This week we are busy looking after fashion hands, preparing for London Fashion Week in ateliers and fit rooms across London, I love to drop by and can sometimes get a sneak preview as exquisite designs are being hand embroidered in the workrooms! It's always good to have 'hands on' feedback and has been so lovely to receive a blog from Stephanie G-M make up artist who discovered SEAMS backstage at Top Shop Unique. If like me you are bringing out your warmer knitwear, remember your hands need to be prepared for Autumn too! Dry skin apart from being painful can catch and pull knitwear, materials are very porous and take moisture from our skin as soon as we touch. I personally cannot bear that dry feeling in the fingertips when I have been working with fabrics. Which is one of the reasons I created SEAMS as non-greasy so I only have to take a couple of minutes break to re hydrate my skin. Hands feel especially dry when the temperature drops, there are so many reasons to keep your hands treated and I am always learning of more... - Palms loose moisture when your'e excited, scared, doing sports as the eccrine glands in the palms stimulate the nervous system to control body temperature, sweat glands start to leak, eventually when you have calmed down your hands will feel very dry. - Our hands age even faster than our face because the skin is thinner,  so it is so important to keep them moisturised, massaged and supple, SEAMS will help combat the effects of ageing. - It takes 6 months for fingernails to grow from root to the tip so applying SEAMS to your cuticles and nails now will help your nails grow strong through the winter months. Don't put your hands up to dry hands! Just a little attention will improve the appearance of your hands right now and for 20 years from now. SEAMS key ingredients will help make a real difference to your skin Shea Butter, garden Cress, Macadamia nut oil and Fragonia Oil. Always keep SEAMS close to hand Karen J Gerrard      

During the SEAMS Signature hand Massage event at Fenwick Brent Cross this month whilst chatting with our customers, I was not surprised to hear that many suffer with dry, split cuticles and even more so in summer than winter. Cuticles protect the nail bed from bacteria and keep the moisture in. They should never be cut as can grow back a lot thicker as the body tries to repair and replace the skin. Your cuticles need protecting as if they get dry and split so moisture escapes from the nail bed which over time can lead to dry brittle nails, and certainly rough cuticles will catch onto materials and become painful. There is nothing worse than shaking a persons hand and getting scratched by dry skin! My tips to keep your cuticles soft and supple are - 1 Use a cotton bud and warm water to gently rub around the edges and ease off any dry skin. 2 Massage in a drop of SEAMS to each cuticle, the Macadamia Nut oil will help to soften, whilst Rosa Canina Fruit Oil will moisturise and promote healing and Fragonia Oil which is naturally anti-bacterial will help to keep the nail bed clean. 3 Keep nails shorter, this gives less pressure on the finger tip, easier to maintain and will limit deep breaks which can become sore and traumatise cuticles. This month we have a special promotion of a box of 4 SEAMS hand Cream and nail file at £26 + Free Postage. Using hand cream regularly is a must to keep hands in good condition, with our box of 4 you can keep a SEAMS next to your bed, in the car, handbag, desk.. It takes just a minute to apply and dry but will have a noticeable long term effect on your skin. Always keep SEAMS close to hand Karen J Gerrard  

This month we are so excited that SEAMS Hand Cream has been travelling across the oceans to the sets of some of our favourite film and TV shows, requested by costume and make-up at Suits Season 5, The Frankenstein Chronicles and The Three Musketeers. Talking about travel I cannot believe that we are almost halfway through 2015 and summer is almost upon us, it is just as important to look after your hands in summer as it is in winter, most of us are guilty of not drinking enough water especially during a flight or in the sun and one of the symptoms of of dehydration is dry skin. We are made up of 70% water and the loss of just 5% of water from our body fluid is considered mild dehydration and up to 10% is considered moderate dehydration. Packing, carrying heavy suitcases and the tolls of travelling causes us enough stress without adding dehydration into the equation. The simplest way to check for dehydration on a flight is with the - DEHYDRATION HAND TEST Pinch the skin on the  back of your hand and pull it upwards then let go, your skin should snap back rapidly. If your skin maintains its pinched shape for a few seconds and drops back slowly you may be dehydrated. Drink water immediately and on a flight to keep your hands comfortable I advise to apply SEAMS always after washing and taking a minute to massage in will help to relieve stiffness. One simple hand exercise is to open your fingers wide hold the pose for 5 seconds then clench into a ball open again and move your fingers up and down like you are playing a piano. Do this a couple of times an hour to keep your hands supple. After all when on an aeroplane there is nowhere to rush to! Once in the sunshine your hands really do need more moisture than any other part of the body, they are exposed to the elements, washing looses water, there is very little fat on the backs of hands so when even a small amount of collagen or elastin fibres begin to break down which is part of the normal ageing process and also from sun exposure there is going to be a noticeable effect on your hands, the result can be crinkly skin texture. Whilst a moisturiser won't create new collagen it will leave the skin looking smoother and feeling soft. SEAMS provides a healthy dose of the best ingredients for your hands. Shea Butter to moisturise, Macadamia nut oil to soften, Vitamin B5 to soothe and Rossa Canina Fruit Oil to help hydrate and heal. Used last thing at night SEAMS will help your hands recharge whilst you sleep. Our 50ml size can be carried in your hand bag and used throughout the flight, and it is non-greasy sinks in within 60seconds. It's also great as a gift to give anyone you are visiting as is Made in UK. Please whatever you are doing remember to look after your hands. Karen J Gerrard  

