Hello everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. :)
Today I'm going to go over some tips, tricks and products to make your hands, nails and cuticles look like you've never worked a day in your life. Some of the products I'll be listing I haven't tried yet but I've heard nothing but good things and they're on my list to pick up. I'll also be listing some that I found haven't worked for me (that doesn't mean they won't work for you).
Okay! So! I have had horrible nails/cuticles for as long as I can remember but it never really bothered me until I started really getting into polishing. Once I did, I tried as hard as I could to get my nails to look nice and I couldn't find ANYTHING that worked for me; it was very discouraging. If you're having the same problems, I promise there IS a way to get your hands/nails in better shape.
I feel the best advice I can give is to wear gloves. If you have a dirty job like I do where you have to do dishes constantly or if you do a lot of cleaning around the house, wear gloves. It's like all the chemicals in cleaning products are made to just eat your nails. I can't even begin to tell you how much this simple thing has helped. Also, if you swim a lot or have to have your hands in water without gloves, put a good clear coat on your nails to try and keep them from getting too soaked. Chemicals, man. I'm telling you.
Now, nail strengtheners! Each big brand company has their own 'miracle nail strengthener' and there are of course people who swear by them. I am an OPI fan girl. Their strengthener, Nail Envy, is what I use religiously. A lot of people use it as a base coat, I dont because I can't seem to part from Orly Bonder. I just use it between manicures to give my nails a little break. I am currently testing out Pink Armor nail gel, it's an 'as seen on tv' thing, so I'm not sure how well it will work.. I'll let you guys know in a couple weeks! Others I have tried and didn't love are: Butter LONDON Horsepower and Sally Hansen Miracle Cure. They didn't do much for me, but that doesn't mean they don't work for others. Also, I haven't tried Revlon but I've heard lots of good things about their whole nail care system.
Next, moisturize! There are SO many products out there that are supposed to help with dry skin, we all know that, but which are worth the money? I, like many others, HATE the greasy feeling of most lotions. The few I have found and swear by are Burt's Bees Richly Replenishing, OPI Avo Juice, and Hard as Hoof Nail Strengthening cream. They leaving your hands soft as a baby butt and non-greasy. Some other lotions I've heard great things about are: O'Keeffe's Working Hands and Neutrogena Hand Cream.
Cuticle care is a big part of having great nails. For mine, I use cuticle oil (any with vitamin E and Jojoba oil are fine) all throughout the day, Burts Bee's cuticle cream 3-4 times a day and then of course lotion. For cuticle removal, I use Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover. You can get all this stuff at Walmart or stores like it. You just put the gel on and then GENTLY push your cuticles back. I have a specific tool for pushing them back but I tend to go overboard with it and ruin everything. I've found using the tip of my glass nail file works best. It takes a few practice runs before you get it right, so don't get discouraged if you mess up the first couple times.
That brings me to the next thing. Glass/crystal nail files. This one is a personal preference thing I think. I've heard all kinds of reasons why you should or should not use glass files. I personally LOVE them and definitely recommend trying one before you knock it. It makes my nails much more smooth after filing and it doesn't leave any rough edges. I will never go back to emory boards.
And last but definitely not least... Vitamins. I take Biotin every morning and every night along with a regular multivitamin. Biotin is specifically for hair, nails and skin; I've had great results in all areas. You can find it at Walmart with all the other pills.
Alright, that concludes it! Just remember, this takes TIME so don't feel disappointed or discouraged if they aren't perfect after two weeks. I've been working on mine for two-three weeks and I'm just now seeing results. Also, this is a trial and error thing... What works for me might not work for you, you've just got to try different things until you find your concoction.
Thank you so much for reading and I hope this helps you get your nails to the condition you want them in.
Happy polishing,
Amber
Today I'll be going over top coats and base coats!
I feel like I have tried every brand of top and base coats that have been made. When I first started polishing I had NO idea where to turn to help keep my mani on for more than a day. I researched and researched and found gobs of different brands that people swore by. These are the ones I've tried and how they have worked for me...
Top coats:
Seche Vite...
As you can see, this one gets used A LOT. I typically use it on my everyday manicure; it's fast drying (about two minutes until it's hard) and creates a wonderful shine with a smooth finish. The formula can be a bit of a stink after a month or so, it becomes thicker and slightly goopy. I have a bottle of Seche Restore that makes the goopy go away. I got Restore off of Amazon for ~$8. I know people say it's awful, but if you're having a big issue with it, adding a drop or two of polish remover will help make it smoother and more easily managed.
Out The Door...
This one was my first 'real' top coat. I do like it, it's a great normal top coat. The only reason I use my Seche more than this is because of the smoother finish Seche offers. OTD is fast drying as well and gives you a nice shine. When I do use this, I usually use two coats of it to really smooth out my mani.
Out The Door - Northern Lights...
