A New You....Beautiful hands....

 

My husband once told me that he fell in love with me because of my beautiful hands. I responded that I hoped that the rest of me measured up too...lol!

 

These are not my hands here above, however they are very like mine, some thirty years ago.

These pictures below are all of my hands. They're not perfect any more, but I'm still proud of them.

 

Alas the march of time impacts on our hands as much as anywhere else, and perhaps more so. In and out of water, gardening, cleaning, crafting, sewing, wiping tears from little faces, patting beloved pets and soothing worried brows. Is there anything our hands cannot do? It seems silly sometimes to even worry about how they actually LOOK.

 

 

Strangely though, we see our own hands constantly, and I know from emails I received from some of you, after I asked you to write down something you loved about yourself, that sometimes hands are the part of our physique that we either lavish with attention or neglect, depending upon our point of view. I'm of the opinion that beautiful hands are as important as a pleasing face, and the thing is, that beautiful hands are within everyones reach. And unlike our faces, WE view them constantly. So for our self esteem, it just makes sense to make a fuss of our hands.

 

Moisturising hand cream can very quickly turn neglected hands into something more lovely. I have tubes or tubs of hand cream everywhere. From kitchen, to bathroom, to TV room, to bedside table and car console. I lavish my hands with moisturiser several times a day. This means that despite the rigours of child rearing, house cleaning and crafting and sewing and gardening, I remain blessed with hands that my husband still thinks are beautiful.

 

I don't favour long nails these days, preferring to keep them short and neat. But I do not miss an opportunity to embellish my nails nonetheless.

 

My daughter-in-law introduced me to Jamberry nail wraps some time ago. I love these because they do not chip, they are inexpensive compared to a salon manicure (about $11 for a mani AND a pedi that lasts up to three weeks), they are easy to apply, and withstand all kinds of abuse from stitching to gardening and washing. They take no longer to apply than nail polish, but without the necessity to wait for them to dry. Bliss! They come in plain colours, French manicures, and pretty designs like these below, so there is something for everyone. Yes I am a convert :)

I do not worry so much about my hands look aged. I know that many women do, but I figure that my hands have served me well in my lifetime, and don't mind so much that they look gracefully aged at my stage of life. I do however like the skin to look smooth and unblemished, so I love a cream here called John Plunketts Sunspot Cream, to help fade the little spots and blemishes common with exposure to the sun here in Australia.

 

 

It works brilliantly on sunspots on the face, arms and anywhere else as well. At around $20, it's a great buy and lasts for absolutely ages.

 

And for a final word on a really easy peasy 1 minute manicure effect, you can't go past an olive oil and salt scrub. Mix a little olive oil and salt (and essential oil for scent if you like...lemon is lovely), to a paste. Massage this well into your hands over the bathroom sink. Rub into your nails, concentrating on softening your cuticles and pushing them back gently. Smooth into the back of your hands, using the scrub to exfoliate the skin. Rinse with warm water, ensuring no salt remains trapped under the nail, and pat dry. You'll look like you've been to a Beauty Salon!

 

What's your favourite way to lavish your hands with love?

 

 

...Mimi...