Care for your hands

Attractive hands come with tender loving care that begins at home. But once you get to work, there are various ways to keep them soft, supple, and presentable throughout the day.

Hand-care professional Joycie Lewis of Ladue, Mo., says that keeping a good hand or cuticle cream in your purse or office desk drawer is a start. "Considering this day and time we live in, we're washing hands often, which can be drying. It's very important to keep a cream on the hands," she says.

A three-way nail buffer can also be a hand-saver, particularly if you chip a nail right before an important meeting. "Lightly buff the nail down," Lewis advises. "That will get you through the day instead of having to rip the whole tip off." Lewis warns to be careful when choosing fingernail polish colors to wear to the office. Some hues require more maintenance than others. "I really suggest that you keep a nice neutral color on," she says, "because it shows less wear."

Many experts say polishing nails shouldn't be done during office hours. "I'm not sure how well that would go over if a CEO walked in and saw you applying nail polish," Lewis says.

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