Hey, Jaki!

I’m loving safari and tribal inspired fashion these days. Matching it with a cheetah or zebra print manicure is fun, trendy and easy to do.

You can make the cheetah print as bold or subdued as you’d like and with different colour variations. Here are the simple 5 steps:

Step 1: Prep and base coat your nails, as usual

Step 2: Apply 2 layers of your chosen nail polish colour

Step 3: With a nail art pen or long brush dipped in paint, mark your prints round-open circular shapes; the more asymmetrical and different from each other the better

Step 4: Clean around the edges of your nail, as you probably got some paint on your finger, with a q-tip dipped in nail polish remover

Step 5: Add your top coat and voila

Zebra print is even easier to do and, again, you can make this fun mani as bright or toned down as you’d prefer. Here are another 5 easy steps:

Step 1: You’ve got it; prep and base coat those nails

Step 2: Apply 2 layers of your nail colour (or if you’re choosing to french tip the print only, apply your coats on the ends of your nails)

Step 3: With a nail art pen or long brush dipped in paint, apply your zebra print in long and short strokes horizontally across the nail, keeping each stroke varied in length and cross a few into each other here and there

Step 4: Clean around your nails with a q-tip dipped in nail polish remover

Step 5: Apply your top coat and there you have it

I have to share a product line I just found and am absolutely in love with. Rocky Mountain Soap Company creates all natural products, free from animal testing, green for the environment that actually works wonders for the skin. I received this Mommy To Be gift set two weeks ago and am still reeling over the instant results:

My love for Rocky Mountain began with their foot butter. For the last couple years I’ve been on a quest to find the ultimate foot smoothing product that will leave my heels soft and supple. From exfoliants to oils, soaks and lotions, this foot butter is the most convenient to apply (shaped like a deodorant stick) and showed the quickest most consistent results. I apply it right after my shower in the morning and repeat just before bed at night. After just 3 days, BAM, my feet couldn’t look and feel better. For the expectant mothers, pregnancy sure does suck the moisture out of our skin. This foot butter is your answer, I promise.

After realizing how awesome the foot butter is, I had to try the belly butter. I’m three months preggers with my first child (WOW!) and recently began my obsession with finding the best stretch-mark-fighting moisturizer. Best to start building elasticity in the skin now to prepare for the baby bump growth, Already, I’ve tried several butters and apparent 24 hour creams. Regardless of what the product states, I can feel that it’s worn off after a few hours and need reapplying often. Time is money, honey! Insert Rocky Mountain’s belly butter; again, it’s in an easy to apply and mess-free deodorant stick form, it lasts all day and you can feel the difference in quality of the product by its consistency.

The aroma of the foot soak is so beautifully pleasant. Again, I’ve tried so many different types, but the gentle tingle I felt while my feet were basking in this product and then the soft skin it resulted in had me sold.

As if all of those facts weren’t good enough, all of their products are also very inexpensive! See for yourself.

It’s the season of cherry blossoms. Sounds like beautiful mani/pedi inspiration to me! Here’s my interpretation, as always, in 5 easy steps:

Step 1: Prep your nails and apply your base coat, as per usual

Step 2: Apply 2 coats of nail colour (I used OPI’s Tasmanian Devil Made Me Do It, since I love the orangey-red hue for this look)

Step 3: Using a nail art pen or long brush dipped in black, paint your branches

Step 4: Using a nail art pen or long brush dipped in white, dot your cherry blossoms

Step 5: Once everything is thoroughly dry, apply 2 coats of top coat

Pardon the poor photo quality. I don’t know why I use my iPhone over the digi-cam. Anyway, try it! It’s really pretty and very easy to do. Cheers!

After requests for more hair style ideas, I thought I’d share one I, myself, sport at least once a week for years. Glam it up Audrey Hepburn style, or wear it messy for a little Louis Vuitton runway edge. Either way, it takes literally 5 minutes to do and everyone will assume it was done at the salon.

Jennifer Lopez

Louis Vuitton runway

You’ll need medium to long hair, comb/small brush, firm/max hold aerosol hairspray, 5-10 hair pins, hair elastic.

Step 1: Slick your hair back into a high ponytail and secure it tightly with an elastic. Looks great with some bangs down, too.

Step 2: In 1-inch sections, tease the heck out of your ponytail with your comb/brush from base to ends and repeat until the entire ponytail looks like you’ve been electrocuted. (Fear not.)

Step 3: Gather the ends of your teased hair and wrap it around the base of the ponytail. The more loosely you wrap it, the bigger the bun; adjust to your liking. Do this while hair pinning the bun around the base every 2-inches to secure it.

Step 4: Using your comb/brush, gently smooth and shape your bun by lightly brushing in the same direction you wrapped it. Be sure to fill in open gaps. Hold the shape with more hair pins if necessary.

Step 5: Spray your slicked back hair and bun with hairspray.

Hey, Jaki! circa 2010

Lanvin runway

Now that spring has officially sprung (finally), it’s time to get those feet ready for open-toes.

Step 1: Soak your feet in warm water for 15 minutes. I find sitting on the edge of a tub works best.

Step 2: Smooth & Slough your feet. I’m in la-la-love with the Tweezerman Pedro ceramic foot file (Shopper’s Drug Mart, $20).Step 3: Rid your cuticles by pushing them back with a little cuticle remover and an orange stick.

Step 4: Exfoliate the winter-weathered dead skin.

Step 5: Hydrate those babies with your favourite foot cream.