Confession: I used to spend an ungodly amount of money and time at nail salons. The faker looking the better. Getting acrylic nails for the last 10+ years really added up. I don't even want to think about how much the salons have profited off of me. I was blessed with naturally long nail beds, I always loved the strange compliment of "you have GREAT nail beds!", gee, thank you, here's $50 to cover them up with chemicals... So about 6 months ago, I decided to ditch the acrylic, and start doing at home manis, either in the evening while we catch up on our shows, or on the weekend when I have the day to be lazy. I've developed an inexpensive routine that leaves me feel almost as pampered as I did upon leaving the salon.
Step 1: Gather all your supplies so you don't have to go running to grab anything. I keep all my polish and nail supplies in a Dollar Tree bin. It makes it easy to grab and move to wherever you're going to set up shop.
Step 2: Cut, file and buff. You can shape your nails however you like them, I prefer square with rounded edges. Nothing too round, nothing too pointy. Girl, if you can rock a stiletto, all the power to you...I like to live inside the box a little. Buffing is an important step to keep the polish adhered to your nails. I use a basecoat once in a while, but often skip that step to save time. I got this pink one at the Dollar Tree, and stock up whenever I'm there.
Step 3: Exfoliate and moisturize. You have NO idea how amazing your hands will feel after a good exfoliating scrub. Smooth as a BB (baby's butt). This Crabtree & Evelyn La Source 60-Second Fix for Hands duo was a gift, and it feels SOOO luxurious! Step one is a rinse-off exfoliator, step two is a moisturizer that REALLY moisturizes. I would have never bought this for myself, but I enjoy it every single time I use it. Available at Crabtree & Evelyn for $16-$46 CDN.
Step 4: Oil those cuticles girl! This will help polish from getting stuck in the dry skin around your nail beds. I am not a fan of cutting my cuticles, but I find if I push them down and then oil them, I don't need to. I do however use my Dollar Tree cuticle cutter to trim hangnails and such before painting my nails. I will let the oil sit for 5 to 10 minutes and then wipe it off my nails with a clean towel. This is actually therapeutic grade avocado oil I picked up at Homesense for $6.99. I use this on my face at night so its nice to have it pulling double duty. You can find it on Amazon here.
Step 5: Do your best to not make a huge mess while painting your nails! I am possibly born with the shakiest hands on the planet earth. So if I am able to get 90% of the polish on my nails, and not all around them, I consider this a successful manicure. For this mani I used the Sally Hansen XTreme Wear polish in 340, Mint Sorbet (Dollar Tree, $1.25)
Step 6: Admire, and re-oil and moisturize. If you're anything like me, you will have failed to keep all the polish on the nails. I find if my skin is well moisturized and my cuticles remain oiled its a lot easier to pick away the excess polish.
Save yourself some money and try an at-home manicure! This is also such a great girls night activity. Have your girlfriends over, eat some carbs, drink some wine...watch some Magic Mike...whatever floats your boat. Your bank account will thank you for making the switch.
