit ($10.00) lets you forget the mess and contortions that used to accompany false lashes. With the Soft-Touch kit, perfect placement is one-touch easy.
• The Sweetest, Softest Sleep Socks on Earth ($7.50) are made with a revolutionary, super-plush microfiber you have to feel to believe. Available at Bath & Body Works.
• MD Skincare ‘Stocking Stuffer’ Set ($15.00) is a tin stuffed with seven applications of the best-selling Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel.
• Tweezerman Deluxe Grooming Kit ($20.00) includes four professional-quality Tweezerman personal care tools that deliver the utmost precision and reliability for men’s grooming needs; it includes Tweezerman’s deluxe stainless steel nail clipper, handy sapphire pocket nail file, safety facial scissors for nose and ear hairs, and stainless steel tweezerette with precise hand-filed tips.
• Urban Decay’s Feisty Kitten Credit Card ($10.00) includes lip colors in sheer berry, sheer fuchsia, sheer rose shimmer, sheer toffee, sheer taupe shimmer, and sheer red with multi-colored glitter.
• theBalm’s Mini Kabuki Brush ($10.00) is an adorable miniature buffer brush that is affordable.
• Cargo DailyGloss 30-Day Supply ($12.00) is an easy way to have a lip color for everyday.
• AHAVA’s Cuticle Cream ($12.00) gives nails a healthy look by softening cuticles and preventing roughness from occurring.
• Dr. Hauschka Skin Care Aromatherapy Bath Kit ($15.95) includes Lemon Bath, Rosemary Bath, Lavender Bath, and Sage Bath oils.
• Too Faced The Mini Quickie Chronicles ($16.00) is a pocket-sized makeup palette is perfect for on-the-go touch-ups. Includes 2 shimmering lip glosses, eyeshadow shimmer bar w/4 colors, and blush.
• Aromatherapy Peaceful Holiday Stress Relief ($10.00) in Ecualyptus Spearmint includes a body wash, body lotion, and mesh sponge.

Find all these gift ideas and many more at www.beauty.com, www.drugstore.com, www.dhccare.com, and www.bathandbodyworks.com.

Just because it is the holidays is no reason for people to go into debt. In fact, we are a firm believer in creating and setting a budget, as well as a plan of who to buy and who to not buy for. As a result, we want to give you a guide that keeps your budget in mind, so here are some of our favorites to give this year that are less than $10.

Score these perfect, inexpensive gifts for your loved ones this holiday season.

Eyes

• MAC’s Pencil Sharpener ($3.00) sharpens pencils to perfect points. It comes with a wand to help clean the hard to get at spaces near the cutting blade.
• Jane Eye Zing Eye Mixers ($6.99) is a compact featuring eight stunning shades of shadow to choose from.
• Rimmel Stir It Up Eyeshadow ($7.49) is a single shadow pot that comes in a variety of shades and colors.
• NYX Eyeshadow Trios ($5.99) comes in a wide range of trio combinations, so you’re sure to find one that suits your giftee’s skintone.
• Sugar False Lashes ($9.00) come in several styles, but all under $10 — what more can you ask for?

Face

• Bobbi Brown’s Blotting Papers Refill ($5.00) are powder-free tissues absorb excess oil and perspiration from skin. 100 sheets.
• DHC’s Peel Off Pack ($9.00) is a peel-off mask that renews freshness in minutes. One note of caution, it is not recommended for mature or sensitive skin!
• Dove’s Pro Age Neck & Chest Serum ($8.99) is a drugstore way to go to help smooth fine lines and wrinkles.
• Olay’s Complete SPF 15 ($9.99) is one of my personal favorite drugstore solutions, because this is an amazing facial moisturizer.
• ELF’s Shine Eraser Blotting Sheets ($1.00) gives you 50 sheets designed to eliminate shine and excess oil.
• DHC’s Q10 Facial Film Soap ($9.50) includes forty individually wrapped sheets of gentle facial cleanser that are perfect for on-the-go.

