Here are a few steps I take when I'm doing my at home manicure:
1. Remove old nail polish
If you don't have any nail polish on, still clean your nails, you want to remove any dirt or oil that could be residing there. I also use a strengthening nail polish remover to help my nails from peeling or breaking. The nail polish remover I use is from Target; it's cheap and effective! I got the cotton balls from target too!
After my nails have been painted and the top coats are on, I usually wait a few minutes for them to set and dry a little. Then I proceed to turn my faucet on the coldest temperature, point my nails down and run them under the cold water for about 30 seconds per hand. This set helps dry the nails fast. Cold temperatures is what helps paint dry and set. Hot temperatures tend to melt the paint and prolong the process; might even induce the smudging.
Anyway, that is my at home nail routine. This is proof that as long as you have some tools, you can do your own manicure at home. There are more and more products out on the market everyday that help at home manicures because the simplest task!
If you have any comments or suggestions about what I could do to improve my at home nail routine, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below, I would love to read them!
Bye everyone, until next time!
<3 Heath
If you don't have any nail polish on, still clean your nails, you want to remove any dirt or oil that could be residing there. I also use a strengthening nail polish remover to help my nails from peeling or breaking. The nail polish remover I use is from Target; it's cheap and effective! I got the cotton balls from target too!
2. File and buff nails
Usually I buy a pack of few nail files from anywhere like Target or Walmart. What's fun about those is they come in different colors and patterns and they don't rack up the price like Sephora, you'll end up spending $5 for one, that is ridiculous in my mind! Revlon has nice nail files and at Walmart they are only $2.87 for two! Look at those adorable roses!
On to the nail buffing part, I love using the 4 way blocks. Each side has a different use: there is a nail file side, a ridge removing side, a smoothing nail side, and a shine nail side. The one I have shown in the picture is very old and I got it from Kohls with my very first nail kit. I can't let go of it, too many memories attached. But here is a nice alternative to mine. It's from Sally's Beauty Supply. Sally's is such an awesome beauty store to find a lower cost options to more expensive brands. That store is definitely worth checking out.
3. Ah cuticle time!
Cutting cuticles can be a hurtful task sometimes. Many, many times I have made my cuticles bleed because I cut too close. But it is worth while to trim the dead skin around your nails and push back your cuticles to make your manicure perfect, just be careful. To cut my cuticles I use these Revlon clippers. They are angled so you can get in tight spots.
The electric nail buffer I use was from a gift set from Ulta. It was the perfect gift set that they sold around Christmas a few years ago, I'm not sure if they still sell seasonally, but I did find an alternative. This Kiss Rechargeable Nail File from www.drugstore.com is a great investment to have at home. It gives you every type of tool so you can have options to shaping and cleaning up your nails. Looking into these investment pieces are important, putting a little bit of money into something that you will have for a long time and you can use WHENEVER you want is worth the cost.
4. DIY hand scrub
Hand scrubs are important to use. They exfolilate the dead skin that is on your hands as well as the excess skin that you could have missed during the cuticle cutting step, it also moisturizes your hands. This specific hand scrub I made myself, it is simple and so beneficial for your hands. In my next post, I will do a step by step on how to make this specific hand scrub.
After this step, make sure to wash your nails with soap and water (or use a cotton ball with a small amount of nail polish remover) to remove any excess oil from the scrub that's left on your nails.
5. Top and base coat
These two steps are very important for a lasting manicure. A base coat, not only protects your nails from any discoloration, but it also is like a glue to hold the nail polish on your nails. The one I love to use is the Sally Hansen strengthening base and top coat. I know it's a double duty product, but I have a special place in my heart for this one top coat. Seche Vite is wonderful, it makes my manicure last so much longer. When applying I tend to put two coats on and I make sure get the tip of my nails too. It's an extra step, but definitely worth the time for a longer non chip manicure.
6. Bring out that polish
The final step is polish. Choose what every polish you would like. A few brands I love from the drug store are: Essie, Sally Hansen, Revlon. Today I decided to go with something a little bit more, well I call it fancy. I have this Urban Decay Naked nail set which is based after a few colors from the first naked palette. I choose the color Toasted, it's a light neutral with some metallic sheen.
After my nails have been painted and the top coats are on, I usually wait a few minutes for them to set and dry a little. Then I proceed to turn my faucet on the coldest temperature, point my nails down and run them under the cold water for about 30 seconds per hand. This set helps dry the nails fast. Cold temperatures is what helps paint dry and set. Hot temperatures tend to melt the paint and prolong the process; might even induce the smudging.
Anyway, that is my at home nail routine. This is proof that as long as you have some tools, you can do your own manicure at home. There are more and more products out on the market everyday that help at home manicures because the simplest task!
If you have any comments or suggestions about what I could do to improve my at home nail routine, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below, I would love to read them!
Bye everyone, until next time!
<3 Heath
