At-Home Manicure

I never used to paint my fingernails. I always felt like it was a waste of time since my at-home mani would always chip in 24 hours. Recently, I read a couple of posts by my fave magazines and bloggers and finally figured out how to make a lasting mani! My manis now last a whole week! Here's what I do:

1 - Filing
Shape your nails the way you want with a nail file. Make sure to only run the file the same way (e.g. only to the right) to prevent splitting.

2 - Sugar Scrub

Use this homemade sugar scrub to exfoliate your hands and make them silky smooth and soft.

3 - Cuticle Cream

Soften your cuticles and push them back. DON'T cut them. Your cuticles are a natural protector against infection, so you need them. If you push them back, you're making your nail space bigger without losing that protection.

4 - Moisturizer

If you get polish on your hands (instead of your nails), it will be much easier to remove if you have moisturized hands. My favorite moisturizer is CeraVe Cream.

5 - Nail Polish Remover

Even if you don't already have polish on your nails, you need to create a blank canvas. If you don't do this, the natural oils on your hands will make it hard for the polish to cling. Also, you need to remove the remnants of your sugar scrub, cuticle cream, and moisturizer.

6 - Base Coat

Apply this first, mostly to decrease the possibility of yellowing the nail from polish and to give the polish something to cling to.

7 - Apply Polish

Make sure to add a line of polish at the tip of your nails. This is another little trick to make your mani last. Let dry for at least 5 minutes. Don't do anything during this time. You can always add a second coat if necessary once the first is dry. Side note: Have you ever tried making your own nail polish?

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8 - Top Coat

Last, but not least, apply a top coat for added shine!

Optional:

If necessary, use a cotton swab with nail polish remover to clean up the skin around your nails.

Apply another layer of top coat every few days to keep your mani pretty.