STOP THAT ! ( Girls )

[MissLaymoune]

-Are you rubbing your wrists together after you apply perfume?

We used to. But a recent conversation with Givaudan perfumer Yann Vasnier broke us of the habit. The friction increases the interaction between the fragrance and your skin's natural oils, which can distort the scent, he explained. And, by the way, if anyone's ever told you not to rub your wrists because you're "crushing the fragrance molecules";not possible. You can't split atoms with your toes either. So spritz, and then hands, and wrists, off. Vasnier's prescription for the perfect, subtle sillage (French for the trail of fragrance left in a woman's wake): one spritz on each wrist, two on the neck, one on the décolletage. Body heat at these critical points helps diffuse the scent.


-Don't Rely on the SPF in Your Foundation

To measure SPF in a lab, the chemist puts two milligrams of the product on every square centimeter of skin, says Leslie Baumann, MD, professor of dermatology at the University of Miami. That's the equivalent of about half a teaspoon spread over your face! You probably don't wear that much foundation (if you do, please stop that, too). Instead, apply a broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen, wait a few minutes for it to soak in, and then follow with foundation.

-Don't brush your hair when it's wet.

You should detangle hair right after you wash it, but use a wide-toothed comb. The thin, narrowly spaced bristles in a brush can snag and break wet hair, says Philip Pelusi, owner of Tela Design Studio in New York City. The teeth on a wide-toothed comb, however large, set far apart, and usually plastic;slip through hair easily.

-Are You Damaging Your Nails When You File?

If they won't grow and they split frequently, you might want to rethink your manicure technique. Use an emery board with a high grit, which means that it's fairly smooth, says Elle, a celebrity manicurist in New York City. Crystal files are good, but never use a metal one (too hard). And never file in a back-and-forth motion, which can cause the nail to tear. File in one direction only, in the same shape as your cuticle, because that's the shape least likely to break.