At Home Manicure: Tips and Tricks

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Who loves a fresh manicure? Painted nails?

You all raised your hands right?

Well I don’t know about you ladies, but this Mama loves having her nails done. 

Ive never really been one to have acrylic or long natural nails, but I do love me some gel.

Mostly because of the high shine and durability factor. 

Three huge down fails for me though- time it takes to devote going to a salon to get them done (finding time to escape the kids), the wear and tear it had on my nails, and the price tag. 

7 steps to the perfect at home manicure

Over the years Ive picked up some tips and tricks and had a lot of practice. You know actually making it look good and not like my daughter did them. My one problem has been getting my regular polish to last as long as gel. The worst thing is spending the time to treat myself, only to go to work the next day and have them chip. Its a win in my book if I can get 5-7 days without chipping.  I like to change my colors so frequent that a week is long enough. 

Tip 1– Do ALL of your cleaning and chores for the day before you start!! (Joking, but no really do it)

Tip 2– Shower, trim your nails to your desired length and file. (I also like to take the nail file along the sides of my nails to prevent any hang nails)

Tip 3– Cuticle remover- I use this one and just push back my cuticles. Really helps clean up the nail so polish looks smoother and lasts longer. 

Tip 4– Base coat- I LOVE this one I came across when looking for gel hacks. (seriously give this hack a try, its a win in my book)

Tip 5– Thin coats and let dry in between layers. The thicker the coats, the more likely it will chip. Also the less coats the best, stick to 2-3 color coats.

Tip 6– Top coat. There are a ton of options out there. For us moms who need a quick dry, this stuff is legit and super shiny like gel. 

Tip 7– Moisturize- Personally I think the key to having a manicure look professional is healthy skin around your nails. Keep cuticles and fingers hydrated with a cuticle oil/cream/lotion. 

 

My at home manicures have really become my treat!

Some Netflix, wine, and nail painting!

Do you do your own nails?

Have any tried and trues? Tips or tricks?

1 COMMENT

  1. I totally do my own Mani and pedi at home! I’ll share my trick: don’t fret about polish that gets on your toe skin if you’re not the steadiest hand, just run a hot shower later and run your nails over the excess polish that got on your toe fingers for a final cleanup. I just coat away and cleanup later in a hot shower!

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