I came up with the idea for SEAMS Hand Cream whilst at The London College of Fashion, working with fabrics and creating clothes can be intense and damaging work to our hands and fingers, someone who knows this first hand is Frances Tobin the mastermind behind The Maker's Atelier, a professional fashion and textile designer, Frances knows how to create simple, stylish clothes in current fashion trend, it is my great pleasure to share with you her inspiration behind design and get an insight into what her hands do in a day! Frances was originally taught dressmaking by her mother, and then went on to work for leading brands all over the globe. She makes the majority of her own clothes to this day, and now focuses on designing patterns for people to produce on The Maker's Atelier, as well as running her own bespoke sewing courses. I always wanted to be a designer.. my earliest memory is of some dresses my mother made for me, and then I just knew I was going to make clothes too. I was only about two at the time so I didn't know what design was, but I started designing my own clothes at five or six and my mother made them for me until I learn't how to make them myself. As a designer and maker of clothes.. you have to persevere to get a really good design, there's a lot of trial and error. Making for me is easy its the designing that's harder. My designs often evolve from making one of my styles in a new fabric then trying to make it better. I started The Maker's Atelier about 16 months ago.. one of the people I buy fabric from suggested I publish my own patterns and I just thought, why not? So within two days I had visualised the brand and come up with the name. It took eight months to develop the product range, build the site and launch with the help of a core team of people I trust. For me, no two days are the same.. getting orders out is always the priority. Currently I'm working on a new range of patterns that I hope to publish this April, so my days are spent sampling. testing and working with Eighth Day who are responsible for my graphic design, we've just done a photo shoot incorporating the new styles with fashion photographer Amelia Shepherd. I also spend a lot of time on marketing. My favourite time of day is.. at 7am when I'm at my local swimming pool, I plan my day as I swim. My least favourite is.. at around 4.30pm when the orders must be at the post office, it can be a bit rushed! The item of clothing I enjoy working on the most is.. either what I'm making right now or what I'm going to make next as it's always something new. My favourite design is.. my neoprene mac, it became a prototype for the Unlined Raw-edged Coat pattern. Inspiration comes from everywhere.. the idea for the neoprene mac came from seeing a really cool windsurfer in a neoprene coat at the World Windsurfing Championships! The most important part of making a garment is.. choosing the fabric and seeing how it drapes. My hands are hugely important for my role because..I need to be able to feel the fabric and you need soft hands for that. My hands take the brunt of my work..  I hand stitch to finish off a garment and for sewing on buttons, but I always manage to prick my fingers, and I'm often stabbing myself with pins, and I have to keep my nails short, luckily I prefer short nails. I need to have a hand care routine.. I wash my hands before handling fabric, and I have to apply a hand cream as this dries them. I can't work with dry hands.. work is much easier when they have been moisturised. In the past, I've had to take extreme measures to protect my hands..I spent two weeks making shoes with Carre Ducker from Saville row, the leather caused some real damage, so I'd prepare for each day by bandaging my hands in preparation a bit like  a ballet dancer does with her feet! Nowadays I use SEAMS Hand Cream.. to moisturise and keep my skin supple, I apply SEAMS at least three times a day and always at night. SEAMS is great for anyone handling fabric.. because it's easily absorbed and non-greasy. In my spare time.. I meet friends, and scour flea markets and vintage shops, watch films and go swimming. In 2015.. I'd really like The Maker's Atelier to become more established, and am looking forward to the next sets of patterns coming out this Spring and Autumn. My motto in life is.. Live right now. I am so happy that SEAMS is looking after exactly the hands it was created for, to help couturiers in their daily work. Always keep SEAMS close to hand Karen J Gerrard You can get in touch with Frances at www.themakersatelier.com Click here

