Top 3 At-Home Body Wax Products

Removing body hair is something almost all women have tried at one time or another. Your summer style probably depends on smooth legs, and a trip to the beach or pool usually means a bikini trim. Fortunately, there are several at-home options for those of us who want to remove body hair.

When it comes to hair removal, there are a lot of options. Shaving is easy and painless, but it doesn’t last very long, and depilatory creams tend to smell terrible. This leaves waxing. While it does hurt a little bit, the results are long-lasting, and it’s easy to do at home.

We've found that at-home waxing is easy to add to your beauty routine if you want to get rid of body hair. Since there are so many choices for waxing products, we did some research for you to find the top products in three categories.

Here’s our selection of the best of each type of wax – heated, roll-on, and strips – and the pros and cons of each.

1 - Parissa Warm Wax

This kit is by far my favourite. Parissa has several different kits available, each for different types of hair and skill levels.

The warm wax kit includes the wax, applicators, strips, and aftercare oil. The product can be found here.

Pros:

-- The wax heats up in a couple minutes in the microwave, so you don’t need to buy a warmer.

-- There are two applicator sticks, so you have a spare.

-- The wax smells faintly of honey.

-- Reheating the wax does not damage it, or make it less effective.

Cons:

-- It is awkward to use if you have not waxed before.

-- The wax cools quickly and needs to be reheated partway through the process.

Tip – Use regular coconut oil on your skin instead of the Azulene oil included. The tube of oil included is great for clean-up, but coconut oil (or a similar alternative) is better for continued moisturizing.

2 – Nair Moroccan Argan Oil Ultimate Roll-On Wax

Nair is best-known for its hair removal creams, but they’ve expanded into waxes and men’s products. This roll-on comes with the roll-on wax and 10 reusable strips.

This product can be found here.

Pros:

-- It smells is amazing!

-- The roll-on applicator is incredibly easy to use.

-- The product heats up in less than 30 seconds.

Cons:

-- The package only includes 10 strips. While they are reusable, you will likely need to purchase extra strips separately.

-- If you want to reuse the strips, they need to be washed by hand.

Tip – This product is advertised as being effective on short hair. However, you will see better results if you have a minimum of a ¼ inch of hair growth (approximately the length of a grain of rice). This is standard for all wax products.

3 – Veet Ready to Use Wax Strips

Veet is a name we all know in association with body hair removal. Their Ready to Use Wax Strip Kit contains 40 strips and six wipes. 

It can be found here.

Pros:

-- There is no need to heat the strips.

-- These strips are suitable for sensitive skin.

-- Strips are perfect for beginners, as they are much easier to handle than liquid wax.

-- Each strip can be used more than once.

Cons:

-- Strips tend to be less effective than heated wax.

Tip -  Wax strips work better if they are slightly warm. The instructions say to heat the strips between your hands. This takes forever. To speed up the process, place the strips under an electric heating pad or hot water bottle. If you are using a heating pad, set it to low. This will warm the wax without overheating the strip.

Is This Really Dry Clean Only?

Taking your clothes to the dry cleaner is kind of a pain. It's expensive, time-consuming, and your pieces come back smelling like chemicals.

There are some items - like your wedding dress - that truly are dry clean only. However, for other items that just need a regular wash, you can skip the trip to the cleaners.

Natural fabrics such as cotton, silk, and wool are often tagged as dry clean only. Synthetic fabrics like polyester and rayon are more resilient to damage because they are man-made. However, just because natural fabrics are more delicate doesn't mean you can't take care of them yourself.


Here's everything you need to know to safely wash dry clean only pieces at home.

1 - Wash your clothes by hand.

To avoid the dry cleaner, wash your dry clean only clothes by hand. No matter what you do, don't put these kinds of clothes in the washer. The wash cycle will be too rough and will result in damage.

Keep in mind that anything that is delicate enough to be labelled "dry clean only" needs gentle care.

2 - Use room temperature water.

Hot water not only makes the colours run, but it can also shrink your clothes. The majority of items are safe at room temperature water. For anything that contains dark dye like navy, use cold water.

If you are filling up your bathroom sink, rinse out the basin with hot water before you start. This will remove any bits of toothpaste, dust, hair, etc. and give you a clean place to work.

