Mani How To

Hi Guys!!!  With all the craziness going on in the world right now, I thought we could all use a little pampering & a good healthy distraction, with a better feeling of summer not far away.  : )

I've gotten tons of compliments lately on my manicure & even asked where I go for my manis.  I love the compliments but am an at home mani kind of gal.  After sharing my indulgence for manicuring my own nails, I've been asked how do I make it look so good?!  So, I thought I'd share my tips.
I have recently splurged on a no-chip mani, prior to my wedding, as I considered splurging on the no chip system, for my own use.  I unfortunately did not care for it.  It left my nails super brittle, weak, and with a ton of polish outgrowth, that I thought was extremely unattractive.  Needless to say, not for me.  I will continue to indulge in one of my many beauty weaknesses, buying a new Essie polish with each new collection launch.  : )

Below I have included my steps on an easy approach to an at home manicure with little chipping and some longevity.  Hope you enjoy!

Supplies Needed:

Nail File, Buffer, Acetone Polish Remover, OPI Bond Aid, Towel, 2 sheets of paper towel, cuticle pusher, cuticle clipper, cotton pad, manicure soak dish, hand soap, ridge filler, color polish, top coat, cuticle oil, and an old concealer brush or acrylic/gel nail brush.

1. Set up your items so that they're within reach.  Put hand soap in mani soak dish or bowl with warm water.  I prefer to lay down a folded towel to soak up any spills & put one sheet of paper towel on top of towel to wipe cuticle gunk on.  

2. Remove polish with remover & cotton pad. File Nails to your liking.  

3. Apply cuticle oil & massage. 

4. Soak hand for 3-5 min. Push cuticles back. Repeat on other hand. Remove any dead lifted skin with cuticle trimmer or trim cuticles, if that's your thing & know what you're doing.  
*Removing cuticles with a trimmer without prior experience can lead to bleeding, pain, & infection.  

5. Using other end of cuticle pusher, clean the underside of nails. This will lift any filed nail gunk & leave it easily removed by the nail buffer. 

6. Buff top & edges of nails. 

7. Wash hands in sink & clear your area of supplies you will no longer need. 

8. Apply second paper towel sheet for a clean surface to rest hand while polishing.  Apply Bond Aid to nails covering the entire nail & underside edge. *Bond Aid is in every manicurists tool kit & makes your nail polish stick & adhere to your nails for much longer with less chipping.

9. Apply 1 coat of Ridge Filler to all nails

10. Apply color to all nails. Sometimes with springy white based colors you will need 3 thin coats. Otherwise 2 should be sufficient. One nail at a time. 
Then apply your top coat. One thin top coat, for now.  

11. *My trick for ages has been to use an old concealer brush or acrylic/gel brush dipped into acetone based remover and run the brush along the cuticle and sides of nails to clean up any excess polish. Be mindful of tilting the brush to your advantage. 

*Even if you're great at painting nails or think that no one will notice the polish jammed into your cuticle, think again. Please be mindful & clean this up. There should never be polish on your cuticle or skin around your nail. 

*After a day or two of wearing my fresh new mani, I will reapply (on clean dry nails) another thin top coat.  This keeps my mani from chipping and gives much more longevity to it.

I purchase my nail basics at Sally's Beauty Supply.  Color polish I tend to splurge on Essie but am not opposed to cheapies, the color is what calls to me.  I have been using & happy with Beauty Secrets cuticle oil, & ridge filler. 100% acetone, OPI bond aid, Seche Vite top coat, Mac cream nail polish in Coconut Ice.  I realized I have some other alternatives to the MAC color I used, as I think it was a limited item.  Essie Haute as Hello & Wet n Wild, Wild Shine 437F are both close colors.  

Happy Spring Painting!!!  Let me know if you have any questions! : )