I just recently got this one. As you can see, it's a holographic top coat. That just means it has GLITTER! The formula for this one is the same as the regular OTD top coat, I don't have anything really negative to say about it. It's neat because if you leave it sitting all the glitter goes to the bottom and it can be used as a clear top coat OR if you shake it you get the glitter top coat. When I do want to spice my mani up with this I either do two coats of it or one coat of this and then a coat of regular OTD on top.
Nubar - Diamont...
I am on the fence about this one. I love it but it's also slightly annoying. It gives a GREAT shine and it smooths out lumps perfectly, BUT drying time stinks. It says it's fast drying but I've used it ~5 times and each time it took a good 20+ minutes before I felt comfortable enough to use my hands like normal.
Zoya - Armor
I am not a huge fan of this. It goes on thinner than I like my top coats and I felt like it didn't make my polish last any extra amount of time. I do use it when I use Zoya polishes, just because I'm crazy and I like matching brands. This is on the more expensive side so I wouldn't honestly recommend it... But that's just my opinion. :)
Seche Vite - Seche Natural
This is a matte top coat. That just means when applied over your polish it takes the shine away. This is a great matte top coat, nothing to complain about for this one. I've tried a few others and this one makes my nails last an extra day. I generally use two coats of this when I do use it.
Base Coats:
Orly - Bonder
I never really understood the point of base coats until I tried this one. It's a sticky base and it's supposed to grab onto your nail and onto the polish and keep them there. It works WONDERS! My polish stays on longer and when it does chip, they're small little chips. No more peeling, no more losing huge chunks. It's glorious.
CND - Sticky base
This is another sticky one (obviously). It does the job well, good formula, no real complaints. I switch between this and my Orly and they hold up just about the same. This one DOES have one thing I love more than the orly, it's the brush. It's a thin flat brush and it helps with application. Though when it comes to base coats, I don't think the brush is all that big of a deal.
Essie - Protein base coat
This is one I use when my nails are feeling weak or after I've done something harsh to them. I really like the formula, it's a sheer white color when applied and it actually helps smooth out your polish and makes sheer polishes a bit more opaque. I don't know how well it helps with your nails, I haven't seen a difference worth mentioning but I like the idea. Overall I like this base coat, it's a great starter or for someone who is trying to get some nutrition back in their nails.
Seche Vite
I'm not a fan of this one. I feel like my nail polish peels off in chucks far more when I wear this one. The only thing I've really found it good for is my toes. It keeps the stains off and my toe nails never chip so it works fine for that.
OPI - Ridge filler
This does exactly what it says; it gives you a smooth base to polish on. This is typically for people who bump their nails or who have gone over board with their nail file. I don't think it makes my polish last any longer, but I don't think it hurts anything either. Overall it's a pretty good base for what it's made for.
Zoya - Anchor
Like their top coat, I wasn't that impressed. I got this as part of the Zoya "system" and it just doesn't do it for me. For the price I expected something better. It works well for toes but that's about it. I don't recommend these, which is sad because I LOVE Zoya polish. They just aren't extraordinary.
So, in my opinion the best combo to buy is Seche Vite fast drying top coat and Orly Bonder as your base coat. My mani last 3-4 days when I'm not working and 2-3 when I am working. You can get both of these at Ulta, Sallys, Amazon. I recommend Amazon, it's the cheapest! I've tried others but none I felt were worth mentioning. If you have questions about others please let me know and I'll try my best to test it out and let you know. Thank you for reading! Have a wonderful weekend
Happy polishing,
Amber
Hello everyone! I'm Amber, 22 years old and from Oregon. There isn't much to say about myself... I'm a crazy cat lady in the making. I have two wonderful fur babies, Rue and Ayla. I love to play xbox, read, watch movies...Normal boring people things. That's about all... Like I said, not much to say!
So! This is my first post and I'm SO excited to really get this going. I decided to start this because I've become OBSESSED with nail polish in the last year or so and no one I know really understands... Everyone is sick of hearing me talk about it!
When I first started I had so many questions that I had to search and search the internet for and still never really found the right answers to. I want to help all you new lacqueristas with the basics. I will be reviewing specific brands, tool essentials, nail care, polish terminology, etc... I will basically write about anything and everything you want to know to get yourself going. I've also decided to start attempting nail art so I will show you my mess ups and what techniques I find to work well.
I also made an instagram to post all my manicure pictures. I'll mostly be doing solid colors with accent nails, nothing too crazy. If you want to follow me, it's @ethereal_nails .
Thank you all so much for reading, I hope my posts will be useful to everyone starting out. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to message me!
Happy polishing,
Amber
Next, moisturize! There are SO many products out there that are supposed to help with dry skin, we all know that, but which are worth the money? I, like many others, HATE the greasy feeling of most lotions. The few I have found and swear by are Burt's Bees Richly Replenishing, OPI Avo Juice, and Hard as Hoof Nail Strengthening cream. They leaving your hands soft as a baby butt and non-greasy. Some other lotions I've heard great things about are: O'Keeffe's Working Hands and Neutrogena Hand Cream.
