Dabbling Divas

I love to learn and lately the “learning bug” has been biting.  Maybe I could take class at a community college?  That just takes time away from my family and my work schedule is never the same from week to week.

As I was surfing the net, I came across a blog called The Frugal Queen.  She posted a link about online learning sponsored by the state of Ohio.  You don’t live in Ohio?  Well……anybody can use it, no matter what state you live in.  At LearningExpressLibrary.com you can take skills improvement courses in Algebra, practice for a Nursing School Entrance test or practice your business writing skills (do you think it would help with writing blog posts?)  They even offer some of the tests in Spanish.

Go ahead.  Check it out.  You might learn something new today.

Go to our discussion forums and tell us what you learned.

1. Never push back dry cuticles. Pushing back dry cuticles can crack polish at the base, which leads to chipping your polish.  You don’t want any cuticle skin on the nail’s surface (it can interfere with your base coat) — so loosen ragged edges by rubbing in a softening cream. Then gently cuticles back with an orangewood stick.

2. Don’t soak your fingertips. When you soak your nails, they absorb water, which temporarily puffs them up — but they go back to their normal shape when the water evaporates. This expansion and contraction causes chipping, peeling, and cracking of polish.

3. Get the surface clean, clean, clean. Any traces of moisture, dust, or leftover enamel will get in the way of new-polish adhesion.  Use a nail brush or an old toothbrush to clean hard to reach areas of the nail.  Then wipe your nails with an acetone polish remover to temporarily dehydrate your nail.

4. Shape up. To maximize nail strength, tips should be rounded and corners left somewhat square. Filing is healthier than clipping, because clippling can crack the nail. Use a fine-grit nail file and file in one direction.

5. Apply a base coat. A base coat sticks to nails better than polish does.Try Avon’s Smooth Beginnings Base Coat.  It instantly smoothes and evens out ridges.

6. Once polish is on, seal it with a slow-setting topcoat. Quick-dry polish evaporates too fast and leaves polish soft and prone to denting. Avon’s UV Gloss Guard Top Coat prevents nail enamel from yellowing and fading.

7. Polish should be applied in three narrow, even strokes — one down the center and one down each side — and then be allowed to dry for two minutes before a second coat is applied. The thicker the layer is, the more difficult it is for the solvent — the liquid agent in enamel — to evaporate, boosting the chances that polish will peel.

8. Practice good maintenance.  Every other day, apply a layer of quick-dry topcoat  to form a protective shield and increase shine.

9. Moisturize your polish. The more your enamel dries out, the greater the likelihood that it will separate from your nail. Since topcoats don’t seal in hydration, apply oil to nails and cuticles before bedtime, and slather on a thick hand cream twice a day.

Questions or comments? Join our discussion on our message board.

The American Cancer Society has recently updated its instructions for monthly breast self-exams to reflect new scientific data.

Follow these steps to perform your own breast self-exam:

Lie down to perform the exam. When you’re lying on your back, the breast tissue spreads evenly over the chest wall and becomes as thin as possible. This makes it easier to feel all of the breast.

Move across the breast in an up-and-down pattern. There’s evidence that this is the most effective technique for covering the entire breast.

Use different levels of pressure; light to examine breast tissue closest to your skin, medium to feel a little deeper, and firm to reach the tissue closest to your rib. A firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast is normal.

Sit or stand and slightly raise your arm to probe the underarm area. Go deep into the armpit.

Check your breasts at the same time every month to increase your chances of finding any lump that shouldn’t be there.

A great resource for breast cancer questions and answers is http://www.komen.org.

The earlier breast cancer is detected, the better chance we have of beating it.

Please feel free to leave a comment or discuss this on our message board.