3 - Add a gentle detergent.

Anything that is labeled "extra strength" should be left on the shelf. Opt for a regular strength or all-natural detergent. Extra strength detergents contain additional chemicals that may be too strong for your clothes.

Once the basin is full, put in one to two tablespoons of detergent, and use your hands to create suds. This is significantly less detergent than you would use in a washer, but since you're only washing one item it will be sufficient.

4 - Don't scrub.

Place the item in the water. Gently move it around in the water, and carefully squish the soapy water into the fabric. Leave it to soak for up to half an hour.

Do not scrub the piece. Using a brush or rubbing the fabric against itself will leave you with loose threads or an area that looks like it has been pulled.

Once it has soaked, let out the soapy water and run the item under the tap until you can't see any more bubbles coming off the item.

There is no such thing as too much rinsing. Larger items like blazers or dresses will require more rinsing since there is more fabric. Smaller items like blouses tend to be thinner, so you won't have as much detergent to rinse off.

5 - Give it time to dry.

Just like scrubbing the item will cause damage, so will scrunching it up into a ball to remove excess water. To get rid of the extra water, lay the piece flat on a clean towel. Roll the item into the towel, and gently squeeze. The layers of towel will protect the item from damage while absorbing the water.

Lay the piece flat on a drying rack, or on a new towel and leave it to dry. If you have wide hangers you can hang the item up to dry. Thin hangers can push dents into the fabric, so stick to wider options.

The best place to hang a wet item is on the shower curtain rail. The piece shouldn't be dripping wet when you hang it up, but any drips that do happen will land in the tub.

Sort Out Your Closet in 5 Simple Steps

We’ve received our first batch of inventory, and it’s been a blast counting, organizing, and stocking. All this unpacking made me think about my closet at home, and how to organize it to make getting ready in the morning a breeze.

Getting dressed for anything is a lot easier when your closet is organized, instead of piled up with everything jumbled together. Keeping your clothes in order is easy to do, and only takes a few minutes.

Here are our top 5 tips for organizing your closet.

1 – Sort Your Stuff

The first step to an organized closet is to sort out what you have. Make a section for each kind of item, such as work tops, blazers, dresses, and pants. Once you can see what you have, get rid of any items that you haven’t worn in the last two years. Anything that you don’t actually wear is just cluttering up the space you have.

Donate or sell anything that you don't wear or that doesn't fit. Items that are damaged should be thrown away.

Now that you have your categories, you could just stuff everything back in the closet. However, it is much easier to see what you have if you keep similar items together. Try hanging the pants next to the capris, which would be next to skirts, and then dresses. This way, if the kind of item you planned to wear isn’t working that day you can try something similar without digging through everything.

2 - Colour Block

To make the most of the space you have, hang each category up by colour. For example, put all the black blazers together next to all the grey blazers, next to the blue blazers, etc.  

By keeping the colours together you can easily see all the options and find what you want.

This also makes it easier to put together an outfit. Once you pick one colour, you can see what colours or patterns will go with it - minus the struggle to find something.

3 – Use Baskets or Bins

I’m a huge fan of putting baskets on the shelf on top of the hanging items. Small items such as tanks for layering can easily be folded and stacked, leaving extra room in both your closet and your dresser. If you don’t have a dresser, using baskets for things like socks and underwear prevents clutter.

Stores like Bowring, Jysk, Winners, and Pipers have carts with basket drawers. These are perfect for storing undies, socks, tanks, bras, and shorts. Since these carts are decorative, you can use them around your bedroom for both storage and design. 

4 – Add a Second Hanging Rack

For those of us who hang the majority of our items, one hanging bar isn’t always enough. Add a second bar by installing a tension rod about halfway between the first bar and the floor. Long items such as dresses can still go on the top bar, and now you have two bars to place everything else.

Tension rods are the best option since you won’t need tools to install them, they can easily be moved, and you won’t damage the walls of your closet if you take it down.

Pro tip: Put dresses and shirts on the top rack, and pants on the bottom. Since we're used to seeing clothing this way, you'll be able to see outfits before you take anything out. 

5 – Use an Over-the-Door Hanger

Placing an over-the-door hanger on the closet door gives you a place to store your necklaces, bracelets, scarves, or belts. Choose one that has multiple hooks so you can hang several items. Storing them in your closet not only keeps your room from becoming overrun with accessories, it also makes dressing up your outfit super easy.  