I love the fresh feeing of Spring - from the first signs of the camellias on the trees to daffodils in the garden; it's such a wonderful time, and this year with Easter being so early it means I will soon get an excuse to indulge in as much chocolate as I like, guilt-free! But of course, Easter isn't just about chocolate eggs, for many SEAMS customers it's time to get creative - making hats, dressing up  outfits and colourful decorations - this all takes such a toll on hands and we are pleased that SEAMS is able to give hands some tender loving care after all that work. Easter is a also a great time of year to say goodbye to dark, winter hues (I must admit to nearly always wearing black)! and usher in a new period of fresh, springtime colours. Take a look at this make-up, don't the pastel colours look fantastic. They really bring alive the essence of Spring. SEAMS Hand Cream is a favourite among make-up artists because their hands are constantly being washed, used as colour palettes and subjected to abrasive brush cleaners, and SEAMS is always on hand to help heal and protect them. You will often find SEAMS Hand Cream backstage at TV & Film studios in wardrobe and make-up - Kate Garraway was recently spotted having a SEAMS hand massage before going on set for Good Morning Britain. Our other news is that Lisa Eldridge who just happens to be one of my favourite beauty bloggers whose You Tube make-up lessons I religiously follow, has sent us a tweet to say how much she loves SEAMS and has squeezed every last drop out of hers. The great thing about SEAMS being in a tube is that when you think it has finished just cut off the top of the tube and smoother the little bit left over your body, enjoy every last drop! Oh and I must mention the Fragonia Oil in SEAMS, it was only discovered in Australia about 5 years ago when during the harvest of Tea tree some happened to slip into the mix and was found to have natural anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory properties and calm emotions, which is why it's a key ingredient in SEAMS. Have fun getting ready for Easter Always keep SEAMS close to hand Karen J Gerrard  

Blogging is a business in its own right, and increasingly the girls behind their sites have gained as much influence on style and beauty regimes for the masses as A-List celebrities. For this week's In The Hands of... I spoke to the super-chic Stephanie Toms of style blog cocochicblog.co.uk. She uses her hands day in, day out in order to create content for her blog - wether it's applying make-up for beauty tutorials, styling clothes to inspire her street style followers or filming videos, Stephanie is out and about busy whatever the weather - which means you are never too young to start taking good care of your hands. Here's what Stephanie had to say - I work as a full time blogger and You Tuber... Which is pretty crazy as I'm also a second year Journalism student at University. Busy hands on a keyboard! I got into blogging when I started a Tumblr account... somehow I gained a pretty big following by posting pictures of food and people, and then one day I decided to venture into the world of blogging. I've been doing it for around a year and a half now. It wasn't something I always wanted to get into... I never really knew what I wanted to be - in fact I still don't know now! Of course it's everyone's dream to make money from the internet (hello pyjama uniform) but I never really knew this type of job existed until it actually became a reality. I definitely cannot complain. The best thing about what I do is... every single day is different which is great because I am a person who gets bored easily. The majority of the day is spent using my hands on some form of computer or gadget, one day I can be filming video's, the next I'll be taking photos and then having meetings with brands, it's fantastic. I really love my job... slippers all day, my own work hours - what's not to love?! My hands are important for my job because... they're the basis of pretty much everything I do. If I have to live without hands for a day absolutely nothing would get done - no blog posts, no photographs, nothing. As a result of my work my hands get pretty dry and sore... especially in winter when I am out and about taking photos. My hand care routine is... basically ensuring I moisturise my hands with SEAMS throughout the day. My least favourite part of the day is... getting up! I'm the worst morning person. No matter how much sleep I get in a night I can always manage to squeeze a nap in throughout the day. Put me on public transport I'll be out like a light! 2015 is a big year for me because... I've been part of a blogging platform since I started blogging, but this year I'm going solo. I'm hoping I can push my blog more than ever before and I'd love to hit 10,000 subscribers hands on You Tube and feel proud of what I am doing. I don't have much spare time... but when I do I watch my favourite You Tubers or play video games with my boyfriend! My favourite way to relax is... to have a bath, and relax my hands and mind from the digital world for a while. Clean spaces inspire me... I'm a naturally really messy person, so if I'm ever feeling uninspired I'll do a huge spring clean to clear my mind. Tumblr is a huge source of inspiration for me too, of course. My motto for life is... if you don't love it, don't do it. I tried so hard to come up with an inspiring quote, but I think this is pretty self-explanatory. At SEAMS are now addicted to cocochic on You Tube and are loving her 'What's in my handbag which now of course includes SEAMS! Always keep SEAMS Close to hand - In your bag Karen J Gerrard Founder You can see Stephanie on her blog www.cocochicblog.co.uk        

