I have always painted my nails at home – I find it easy, cost-effective and can usually make my manicures last about a week.
I recently added a new step to my at-home manicure routine that has made a big difference in how “polished” (no pun intended) my manicure looks. I finally invested in a few cuticle tools that have made all the difference. I never used to clip or push back my cuticles because it felt like an “unnecessary” step, but I now recognize how much better my nails look when I take the time to do it.
Here are the steps for my at-home manicures:
TRIM: I use these nail scissors to trim my nails short (another option here). I’m a huge fan of short nails – I love the look and they’re lower maintenance.
CUTICLES: I purchased this cuticle set and I use the cuticle pusher first and then the cuticle remover to gently remove part of my cuticles. If I need any additional cuticle removal, I use a cuticle nipper. This extra work makes all the difference and makes manicures look neater and more professional looking.
FILE: Before painting my nails, I file down any rough edges left over after trimming them with the nail scissors and buff them. Once I’ve done all of those steps, I paint my nails in bed (here is a blog post on that, but I will re-publish here):
PAINT – I usually do 2-3 coats of color and then the CND Vinylux long wear topcoat or the Essie gel topcoat. Lately I’ve been pretty much exclusively wearing Rock the Runway.
DRY – After I finish painting my nails, I usually sit up in bed and watch Instagram stories or work on an IG post for the next day while my nails dry. I usually sleep on my stomach, so after 25-30 minutes, my nails are pretty much dry and I’ll sleep with my arms/hands in front of me, so they don’t touch any bedding or pillows as they continue to “cure.” If you’re getting lines on your nails, try making sure you’re giving them a full 30 minutes to dry before laying down to sleep and use a quick dry topcoat.
I hope this post is helpful for those of y’all who are unable to go to nail salons right now. Below are more of my favorite nail polish colors.
FAVORITE RED POLISHES:
- OPI Red
- Essie Double Breasted Jacket
- OPI Dutch Tulips
- OPI Cajun Shrimp
- OPI Big Apple Red
- Essie Gel Rock the Runway
FAVORITE SPRING/SUMMER POLISHES:
- cake pop – CND
- mod about you – OPI
- minimalistic – essie
- fiji – essie
- romantique – CND
- let me bayou a drink – OPI
- ballet slippers – essie
- funny bunny – OPI
- ORLY – kiss the bride
- ORLY – cake pop
- essie – peak show
- go ginza – essie
- OPI – frenchie likes to kiss
- Bikini so teeny – essie
Have a great week!
Biana says
I just got the Olive and June manicure set and I’m excited to hunker down and really get my method right! Thanks for all your tips! xo, Biana –BlovedBoston
Angelica says
I am literally the worst at doing my own nails (also because I cant sit still) but these are some great tips to make due with!
XX Angelica
https://eraenvogue.com
Marjorie says
I just tried the Xpressie by Essie and it dries super fast!
Mary Nowak says
What do you use when you make polish mistakes? Or to clean up/remove polish?
Veronika says
I wait until morning and just run the finger under hot water and peel it off (it usually comes off on its own when it’s on the skin versus the nail).
Mary Nowak says
Thank you for sharing! All of my tools finally came in and I don’t think I will be going to the nail salon for a long while! My nails look so good! Makes staying home fun again 😉