Tips For The Perfect DIY Manicure

If you do your nails at home, here's a few tip you could possibly need to ensure a salon-quality manicure.

1. Fix a broken nail using a teabag and nail glue. See how on my blog here! 

Can't even tell there is a piece of tea bag or a crack on the nail! 

2. Use ice water to dry your nails in three minutes or run cold water over you nails, the cold hardens the polish making it dry faster.

3. Take off your nail polish in less than 5 minutes using only 1 cotton ball. See how here!

4. Spray nails with oil spray to set your manicure and prevent smudges.

5. When applying a top coat, run the brush along the top edge (non-cuticle side) of the nail.

6. When applying a top coat, run the brush along the top edge (non-cuticle side) of the nail.

7. Soak your nails in a solution of hot water, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda for about a minute. Or you could also put some whitening toothpaste on a toothbrush and scrub the stains off your nail.

8. Erase mistakes by dipping a tiny brush into nail polish remover.

Use an old paintbrush or an eyeliner brush (perhaps the felt tip of an old liquid liner that dried up?) that you don't care for anymore, a new brush works just fine too.

9. The first coat of chunky glitter polishes should be dabbed, not brushed on. This will help to distribute the glitter evenly and get the big chunks where you want them. If all else fails, use a toothpick to move the chunks of glitter around. Check out this youtube video to see how it's done!
Apply multiple thin coats instead of one thick coat. A thick coat of nail polish will only dry at the top layer, leaving your manicure vulnerable to smudges.

10. Apply Aquaphor or Vaseline to cuticles to protect your skin from errant nail polish strokes. But be VERY careful! Any ointment that gets on the nail will prevent the polish from sticking. See the magic here!

11. Learn how you remove a gel manicure at home here, this also is a neat trick to get glitter polish off. 

12. My fiance thinks I'm crazy for this one but you can fix a smudge by licking it.

If you accidentally smudge a nail while it's still wet, you can easily fix it by licking your finger and gently smoothing the smudge out (you can even use your tongue to smooth). The saliva reacts with the nail polish to soften and blend the surface. (Remember: LICK don't EAT.)

A product called smudge repair works similarly.

13. Soak nails in a solution of water and white vinegar before applying nail polish. You could also just wipe your nails using a paper towel dampened with vinegar. Vinegar will strip the nails of any oils or moisturizers left over from polish remover in order to prevent bubbles. It helps the polish adhere better, therefore prolonging your manicure.

14. Use VapoRub for nail infections. The ingredient thymol works on bacterial and yeast infections of the nail plate.

15. Apply thick hand cream before removing polish if you have pale skin. If you have pale skin, taking off dark nail polish can stain your hands and make you look like you just killed someone. 

16. Apply a thick hand cream before removing the nail polish. Soak a cotton pad in remover and place on each nail for ten seconds, one by one. Apply pressure and slide the pad off each nail. Go back and clean up with a new cotton pad soaked in remover to get anything you might have missed.

17. Try a rubberized base coat to make your polish last longer. The rubberized effect helps to adhere polish

18. If your nail polish is B3F, make sure your base coat and top coat are, too.

B3F stands for "Free from Formaldehyde, DBP & Toluene," a standard which many new nail polishes have adopted. If you've ever woken up the morning after a manicure with smudges and dents on your nails, this could be the culprit. If the top coat isnt B3F, it will dry much faster than the polish underneath.

19. If the air is humid, wait extra long for your nails to dry. Humidity can do all sorts of nasty things to a manicure, including the dreaded "bubbling" issue. If it's extra humid outside, make sure you wait twice as long before doing anything that might put dents in your nails.

20. Don't sit near a fan. You might think it'll help the nail polish dry faster, but the drafty air will just make bubbles and ruin your polish.

21. Use nail polish thinner (NOT nail polish remover!) to revive thick, goopy bottles of nail polish.

You may have read that acetone does the trick, but despite working in the short run, it will ruin the polish eventually. This nail polish thinner is $5 from Amazon.