One of the interesting things at SEAMS is that I get to meet so many people who use our product and it is always fantastic to hear that SEAMS Hand Cream is being used effectively by the people it was created for. From Designers to new mums to make-up artists I would like to share with you some of their hands on stories. One of those people is the talented Johanne Bertaux-Strenna, a seamstress at Selfridges the luxury store on Oxford Street. Her daily role is to tailor fit designer garments so that clients can walk away with made to measure outfits, her hands are a fundamental part of her role. As she herself said "they pin, write, cut, touch...my hands do the talking!' I caught up with Johanne to hear how she takes care of her hands and to discover how SEAMS has helped improve the condition of her biggest asset. Intrigued by the fashion world from childhood, Johanne Bertaux-Strenna always knew she would have a career in the industry. That path led her to the London College of Fashion where she studied costume design and obtained a BA in 2010 after a foundation year in art and design at Central Saint Martins,  Johanne is now an integral member of the alterations team at Selfridges the home to designer brands and thousands of esteemed customers. Here's her hands on day- As a fitter and tailor... my work mainly involves fitting men's, ladies and kids designer garments - everything from jeans to intricate ladies designer wear. My job is to pin them accurately to make the fit more personal, in the workroom I carry out a variety of alterations as part of a team including shortening of trousers with a variety of finishes. Being a seamstress was something I always wanted to do... I had always wanted to design and make clothes. I remember drawing fashion sketches when I was 10 and organising makeshift fashion shows with dresses made from bed sheets in my cousins' attic in Corsica! I spend every summer there with my family. Working for somewhere as well known as Selfridges... means that we attract a variety of customers, so we strive to provide stellar customer service and expert advice, fast. It can be quite trying physically and especially on the hands! Each day... I start in the Alterations work room on the 5th floor with whatever alteration we have in store for the day. In the meantime I can be called out at any moment for a fitting at any department within the store. That will involve a short discussion with the customer in front of a mirror to understand what the customer wants and the work that needs and can be done, then I pin the garment and fill out the appropriate paperwork. Then it's off to another fitting or back to the workroom! It's a job that demands extreme accuracy and attention to detail. I am so happy in my role... I love working as part of a talented and multicultural team, I love the contact with customers from all parts of the world and all walks of life, I love being able to work with such a varied and exciting selection of brands and seeing how they look on different body shapes! I have to say I am most satisfied... when I establish a great connection with a customer, for whom the sales assistant / personal shopper and myself have found a great garment for. I remember one Oscar de la Renta dress - which involved several layers of tulle and chiffon - I spent one hour pinning it because I had to shorten each layer separately! I had a great conversation with the customer and when I'd finished the dress looked perfect on her, as though it had been custom made. The most difficult alteration's... are taking in the centre back seam of certain trouser waists, these can be tricky because of the number of pieces involved, the label that needs to be unstitched and re-stitched etc. Certain types of turn-ups can also be difficult. My hands are an extremely important part of my role... they do the talking, pin, write, cut, touch. The problems my hands have... is that I often get painful small nicks, cuts and scrapes on my skin, cuticles and fingertips. If my hands are properly moisturised... and hydrated then I feel more comfortable and confident. I really like the fact that SEAMS is absorbed quickly, which means I can get straight back into work. Touching fabrics all day... dries my hands, some fabrics are more tough than others and some have dyes which can be quite irritating - certain types of denim for example. For my daily hand care routine... I try to apply hand cream every time I wash my hands, and in the morning before I head out and in the evening before I turn the lights off. SEAMS Hand Cream has really helped my hands... it seems to have sealed my cuticles, and smoothed over the little nicks and cuts I have from pinning and hand sewing, particularly on my fingertips. The texture is especially great; it's non-greasy and easily absorbed and the scent is very subtle and pleasant. My favourite part of the day... is when my head hits the pillow and I review my day in my head before falling asleep, especially if I've had a good day. My least favourite part of the day... is waking up on a chilly and dark winter morning. In 2015 I am hoping to... improve my men's bespoke tailoring skills and complete the first part of the Bespoke Tailoring Course at Newham College. I want to visit Japan, start aerial hoop training again and do something with my voice! In my spare time... I do a lot of yoga and meditation, I dance if I can and sing, I meet up with friends and family and I like to go travelling. I am inspired by... confidence; enlightened, curious and inquisitive minds; music; photography; painting; literature; performance... I have one motto in life... difficult takes time, impossible just a bit more. Always keep SEAMS close to hand Karen J Gerrard      