Have a suggestion for organizing your space? Share with us in the comments.

Top Six Tips for At-Home Manicures

Getting a salon-perfect manicure can be done at home at a significantly lower price and tons more fun.

These tips and tricks will help you create a DIY manicure that screams professional job. Grab a mimosa, a magazine, and your favourite colour for a spa-quality manicure in your pj’s.

Prep Your Nails

A nail buffer is your new best friend. Use the grainy side to even out bumps, and then the smooth side to create a perfectly buffed surface.

Whatever you do, don’t cut your cuticles. This little bit of skin is what stops bacteria from entering your nail beds, and cutting it off is an invitation for an infection. 

Soak your fingers in warm water for up to 10 minutes, then use an orange stick to gently push them back. For a super-relaxing soak, add a few drops of vitamin E oil and some Epsom salts.

Make sure your nails and fingers are completely dry before applying polish.

Use Base and Top Coats

A base coat provides a smooth bottom layer for your polish to sit on by filling in any dents or grooves in your nails. It also prevents dark polish from staining your nails.

Apply a thin layer of any clear base coat before adding any polish. Once all your layers of colour are on, apply a clear top coat. The top coat will seal the polish, and prevent your colour from rubbing off on any surface your nails may scratch (such as paper, walls, etc.).

Use a High-Quality Polish

The quality of the polish you use makes a world of difference to how well your manicure turns out.

Cheaper polishes tend to dry out more quickly, and this makes them gloopy and hard to apply properly. Once a polish loses its slick texture, it is more trouble than it’s worth.

A good nail varnish doesn’t need to be expensive, however; take a look at Sephora’s Formula X, which starts at $6 and comes in more than 70 shades.

Be Patient

This has always been the hardest part of anything for me. When it comes to doing a manicure, I somehow manage to smudge the polish before it’s dry.

Turns out, patience is crucial for smooth mani. It’s essential to let each coat of polish dry completely before adding the next one. If the underlying layers aren’t dry, the whole thing becomes thicker and takes longer to dry, making it more likely you will dent or smudge the polish.

After applying each layer of polish set a timer for 10 to 15 minutes. Use this time to read a magazine or catch up on your social media pages (as long as you can do it without touching your nails on anything!).

Once the time is up, apply the next coat and repeat. Apply up to three coats of colour. 

To speed drying time, turn a fan on and aim it at your nails. A high speed can cause the polish to ripple, so keep the setting on low. Cold is your friend when it comes to setting nail polish.

Have Remover Tools Close By

Some tools are essential in order to achieve a great manicure. Here are the ones you'll be sure to need:

 Polish remover

When you’re picking up your supplies, choose a remover that’s acetone-free. This variety is less harsh on the skin and doesn’t have as strong a smell.

Unfortunately, gel polish won’t come off with acetone-free remover.

Orange sticks

While not orange, having a handful of these nearby will make your manicure super easy. Whether you need to work on your cuticles, add a design, or wipe off a dot of polish, these sticks are there for you.

 Cotton swabs

When combined with the polish remover, these little swabs are like an eraser for colouring outside the lines. Soak one end of the swab in remover, and wipe off any errant polish.  

 Paper towel

Spilled something? Not to worry, you’ve got paper towels standing at the ready. Put down a piece before you start to make a surface to work on.

Nail buffer

This tool is great for prepping your nails for colour, and for adding shine once the colour is completely set. 

Try Gel Polish

For a guaranteed smudge-proof manicure with minimal drying time, invest in a gel kit. These kits contain an LED lamp, base coat, one colour, cleanser pads, and instructions.

While they are more expensive than just buying one bottle of polish, you only need to buy the kit once, and the LED lamp will work with any brand of gel polish that requires curing.

Gel polish lasts much longer than regular polish – about ten days, for the most part. Also, there’s no drying time, so the process is quicker than applying regular polish.

My favourite is the Sally Hansen Gel Nail Colour Starter Kit. It's reasonably priced, comes with enough supplies to do several manicures, and you can see which shade comes with the kit so you can choose your favourite. 

Do you have pro tips for your manis? Let us know!