Do you feel you’ve got time on your hands, and not in a good way? This area of the body can be a real age giveaway, with everything from dryness and lines to sunspots and sagging adding up to a careworn appearance.
It’s a concern well known to celebrity manicurist Jenni Draper, whose CV includes Hannah Waddingham, Cate Blanchett, Victoria Beckham, Kate Winslet and Naomi Campbell, to name just a few. ‘On the red carpet, there are always zoomed-in photos of hands now, because everyone wants to see what celebrities are wearing on their nails,’ she says.
Luckily, she's perfected all the tricks to turn hands around quicker than you can click your fingers, and they’re ones you can easily copy yourself. We spoke to Jenni about all the insider secrets to have at your fingertips.
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Rethink your hand cream
Hydration makes a huge, instant difference to how your hands look – but it needs to be the right product. Jenni advises: ‘Rather than using a traditional, heavy hand cream, look for a lighter, face-inspired formula with hyaluronic acid – I really like the ones by Grown Alchemist and Hello Sunday. Or just use excess from your facial serum on your hands. It’s something I do all the time when I’m prepping clients, because hyaluronic serum is the best for immediately smoothing out dehydration lines. It’s usually oil-free, too, so it won’t risk getting greasy marks on a dress.’
Scrub up well
Speaking of stealing youth boosters from your facial regime, it’s well worth treating your hands to an exfoliating facial peel too. ‘Anything that works on your face will work on your hands, and an exfoliant is great for brightening skin,’ says Jenni.
Try a star treatment
For an intensive hand boost, Jenni swears by a double dose of CACI hand therapy. Her clients are treated to CACI’s new £8 Rejuvenating Hand Mask (which is actually a pair of gloves packed with moisturising ingredients), then she’ll use CACI’s professional microcurrent electro-gloves over the top to maximise absorption.
‘This treatment is great for hand models, and I use it on everyone for premieres, as there are always close-ups,’ she says. ‘Microcurrent gives a real tightening and lifting effect, and it’s amazing if hands are looking a bit baggy or mottled. It really boosts blood flow and energy to the hands, so they look a lot more youthful.’
While Jenni has the portable pro version, the same moisture glove-mask plus microcurrent combo is found in CACI’s Hand Rejuvenation salon treatment (from £40) - book it as close to a special event, she advises. Find clinics here.
Give hands some overnight love
A traditional, rich hand cream can be a great option for an overnight treatment, says Jenni. ‘If you want to wake up to younger-looking hands, apply a good cream – I really like L'Occitane’s Shea Butter Hand Cream – and wear cotton gloves over the top. That’s a really good way to get that intense boost overnight.’
And, of course, get into the nightly habit of rubbing any excess night cream into your hands.
Neaten up the edges
Ragged cuticles create a tired look, but are simple to fix. ‘Leave cuticle nippers to the professionals,’ advises Jenni. ‘Use a pusher tool, like my own Personaility Cuticle Pusher, to gently push the cuticles back so you’re creating a longer, more elegant nail shape to work with. Give nails a light polish with a white buffing block to take away any dry bits of skin left on the nail bed.’ Always do this on totally dry hands, says Jenni. ‘If you have hand cream on, it masks what you're trying to get rid of.’
Try an anti-ageing manicure
‘A lot of clients just want their nails to look healthy and natural,’ says Jenni. ‘My go-to for this is Dior Nail Glow, which gives a fresh and youthful sheer tint, and also just like you’ve done something - for a ‘your nails but better’ look.’
For a complementary, less-is-more nail shape, Jenni advises filing straight across the free edge, then gently rounding off the corners: ‘It suits all nail lengths.’
Hold the cuticle oil
This may come as a surprise, but hear Jenni out. While cuticle oil is great for adding a healthy, youthful gleam and smoothing over snags, she says it should always be a finishing step. ‘If you apply it first, it acts as a barrier and stops anything else penetrating into your skin,’ says Jenni. ‘Always use hyaluronic acid first, like Personaility Hydrodrops, so it can actually hydrate your skin, then use oil last to lock in moisture and keep cuticles smooth and neat.’