Do you remember the Human League song that starts 'I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar? Well I just heard it on the radio and it promoted me to write this blog post! I want to explain the circumstances that led me to launch SEAMS. When the idea first came into my head I was studying millinery at fashion college - my hands were dry and sore, and ceaselessly being pricked by needles and rubbed by fabric. I needed a hand cream which was healing, soothing and nourishing while also being quickly absorbed, but there just wasn't anything out there that did the jb - so I decided there and then whilst sewing some binding on a hat to launch my own. Having a daily hand care routine is so important - everything we touch removes the moisture from our skin, and so I wanted to create a go-to product for everything you need for hand care - something that would take only a few seconds to apply, but would make so much difference to how hands look and feel. So I found a wonderful pharmacist and got to work on translating my ideas. There were a few things that were really important to me. The first was ensuring that SEAMS was produced in the UK (so much so that I travelled the length and breadth of the country and found one that is clean enough to eat off the floors!) - I had to be able to work with people face to face and support our country's manufacturers. Secondly, I wanted to ensure that SEAMS delivered everything I claimed it would by using only the very best ingredients - that's why each ingredient within SEAMS works in perfect harmony with the others; ensuring they blend together to make the perfect combination. Lastly I wanted SEAMS to be absorbed by the skin within 60 seconds, because I know that the modern woman doesn't have time to waste! It's been 18 months since I launched SEAMS and I couldn't have asked for more - many customers have told me it's the best hand cream they've ever used, which makes me incredibly proud, and as well as being stocked in some of the world's most prestigious spas and featured in top magazines, I'm now working on developing five additional products. SEAMS looks like it's well on the way to becoming a handbag staple - all I can say is thank goodness I realised I was terrible at making hats and moved in to hand cream instead! Karen J Gerrard

I noticed whilst backstage with SEAMS at London Fashion Week, every make-up artist was using the back of their hands as an easel to test lipsticks, foundations, blushers and eyeshadows - you name the product and it was sure to be mixed on the back of a hand. Something we all do  at home too! Think about when you shop at beauty counters - the back of your hand is always the place where you test products. This is a major sin for the health of your skin. Each time you wipe a lipstick or blusher stain away, the skin becomes dehydrated and sometimes sore. Even just a few wipes of a tissue or one use of anti-bacterial gel dries out the skin. As ITV and Celebrity make -up artist Helen Hand explained to me: "The brush cleaner we use is so astringent it makes my hands feel so dry that they feel hard and tight - it kills my hands." Her advice to solve this problem? "Always use SEAMS straight afterwards. It softens hands after one application. My colleagues and I love it." Next time you are on a beauty shop carry a tube of SEAMS in your handbag. Full of Fragonia Oil a natural anti-bacterial ingredient that helps protect your skin from the spread of germs in used make-up, it also helps to heal. Shea Butter helps to moisturise and protect skin, and Glycerine helps to heal any rashes or irritations you may get from the action of wiping away make-up with tissues. It is also worth noting that testing make-up shades on the skin on the back of your hands does not give a true visual impression of what the colour will look like, how many times have you got a lipstick home only to find it doesn't look right on your lips! The red pigment found naturally on lips changes  the colour of lipstick so it appears totally different to how it looks on the back of your hand. My advise to counter this is to ask at the beauty counter for a pice of clear tape and spread the lipstick or eyeshadow on the tape then hold it over your lips or eyes to give you a truer idea of how it will look against your skin tone. Whatever happens, don't forget to always keep SEAMS close at hand. Karen J Gerrard  

We had a great start to the summer season - at the Make it British event in June, and a busy time through July in Fenwick Brent Cross with our popular SEAMS Hand Massage events. The sun continued to shine when we were requested to supply SEAMS to the make up department on the set of a new Steven Bernstein movie, about the poet Dylan Thomas called Dominion. I decided to deliver SEAMS in person - all the way to their base in Montreal. "I actually have got a confession,"revealed hair expert Tamara Harrod when I arrived on set the second day, "I have also been using SEAMS on my whole body after a bath as such a little goes a long way!" I was so pleased to see her use it at every opportunity on set - she even requested a bigger 'professional size and also a foot cream too. Watch this space!  Whilst there I was fortunate enough to see the amazing actors, Rhys Ifans, John Malkovich, Romala Garai and Rodrigo Santoro shoot some amazing scenes. We can't wait for the movie! Another delightful ray of positivity added to our summer glow: Next week SEAMS arrives at the prestigious Dorchester Spa in London's exclusive Dorchester Hotel Park Lane London. we are overwhelmed that SEAMS' first spa is such an esteemed hotel. We will be ensuring that the guests will enjoy our SEAMS Hand Massage treatment as part of their manicure regime. I hope the sun shines positively for you this summer! Keep SEAMS close to hand Karen J Gerrard