Visiting the nail salon every other week can be quite costly and many of us are only able to afford such luxuries once in a while. If you love keeping your nails pretty at all times, why not pamper yourself in the comfort of your own home? It’s simple to do and after you’ve mastered the proper way to do a manicure, you’ll be prouder to flaunt those nails!
1. Remove your old polish or traces of dirt – First off, remove any traces of old polish and dirt on and around your nails with some cotton pads and acetone-free nail polish remover. Using a nail polish remover that doesn’t contain acetone is important because it is less harsh on the nails and is more moisturizing. Although it takes a longer time to break down the chemicals of the nail polish, your nails would be protected and you will need way less product. To clean underneath your nails, wrap some cotton around an orange stick or cuticle pusher, then proceed to swipe across underneath your nails.
2. Scrub your hands with soap and water – You shouldn’t let the nail polish remover sink into your nails or skin, hence, scrub your hands immediately after the first step with some soap, water and a small brush. Wipe dry with a towel.
3. Push back and remove excess cuticles – Using a cuticle pusher, slowly push back your cuticles to create a nice base for your nail polish to go on. Then, use a cuticle scissors to snip off any excess cuticles showing.
4. Cut, file and shape – You can either choose to have more rounded or square-shaped nails. If you want more feminine looking nails, cut your nails to a more rounded shape. When you’re happy with the length of your nails, file the edges using a nail file to smooth out the jagged edges. Make sure to only file your nails in one direction towards the center of the nail because filing in all directions can weaken the nail, causing it to become brittle and more prone to breakage.
5. Paint your nails – Always, always use a strengthening base coat before applying any sort of nail polish to protect your nails from staining and also to nourish your nails. Now, it’s time for the nail polish. It is important for you to know that a thicker application of nail polish on your nails would make them more prone to chipping quicker. Therefore, work with thin layers and give the nails enough dry time in between coats to ensure that your polish will last longer.
If you’re using a regular nail polish colour, always start by making one thick stroke in the middle of the nail, then making two strokes at each side of the nail to cover it completely. As for glitter nail polish, you want to start from either side of the nail and work towards the other side. Do two coats of nail polish on all your nails to ensure that the colour is opaque.
Finally, add on a fast-drying top coat to seal in the colour and to lengthen the life of your nail polish. You’ll also notice that the colour will pop and your nails will become extra shiny once a top coat is applied.
6. Clean around the edges – Many people would turn to cotton swabs to remove excess polish around the nails. However, the rounded edge of the cotton swab might mess up your perfectly painted nails. Use an old flat eyeshadow brush dipped into nail polish remover instead to be more precise and the straight edge of the eyeshadow brush will ensure that your painted nails would not be messed up.
7. Moisturize your cuticles – After that’s all done, apply a cuticle cream to moisturize your cuticles. Your nails will look much better when your cuticles are healthy so it’s important not to skip this step.
8. Moisturize your hands – Finally, moisturize your hands with some hand cream to complete your entire manicure.
Although it seems a little time-consuming, you’ll be very happy with the results, we assure you! 😉 Here are some nail products that we love:
Sephora Mini Crystal Nail File
Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Strengthener
Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream
OPI Avoplex High-Intensity Hand & Nail Cream
