Manicure Must Haves

Picture this, you make a 6pm appointment for a mani, on a Friday after work, because your nails have to be weekend ready. But around 5:15pm it starts raining, and you know there is going to be more traffic than usual. You arrive at the salon 5 minutes late, only 5 minutes, and see they’re are backed up, I mean packed, appointments and walk-ins alike are waiting. Finally your service starts at 6:30 and ends at 7:30pm. Now it’s 8:30 and you’re finally home after stopping for take out because you’re too tired to cook. We’ve all been there.

Well, with these few, simple steps you can eliminate the headache, the trip to the salon and saved $$. 

The perfect manicure doesn’t have to cost you $25 (or more) plus tip PER salon visit and you can be sure your environment and products are safe and clean. For a fraction of the cost you can get 11 items from your local drugstore/beauty supply and give yourself a salon quality manicure from the privacy and comfort of your own home. And should you decide to also indulge in a glass of wine, then my hats off to you!

Lets Get Started…

*First start off by removing your previous manicure with (non)actone*

Personal Favorite: Professional Remover 100% Pure Acetone by Onyx Professional from Walmart

*Next, apply cuticle remover to your cuticle as directed on package*

Personal Favorite: Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover from Walmart

*Then, with the pusher end, gently push back your cuticle*

Personal Favorite: Tropical Shine Steel Chrome Cuticle Pusher from Sally’s Beauty Supply Alternative –  if you don’t have a cuticle pusher you can use orange wood stick 

Tip – 1) Wipe your tool on an alcohol moistened cotton square after each finger  and 2) I prefer to push cuticle back as opposed to clipping them as clipping may cause irritation and/or infection of not done correctly. 

*Now, that you have pushed back the cuticle from all 10 fingers, apply alcohol to a cotton pillow and completely wipe the entire nail*

Personal Favorite: 91% Isopropyl Alcohol and Swisspers Cotton Squares both from Walmart Alternative – If you don’t have or can’t get cotton squares, paper towels will work too. 

*Optional Step- use buffer or nail file to smooth surface of nail bed, free edge and/or shape nails*

Personal Favorite: Sani-Block from Sally’s Beauty Supply

*Next, apply a base coat*

Personal Favorite: Nail Tek XTRA from Sally’s Beauty Supply Tip – a base coat will help strengthen your nails, prevent polish from staining your nails and give polish a smooth surface to adhere to.

*Now comes the fun part, color selection and application*

If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent all day, scratch that, you’ve been thinking about it since your last mani, deciding what your going to do. So have fun, this step is meant to express your creativity and master the art of nail painting. Go ahead, I’ll wait!

*Now that you’ve painted and possibly designed your nails, you’ll want to seal it all in with a top coat.*

Personal Favorite: Dry Fast Top Coat by Seche Vite from Sally’s Beauty Supply

*Finally, you’ll want to spoil your nails and cuticles with cuticle oil or balm and hand moisturizer*

Personal Favorite: Cuticle Oil and Barrier Butter by Cuter Cuticles and Gold Bond Ultimate Intensive Healing Hand Cream from Walmart Tip – This step can not be missed! It’s a must for smooth, soft hands, not to mention, hands that smell great.

Now that you’re all done, it’s time to sit back and enjoy your completed manicure because trust me, everyone else will! 

Other Helpful Tips:

• Do a complete manicure once a month
• Apply cuticle oil/balm at least 3 times day (more if you wash your hand frequently)
• Apply hand moisturizer daily
• Wear protective gloves when doing house work or handling harsh chemicals
• Cap your free edge to prevent chipping
• Paint underneath your free edge with your base polish for added strength

Well that’s all for now!

Stay Polished,
Queen of Nails 83