I am the ultimate test for nail products: a gardener – constantly challenging my hands by plunging them into earth, moving pots and snapping off sweet pea stems (if I’m lucky). Part of me would like to be doing that all the time, not caring about how scruffy my hands look – but instead, they’re often on show as a beauty editor or in one of my other roles. And let me tell you: raggedy cuticles and grubby fingernails are JUDGED.
What I look for, then, are products that will perform small and swift miracles. For that reason, all the following have earned a place in my handcare regime. During lockdown, when regular salon rescue jobs were out of the question, I polished up – literally – my manicure skills, and now only have salon appointments once in a blue moon. And honestly? I think my nails are better for it.
Tam Mason Nourishing Hand Oil
A recent addition to her line-up from a creator of fab hand scrubs, this really is an instant hand makeover, in a small dropper bottle. Blending vitamin E with oils of shea butter, oat, kiwi seed and rosehip, scented with verbena, black pepper and lavender, it banishes dry skin, softens cuticles and makes nails super-shiny.
Nails Inc Plant Power
Fact: it’s impossible to make an all-natural nail polish, but it’s a sign of the changing times that this formula from a leading British manicure brand is created from 73 percent naturally-derived ingredients, free of 21 ‘nasties’ and now with an FSC ash wooden cap. Choose from 19 shiny shades, all of them that bit greener.
Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream
I keep this little pot in my handbag, at the ready to massage into nails when someone’s keeping me waiting for a coffee or appointment. (If I’m twiddling my thumbs, at least let them be softer!) Lovely lemony scent, and does the job superaffordably, too.
Ruby Hammer Glass Nail File
Glass nail files are by far the gentlest way to shape nails, helping to prevent peeling and splitting (which I’m prone to). It comes from a leading make-up artist’s range, which also has quite the best foot file I’ve ever tried, too – also made of red glass.
Nail Kind Natural Base Coat and Top Coat Mist You
These make the difference between an OK finish and something that looks professional and lasts longer (and the base coat can be used on its own, if you prefer a natural, shiny look). With 85 percent biosourced ingredients, from a new-ish Danish brand that calls itself ‘pro-ecology’, these are perfect for great-looking, more natural nails.
Jo Fairley is the co-founder of Green & Blacks and author of The Beauty Bible . Head online to see her latest projects at josephinefairley.com