Lips

• Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1 ($8.50) temporarily protects and helps relieve chapped or cracked lips. Helps protect lips from the drying effects of wind and cold weather.
• Rosebud Perfume Co.’s Rosebud Salve ($5.59) give you soft and supple lips with a delightful rosy scent.
• C.O. Bigelow’s Frosty Mentha Shine ($7.50) keeps lips luscious and ultra glossy.
• Almay’s Truly Lasting Color All Day Lip Color ($9.59) provides up to 12 hours of lip color in many hues and colors.
• L’Oreal’s Colour Juice ($7.59) are very similar to Lancome’s Juicy Tubes, but at a fraction of the price.
• Rimmel’s Volume Boost Liquid Lipcolour ($6.99) is your way to plumper lips without paying high-end prices.

Body

• Vaseline’s Smooth Body Butter ($7.99) has cocoa and shea butters to keep your body feeling smooth all day long.
• Pretty Feet & Hands Rough Skin Remover ($7.27) keeps feet impossibly smooth and soft.
• Jaqua Buttercream Frosting Hand Creme ($8.00) keeps your hands extra soft all day; it also comes in other flavors for those who want to pass on frosting!
• Jergens’ Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer ($7.14) gives you a year-long tan without the harmful UV rays.

Other

• Tweezerman Nail Block ($4.00) is convenient and innovative manicure block. Perfect tool for achieving beautifully shaped and shined nails without the use of polish.
• Slatkin & Co. Home Fragrance Oil Spice ($7.50) is an easy way to have a lovely-scented dwelling no matter what.
• supersmile’s Whitening Dental Floss ($7.00) cleans and helps whitens teeth, which will make your lipstick look that much better.
• DHC’s Olive Virgin Oil Swabs ($4.00) are individually wrapped and are perfect to soften cuticles or touch up make-up mistakes throughout the day.

Find all these gift ideas and many more at www.beauty.com, www.drugstore.com, www.dhccare.com, and www.bathandbodyworks.com.

Stay tuned for more of Temptalia’s Gift Giving Guides for this holiday season…

Many of us have brothers, boyfriends, husbands, and great guy friends, so this guide is for those girls who are looking to add some beauty to their favorite boys’ lives. We gave you a guide dedicated to your amazing father, and now we want to help you find the perfect gifts for the other special men in your life!

Find your guy, and then see what we recommend from the treasure trove of beauty that we’ve gone through this year.

The Boyfriend / Fiance / Husband

• Tom Ford for Men Eau de Toilette Spray ($60.00) is the first men’s fragrance from Tom Ford. A blend of traditional elements and modern influences–classic woods fragrance is sensual, refined and luxurious. I personally adore this scent for men (my other favorite is Sean John’s Unforgivable), and I only wish I could convince my boyfriend to don cologne more often!
• The Art of Shaving’s The 4 Elements of the Perfect Shave ($100.00) is a kit of four full-size products that will give your man the closest shave (and you the best kissing of your life!).
• Anthony Logistics For Men ‘It’ Kit($50.00) includes some of their bestsellers to keep your father clean and smooth. Included are Clean with Glycolic Facial Cleanser, Smooth with Face Scrub, Sea Salt Body Scrub, After Shave Balm, Pre-Shave Oil, Shave Cream.
• Shiseido Men Deep Cleansing Scrub ($23.00) is an invigorating face scrub that eliminates roughness, blackheads and dull surface cells with triple deep-cleansing action. Get your man to regularly cleanse his face to keep himself looking as studly as possible (hey, I’ve managed to turn mine onto Cetaphil cleanser in the AM!).
• Jack Black Industrial Strength Hand Healer ($14.00) is a rich, non-greasy formula containing vitamins A and E to help heal and soothe dry, chapped, cracked hands. While rough hands can be tempting, sometimes a little softness isn’t bad, either.

