Nailed It

There's not too many things I'm kinda/sorta obsessive about. But I kinda/sorta love having great nails. I go for a manicure/pedicure at least twice a month. I'm in bare feet for Pilates three times a week, so I like to have a well kept pedicure. And of course it's flip flop season, so the piggies are always on display.  A good pedi will generally last me two weeks. A manicure on the other hand will last about 5 days, if I'm lucky. So in between I like to keep my hands and nails neat and tidy with "at home" mani's, but trust me if could justify a mani a week...I would. 

Here are some quick steps to an easy at home mani.

Gather the tools of the trade:

• Nail polish remover and cotton pads
• Nail clippers
• Emery board or file
• Orange sticks or cuticle pusher
• Moisturizer
• Base Coat
• Nail Polish
• Top Coat

1. Remove any old polish using a good polish remover. A non acetone remover is best, but if your polish is stubborn you may need an acetone based remover. If one nail ever chips remove polish from all nails. There is nothing worse than one or two nails with out polish. Clip your nails if they are too long. If they don't need to be clipped...move on to step two.

2. File your nails using the same shape that the manicurist gave you as a guideline. This way your nails remain uniform. If there's one thing I can't stand is nails at different lengths. If one breaks...clip them all! Short nails are not bad. 

3. Condition your cuticles using an apricot kernel cuticle oil or even better and easier,coconut oil. It truly is the wonder oil. 

5. In a bowl of warm, soapy water, soak your nails for a few minutes. This will get your cuticles nice and soft and ready for step six.

6. Push back your cuticles with an orange stick. These are easy to find at the pharmacy. Cover the tip with some cotton and be gentle. Save the cuticle clipping for your manicurist. If you're unsure about this step...you can skip it. 

7. Moisturize your hands and cuticle using your favourite hand cream.

8. Now you're ready to polish. Your hand moisturizer may interfere with the polish's ability to adhere to your nails. To combat this, use little nail polish remover on a cotton pad and swipe over your nails.  Always use a base coat first. This helps to prevent nail staining (if you're using a dark colour) and chipping.  I personally never apply dark colours myself and stick to nude or very light pink. Find my fave nude polishes here. I'm not perfect at applying polish, so light colours are less likely to show imperfections.  I like to apply a base coat, two coats of colour and then finish with a top coat. The let your nails dry.  Be patient. Nails take time to dry. Use a little fan if you like, but never a hairdryer.  Once your nails are dry...re-apply moisturizer to your hands and voila!!!

                        Image from Pinterest