I have to admit, I'm not the most diligent when it comes to taking care of my nails. It just seems like a very time consuming job and something that I don't really have the patience for on a regular basis. That said, it is sometimes nice to treat yourself to a proper at home manicure so I've been putting my products to the test in order to compile a list of the cream of the crop when it comes to all things nail-centric.
The first thing I do whenever I think about giving myself a manicure is to cut and shape my nails. I don't know why but I find that conventional clippers don't really work for me as I find that they bend my nails and don't really give me the shape that I want. I prefer to use these little Chinese Doll scissors which look so cute, and came from Muji a couple of years ago if I am right in thinking. They give a much better range of control so you can perfect the shape, and are sharp enough to cut with ease too. After my nails are a good length, not too short and not too long (I sound like the Goldilocks of nails!) I like to file down the edges in one direction to give a soft curve and make sure there are no sharp bits left. I really love the S-Shaped Nail File from the Apprentice winner, Tom Pellereau as it makes creating a nice shape so much easier.
I then continue by removing any nail polish that I may already have on by using any old nail polish remover that we have lying around the house. A bit of a strange order to some, maybe, but I prefer cutting my nails whilst they are still painted as I feel like it gives them more protection from splitting. However, there is probably no truth behind this at all, it's just how I like to do things! Once my nails are bare, I like to take the other three sides of the S-Shaped file and use them in order to buff the surface of the nails down. This really helps to create a smooth and flat surface which the nail varnish can really grip to and means your manicure will last a lot longer, although it is important not to do it too often because it can really weaken the nail if you do.
Nail care doesn't really interest me too much, but one thing that does is nail polish. I am always on the hunt for pretty new colours, and they are one of the first things that I look at when new collections come out. I really like experimenting with them as it is somewhere that you can really easily pick different colours, whilst needing a lot less bravery than rocking, say, a bright lip colour, and love how they can change a look completely. Saying that, I didn't really pick the most exciting colour this week (Barry M's Mushroom FYI) because I wanted something that I could at least try and get away with at school. With a top coat of Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri (used as a base coat too) it looks super glossy and shiny and really in my opinion, pretty chic. Finally, I finish off with some Hand-Food to keep hydrated and some Lemony Flutter on the cuticles to make sure that they won't crack with this cold weather.
And that's me done! What are your manicure essentials?