The Brother

• Billy Jealousy ‘Illicit’ Fragrance ($65.00) is a scent of lush citrus bergamot that forms the foundation with a touch of ivy and ginger lead to a cool finale of tea and sandalwood.
• The Art of Shaving’s Styptic Pen ($12.00) is a shaving essential for any well-groomed man. Its antiseptic properties calm razor burn and soothe irritations, and help stop bleeding in the event of a nick or cut.
• Philosophy’s Acne Kit ($47.00) includes a four-step program to treating acne. Step one: suppress excessive oil production. Step two: shed the pore wall. Step three: help sanitize the skin to protect against bacteria. Step four: seal the skin to help keep the good treatments in and the bad elements out.
• Lab Series Skincare for Men Oil Control Towelettes ($15.00) is aefreshing solution in an easy-to-use wipe clears away excess oil and pore-clogging sebum. It’s convenient, which means it’s likely to be used even by the most beauty-avoidant man in your life.
• Kiehl’s Vital Sun Protection Lotion SPF 30 ($18.50) A lightweight, non-greasy lotion providing UVA and UVB broad-spectrum sunscreen protection. This very water-resistant formulation, protecting for up to 80 minutes in water, is suited to help meet the year-round sun protection needs of active adults. Ideal for your active brother OR any other man in your life. Give the gift of wrinke protection!

The Guys

• Lacoste ‘Elegance’ Eau de Toilette Spray ($50.00) is a woody, oriental scent that’s classically refined.
• Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Energizing Scrub for Men ($15.00) is an easy way to slough dead skin cells away with effective scrub particles that reenergizes the skin and gives it a more even, refreshed appearance. Added benefits include softer facial hair and less ingrown hairs.
• Elemis’ Time for Men Deep Cleanse Facial Wash ($28.00) This fast-acting gel formulation is the ultimate daily cleansing solution for all skin types. The potent blend of oak bark, spearmint and peppermint in a unique milk protein base helps to remove impurities, decongest the skin and prevent ingrown hairs.
• Bliss’ Homme Improvement Post-Shave Repair Lotion ($18.00) is an oil-free, lightweight lotion soothes just-shaved skin, without bringing back your pre-college complexion. Plus, its natural ingredients help you shave less often and stimulate beta-endorphins, giving you a ‘hydrator’s high’ with every use.
• Kiehl’s Creative Cream Wax ($15.50) is a non-greasy cream-wax provides optimum sculpting and hair separation with a strong hold. Formulated for easy application and rinse-off.

Find all these gift ideas and many more at Nordstrom.com and Sephora.com.

Stay tuned for more of Temptalia’s Gift Giving Guides for this holiday season…

You may treat your very best friend(s) incredibly well this season, but if you have more casual gal pals that you want to give the gift of beauty to, don’t fret, we’ve found some great ideas! We’ve kept in mind that these ladies are your friends, but not your closest ones, so we’ve made our guide to reflect gift suggestions to reflect the gift giver with a modest budget who still wants to give something to everyone!

So readers, fret not for we have some ultimate finds for your darling gabby girlfriends…

Ten Gifts to Give That Don’t Break the Bank — For Every Girl

• MAC’s Viva Glamorous Lip Sets ($25.00) include two shades of Viva Glam lipsticks plus one Viva Glam gloss.
• Olay Complete SPF 15($10.00) combines protection from the sun in a quick-drying, grease-less facial moisturizer. Who doesn’t love something that is budget-friendly and works?
• MAC’s Royal Assets ($36.00) comes in four different palette schemes, each palette with six shadows.
• True Blue Spa’s A Very Merry Manicure ($20.00) includes 1 fl oz. Look Ma, New Hands! Softening Hand Lotion Treatment, .2 fl oz. Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer in Message in a Bottle, 2 fl oz. Just a Minute 60-Second Manicure Scrub and 1-2-3 Nail Buffer.
• MAC’s Beauty Powder (loose) ($21.00) is an easy way to get gorgeous, shimmery cheeks. They come in several shades, with one sure to be a hit for your girlfriend.
• Philosophy Kiss Me Lip Balm ($10.00) is a high-density lip salve for people who are in search of the ultimate lip balm with a slight hint of color. Known for its super-smoothing, softening benefits with kiwi, vitamin E and sweet almond, you are guaranteed world-class kissing lips.
• Clinique Makeup Brush Cleanser ($12.50) thoroughly cleanses and removes makeup residue build-up. Keeps brush hairs in optimal condition. Who doesn’t need brush cleanser?
• MAC’s #7 Lashes ($11.00) are sure to be a hit for the girl who loves longer lashes and fun times.
• DHC’s Revitalizing Moisture Stripsfor your Neck ($9.00) allow you to spot-treat the temperamental neck area with anti-aging nutrients and increase vibrancy.
• C.O. Bigelow Forever Lemon Soap and Lotion Caddy ($22.50) gives the gift of fragrant cleansing in a cute little caddy.

