I am the queen of chipped nails. I don’t understand how people keep their freshly painted nails immaculate for more than fifteen minutes. And it’s not like I’m doing hard labour everyday (or any day), I am either very reckless with my nails or I don’t know how to look after them properly. It’s probably both of those things, so I decided to try and find some tips on how to make either your professional manicure or your ‘done in front of the TV on a Wednesday night manicure’ last as long as possible:

1. Always start off with clean nails. The polish won’t bond properly if you have oil or cream on your nails

2. Groom your cuticles because if you apply polish onto overgrown cuticles, it peels off easily. But don’t cut your cuticles because that will make them grow back thicker than they were before

3. When you file your nails, do it gently and in one direction. It also might help to know that long nails are more likely to chip than short ones

4. Make sure that you use a base coat because if the polish has something to stick to on your nail, it’ll stay on for longer

5. When you polish your nails, cover the entire nail in polish, including under, over, all sides and edges. (Under? I didn’t know that either)

6. Apply the polish in thin coats and let it dry between these coats. Thick coats bubble and peel off

7. Remember to apply a top coat because it’ll make sure that it lasts longer. You should really apply a new top coat every day, it is the best way to make your manicure last

8. Don’t use really old nail polish that has gone all thick and won’t actually spread on your nail. It might be your favourite colour but it’s time to either buy a new one or accept that it was a limited edition colour that you got at Duty Free two years ago that has been discontinued and you need to move on. It’s ok, it’s happened to me too

9. If you can, although I think that it is an impossible feat to manage, try and keep your hands away from water as much as you can. If you leave your hands in water for too long, the water can actually lift the polish off the nail. Or just repaint your nails later and stay hygienic

.. And that’s all! (sigh). Who knew there were so many things that you need to do to keep a manicure pristine?!

Putting a new twist to the ethical fashion movement, Money Laundry is a new American Men’s t-shirt brand that creates their products from recycled US currency.

It is said to be the first-ever clothing line made from recycled money. Through a patented process, Money Laundry created “Money Thread,” thread recycled from real US currency, used in each custom piece of clothing included in the line. Each design also draws its graphic influences from US currency from the 19th and 20th centuries.
At the launch of the collection at Magic: Las Vegas, designers Eric Denman and Christina Anderson said “We are extremely proud of the craftsmanship and design that goes into each and every piece in the Money Laundry line.
“The Money Thread process is something that we’re excited about, and that we feel makes us stand out from the crowd. We’re excited to share this with the world at Magic: Las Vegas.”
In addition to the unique influences drawn from US currency, each piece in the Money Laundry line is hand dyed, and custom washed, made in the US from 100% cotton. The Money Thread is then hand stitched. Each item in the product line is completely unique.
The Money Laundry line will be included in an upcoming travelling pop-up gallery show showcasing money-themed art, launching early 2010 in New York City.

We know now from London Fashion Week (and for quite some time before that) that the fashion world has a recyclable nature. It has always baffled me that I saw my mother in skinny jeans, high waist trousers, bee-eye sunglasses and the occasional quiff in her hair. And all those times I saw her, I repeatedly thought to myself that she needed some fashion guidance.

But I was wrong and mum – I’m sorry!!

Although she may not have been wearing them at the peak of their fashionable days, they were pieces that, in her eyes, were timeless – pieces that have been and will be resurrected for years to come. The question of course lies in 1) Who decides when these items come back, and 2) Why do I all of a sudden long for a heavily shouldered blazer when I didn’t about a month ago?

My investigation led me to the Wikipedia article for one James Laver. James laver was a museum curator at the Victoria & Albert as well as a pioneering fashion historian. Although he was not directly involved with the museum’s fashion exhibitions, he had an interest in dating images accurately through the clothing depicted within. He believed patterns of economic and social factors where what developed fashion tastes. So “Laver’s Law” was born, which sought to explain the fashion cycle and the general taste to a timeline. It was first published in 1937 and went as follows –

Indecent – 10 years before its time
Shameless – 5 years before its time
Daring – 1 year before its time
Smart – ‘Current Fashion’
Dowdy – 1 year after its time
Hideous – 10 years after its time
Ridiculous – 20 years after its time
Amusing – 30 years after its time
Quaint – 50 years after its time
Charming – 70 years after its time
Romantic – 100 years after its time
Beautiful – 150 years after its time

Does it work? Seems to – 70 years since the shoulder pads first appeared in Dior’s clothing, they are once again “charming”.

Pink is for girls, blue is for boys – Simple. As a native Dutch girl, coloured sprinkles called hagelslag (a popular sandwich topping) remain a traditional gift for mothers-to-be, where pink and white is given for a baby girl and blue and white for a baby boy. We all grow up with the stereotype, but as well as being challenged in the fashion world, a recent article in the Daily Mail revealed that this hasn’t always been the case.

As recently as the early 1900s, pink was seen by many as a colour that went better with boys, and blue as a colour that went better with girls. An American magazine, the Ladies Home Journal, reported that the “generally accepted rule” is pink for the boy and blue for the girl in an article dated back to 1918. Pink was closer to red and therefore more appropriate for boys because red is a “fierce” colour, whereas blue was associated with girls since the Virgin Mary has been customarily dressed in blue.

So you can rest assured that your boyfriend’s pink clothes are just as manly as his blue. The trends have ranged from subtle pink pastels to hot pink cardigans, sweaters and accessories. Here’s an example of 3 products we love and hope to see more men in soon. Vote for your favourite product (or, if I haven’t managed to convince you, vote against the pink movement altogether) in our poll below!