Adela's Manicure and Nail Tips

Hello again!

Today we are talking about how I keep my nails and hands healthy. This has been a very requested topic and because I aim to please you all...As you wish (what movie is that from???) 

As most of you may know, my job doesn't have anything to do with beauty. I wont say exactly what I do or where I work for privacy reasons, but I will say that it involves interacting with the public, which means germs. Eww! and tons of hand washing and hand sanitizer usage. As a result of this, my nails and hands are put through the wringer every day. 

Shaping and buffing nails

For shaping, it's best to use a softer (light grit) nail file on natural nails. The rougher the texture, the harder it is on your nails. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT go back and forth when filing your nails! I cringe just thinking about it. Instead, file in one direction. It doesn't matter which direction as long as it's one way. For example, I will file my left hand to the left and right hand to the right. 

For Buffing, I will use a 4 sided buffing block. Sides are labeled 1, 2,3,4. Gently buff over your nail with each side till your nails are smooth and shiny. When I am giving my nails a polish break I will buff my nails till they're really shiny and apply cuticle and hand cream and leave them alone. It's important to give your nails a chance to breath on a regular basis. They are living after all.

Hand Cream

Soap and Glory Hand Food is seriously THE BEST hand cream I have ever tried. I've wanted to try this for quite some time now. I was recently in Sephora and picked up the trial size and instantly fell in love. It absorbs quickly, leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth, it's not greasy at all, and it smells amazing! If you're looking for a new hand cream, I suggest picking up the trial size for $5. You wont be sorry.

Cuticle cream

This is a must for me. I use pure acetone nail polish remover which is really drying on your nails and cuticles. Badger Cuticle Care is amazing! It has done wonders for my cuticles and nails. It's texture is unlike any cuticle balm I've tried. It's not greasy like the others and absorbs nicely. I will apply this at night before bed and my cuticles will be soft and moisturized in the morning. My lovely friend/nail guru, Stacey (Hi Stacey!) told me about this product. Stacey has an awesome blog and YouTube channel about nail art, polishes, and more. If you're into nails, you've got to check it out (links below)

Click to view Stacey's blog 

Click to view Stacey's YouTube channel

  

Nail Polish Remover

As mentioned above I use pure acetone nail polish remover. I am so impatient when it comes to removing polishes. I love glitter and anyone who has tried to remove glitter knows what a pain it is to remove! With pure acetone, you soak a cotton round or ball with the product and hold on the nail polish for 20-30 seconds. Then you are able to remove the glitter easier and faster. I don't use any particular brand, just anything that says "Professional Strength", "100% acetone", "Pure acetone" anything like that. 

Removing Stains From Your Nails

What you'll need: 

Small Bowl

1/2 Cup of warm water (as warm as you can stand it)

4 Tablespoons of Baking Soda

2 Tablespoons of Hydrogen Peroxide

What you do:

Lightly buff your nails, mix baking soda into the warm water together till baking soda is dissolved. Add peroxide and soak your nails for a minute or longer if needed.

Little secret: You can use a similar method on your toes. Instead of soaking your tootsies. Make a paste of baking soda and peroxide. Apply it to your nails and let sit for about 5 minutes. Done!

Base Coat

The key to a lasting manicure is a base coat. A base coat doesn't just make your polish last longer, it also prevents the polish from staining your nails. (I'll share a tip for removing stains in a minute)

My favorite base coat is Bonder by Orly. This dries to a tacky finish. The tackiness really grabs on to the polish and helps it last longer. Great stuff.

Polishing

As far as polishes go, I wont get into specific colors because we'd be here for the rest of our lives! If you struggle painting your nails, my advice is to practice. Start with pearly or metallic polishes. Matte or neon polishes are harder to get even. You want to start painting the center of your nail and work out to the edges. You want your coats to be as even as possible. I typically will apply 2 coats of polish, even if my polish looks good after 1 coat. Don't fret if you get polish on your skin or cuticles. It happens to all of us. The trick is to clean up your edges after your polish is dry (I'll share tips on that down below)

Top Coat

After you've achieved your desired look with your polish, apply a good top coat to seal your manicure. Top coat will help the polish last longer. My favorite top coat is INM Out The Door. I am the worst at waiting for my polish to dry. I can't tell you how many manicures I've ruined by not waiting for my polish to dry. This stuff is great, dries very shiny, and quick! be sure to apply it to the tip of your nail to seal it. The tip of your nail takes the most abuse because it touches everything. Sealing the tip of the nail will add a little bit of extra protection to your polish.

Cleaning Up Your Manicure

We all make mistakes when polishing our nails. Don't get discouraged if your edges aren't perfect or you get some on your skin. The easiest way to clean up your manicure is to use a polish remover pen or small paint/makeup brush. I use both. I believe several brands make polish pens nowadays. They are a marker filled with nail polish. If yours dries out just dip the tip into polish remover as needed. Or you can take a brush with remover on it and go around the edges.  

I hope that answered all of your questions. If not, please ask! 

Until next time...

Xoxo,

Adela

Disclaimer: Do I even need a disclaimer?! oh well, All products mentioned were bought with my own money.