For Smaller Budgets, Try These Gift Sets!

• Bliss’ Snow Suit Set ($26.00) includes a tube of their Body Butter and Bath & Shower Gel in Snow Wonder, a lovely scent for this holiday season.
• Philosophy’s Kiss Kiss Kiss Holiday Lip Trio ($25.00) set offers three mouthwatering flavors including powdered sugar cookie, raspberry sorbet, and melting chocolate.
• Bliss’ Zest Holiday Wishes Set ($19.90) includes deluxe travel sizes of Lemon + Sage Body Butter (2.5 oz.), Lemon + Sage Sappy Soap (2 oz.), Lemon + Sage Soap (1.83 oz.), High-Intensity Hand Cream (1 oz.) and Foot Patrol (0.17 oz.).
• Bliss’ Snow Suit Set ($26.00) includes a tube of their Body Butter and Bath & Shower Gel in Snow Wonder, a lovely scent for this holiday season.
• Too Faced Brow Envy Kit ($35.00) includes mini slant-tip professional tweezers to grab even the finest brow hair, three customized stencil shapes to provide you with the flawless brows you dream about, conditioning wax that tames and holds without looking messy, two shades of brow color to customize your ideal color, an angled brow brush, and a double-ended spiral brush with brow pencil.

For Bigger Budgets, Try These Gift Sets!

• Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Experience Set($49.00) contains Creme de Corps Nurturing Body Washing Cream (6.8 oz.) — this nurturing body wash is enriched with the finest ingredients to thoroughly cleanse and moisturize skin for a smooth, soft feel; Creme de Corps (8.4 oz.) — this super-enriched body moisturizer has been a favorite preparation among cherished patrons for decades and leaves skin tone and texture extraordinarily supple and smooth; Lip Balm #1 (0.5 oz.) — classic formula helps soothe and protect delicate lip area skin; Ultimate Strength Hand Salve (1 oz.) — for relief of severely dry, active hands, this ultimate moisture treatment is a thick, rich formula offering all-day care and protection; and Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Body Polish (0.75 oz.) — made with luffa fruit for a beautifully polished sheen and leaves skin smooth and comforted.
• Lancome Holiday Eye Brush Set ($52.00) includes Highlighting Brush #3, Large Shadow Brush #11, Blending Tip Brush #16, Blending Shadow Brush #17, Dual End Liner and Shadow Brush #18.
• Global Goddess ‘Shangra Lights’ Shimmer Lips Gloss Kit ($43.00) includes three glosses that are feather-light and let you go from casual to glam in an instant.
• Elemis The Spa Retreat Traveler Set for Women($125.00) is a collection filled with must-haves for face and body. It includes Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules, Papaya Enzyme Peel, Pro-Collagen Marine Cream, Rehydrating Ginseng Toner, Lip Rescue, Bright Eyes Recovery Gel, Pro-Collagen Eye Renewal Cream, Rehydrating Rose-petal Cleanser, Skin Nourishing Milk Bath, Exotic Island Flower Body Balm, a travel candle, cotton wool Q-tips, and emery boards. Who doesn’t love to feel like they’re at a spa when they’re at home?
• Sephora’s Scent Sampler Gift Certificate For Her($50.00) lets you give your friend the chance to sample ten of Sephora’s top selling women’s fragrances, and then she can decide which one she loves the most to purchase on her own with the $50.00 gift certificate. This is the perfect gift to give to the woman who has everything, and you have no idea what to get her!

Find all these gift ideas and many more at Nordstrom.com and Sephora.com.

Stay tuned for more of Temptalia’s Gift Giving Guides for this holiday season…