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8 Crazy Things That Happen When You're a Hand Model

See why getting the perfect #manimonday shot takes way more than choosing the right filter
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While most of us have a cabinet full of skin-care products for our faces, professional hand models pour the same amount of attention into their poreless, baby-bottom-smooth hands. When your hands are your livelihood (raking in $1,000- plus in a single day), you're going to treat them to some serious TLC.

We talked to professional hand models Carrie Jacobson (whose hands grace the Orly French Manicure Kit) and Ashly Covington (the hands of Sephora by O.P.I.) who spilled their serious -- and sometimes silly -- skin-care secrets for keeping their hands smooth, soft and flawless.

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'Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize' Becomes Your Hourly Mantra
We all have that friend who slathers lotion onto her hands like her life depends on it. Waiting to order at brunch? Perfect time to apply. At a stop light? Why not lube up? But even the most neurotic hand lotion habits have got nothing on a hand models'.

According to Jacobson, she and her cronies always keep hand cream in their purses (Jacobson recommends L'Occitane's Shea Butter Hand Cream, $28, and ones with alpha hydroxy) and moisturize their hands 20 to 30 times a day. Covington is equally obsessed, but keeps her routine simpler -- no crazy potions at crazy price points, just a trip to kitchen. "I love pure olive oil and jojoba oil. You don't need to use a lot, and it doesn't leave your hands feeling greasy. Your skin loves it and soaks it right up."

Whereas runway models might diet in the days before a job, hand models have their own get-ready rituals, which involve major hydration. "If I have a booking coming up, or even an audition, I'll sleep with Bliss Glamour Gloves, $52, on. They're like a private oxygen chamber for my hands," says Jacobson.

To create your own chamber at home, follow Covington's sock regimen. "I cover my hands with olive oil, rub jojoba oil on my nails, follow this up with a layer of cocoa butter and then finish it off with a light layer of Vaseline." Cover your hands with socks and let the concoction soak in overnight. Covington swears you'll have hands as soft as a newborn's.

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You Treat Your Nails Like Your Face
Cleanser, toner, serum, day cream, night cream, spot treatment, eye cream ... many of us have an almost never-ending list of products lined up for our face. For both Covington and Jacobson, all of that product-hoarding goes to their hands. Although you may not spend as much time looking at them, your hands can show your age just as much as -- if not more than -- your face. Here are the products the two models rely on for camera-ready hands:

For washing: Covington likes Pure Harmony Soaps, $9, which are made by hand from shea and cocoa butters, jojoba and olive oils and essential oils, to help you avoid that tight, dried-out feeling that comes with frequent hand-washing.

For flakes: Jacobson likes St. Ives Apricot Scrub, $3.99, to slough off dead skin. She's also a fan of the crowd-pleasing scent.

For spots: Jacobson turns to Dermalogica ChromaWhite, $188, a five-step skin-care regimen that keeps her hands smooth and spot-free.

For discoloration: Jacobson recommends L'Occitane Brightening Hand Care, $30, which is packed with mulberry extract to help even out skin tone and SPF 20 to prevent future sun damage and hyperpigmentation.

For dryness: Jacobson likes trusty Aquaphor Healing Ointment, $13.99, while Covington turns to skin-nourishing (and convenient) olive oil and argan oil ("A lot of the time I use what's close by").

For brittleness: Jacobson never leaves the house without at least one coat of protein on her nails, like Nailtiques Nail Protein Formula 2, $9.50.

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You Have a Valid Excuse to Skip Chores and Wear Gloves Everywhere
"A lot of [hand model] girls wear white gloves everywhere," says Jacobson. Light-colored gloves are a great way to reflect light, warm and dry hands that are slathered in oil and moisturizer, and protect skin from the sun and nails from snags. Jacobson, who lives in the Los Angeles area and is facing triple-digit weather this weekend, admits that the heat is one reason she's not a card-carrying member of the glove club.

Covington, a New Yorker, is. "I do wear gloves often. Walking down the sidewalk in New York can be treacherous ... an out-flung hand with a ring on it or a briefcase that brushes by too closely can cost a hand model a job."

Jacobson practices similar caution in other aspects of her daily routine. "If a job is coming up, I'll forgo washing dishes ... heck, to be honest, I don't need a modeling audition to skip out on housework. But I am more careful about little things, like putting my seatbelt on, shutting doors and even opening the mail or reading a book," she continues. As silly as it sounds, in this line of work, all it takes is a little snag in a fingernail or a paper cut for an agency to pass you over for the next girl.

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Manicures Are All Work and No Play
Though a relaxing mani/pedi is how we unwind on a Sunday afternoon, to Jacobson and Covington, getting their nails done is just another day at the office. "I never let anyone touch my hands except for on-set nail techs. I have yet to find a manicurist who can get the shape of my nails just right," says Jacobson. Covington entrusts her hands to Jin Soon's salons in New York and manicurist Chantalynn Huynh in Los Angeles.

Covington's advice for a manicure that lasts: Dehydrate your nails. "You don't want your nails absorbing any water before the polish is applied ... that will shorten the length of time your manicure will last," she explains. She suggests IBD Dehydrate, $15.50, before applying a good base coat like her personal favorite, Patricia Support Nail Lacquer Base Coat, $9. Wait three minutes before applying the polish color over your base coat, and apply a clear top coat every other day to prevent annoying nicks.

If you're going to the salon, Covington says to steer clear of two things: having cuticles cut and soaking your hands. "Always ask the nail technician to push [cuticles] gently back after applying a cuticle softener ... the cuticle softener will replace the need to soak your nails."

BY ERICA SMITH | OCT 6, 2014 | SHARES
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