22. To help stop biting your nails dip the tips in vanilla extract or fingernail polish remover. They have a rancid, bitter taste that provides a very potent reminder not to bite your nails.

23. Use cuticle oil. Keeping cuticles hydrated and healthy lead to harder, faster growing well maintained nails. Apply a very small amount to each cuticle and work into the cuticle, nail & surrounding skin. The oil absorbs nicely into the skin after a few minutes and is great for elbows as well. Cuticle oils are most effective as emergency moisturizers to repair damaged cuticles, especially in cases when the nail is so dry it's cracking and splitting. You can find some here.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you find this post helpful.
Feel free to share any tips I may not know, I'd love to hear them!

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Spring Dried Flower Burst Nail Tutorial

Spring flower nail tutorial with real flowers! 

 I saw these flowers a few times before buying them. Finally, I decided I had to give them a try and I am so happy I did! I loved how they turned out and were easier to use then I thought. I am

You will need a base coat, feature polish, top coat, dried flowers, nail scissors, dotting tool & tweezers.

A base coat is not needed, I use it because it limits the the stain on my nails when using bright colors and the flowers have a good bit of dye in the. You also don't need tweezers but it does make things slightly easier.

First, prep for your manicure, to make it last longer. Remove your old polish, if any, and soak your hands in warm water for a few minutes. Trim your nails and push back your cuticles but don't cut them. Do not use lotions or oils on your hands before you start, it may make the dry time longer.

The goods by Julep I used.

I used just one bundle for both hands.

Start by applying a coat of your base color, give it a minute or two to dry.

Apply a coat or two of the feature color.

I let it dry for about 2 minutes, I also ran cold water over my nails to help it dry faster.

I used my Rimmel top coat as a glue for the flowers.

Apply a thin coat of the top coat you are using as glue and place the flowers on your nails the way you want the to lay. Until you are happy try not to press down to hard. The tweezers will come in handy with this part.

Using your scissors cut the flowers near the base of the bundle. 

There is one stem that lost a flower when I cut the rest on my nail from the bundle. 

You can use your dotting tool to pick up any flowers that fall to apply on empty stems.

 Dip your dotting tool in a little polish and pick up a flower.

Apply a little more clear top coat for glue if needed by the empty stem and apply the pick up flower.

Apply as many or as few as you want to you nails, I did little burst of flowers on my nails.

Give your nails a minute to dry then apply your polish.

Using Julep's Freedom top coat dab over the flower so you don't have air bubbles and to cover the whole flower and so you don't move the flowers. Apply a thin or thick if needed coat to smooth things out.

Let dry for five minutes and you are done!

Enjoy your pretty spring nails!

You can find the polish, base and top coat by Julep on their site.

Become a Julep Maven and get your first box free with coupon code FREEBOX!

Let me know what style you are!

I'm a classic with a twist :)

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The brights by Julep for Spring!

The 2013 April polish from Julep was all about color! 

They also had a cuticle pen and dry shampoo that I love! My cuticles look much better after two weeks of use and the pen still has a good bit in it. The dry shampoo is pretty nice too though I have never used another so I have nothing to compare it to. It adds a good amount of volume for the second day which I really like. I always wash my hair every or every other day so this is great for the next day if I have curls and don't feel like having to do my hair over. I think it is safe to say I will be buying more of each later.

I was in the middle of packing for my recent move when it came so I didn't have much time to play with it but I was able to squeeze in 2 manicures before packing my box away :)

I was dying to use their rock candy jelly polish since it was added to Sephora... but I wanted to get it from Julep. I get member points when I buy from Sephora but I get member points and a discount when I buy from Julep so I just wanted till it was added to a box. 

I wanted to use all of the colors in the box as soon as I opened it, I upgraded so I have all these great colors! I love yellow polish with my skin tone so when I saw Abbie I was instantly in love. I thought a french tip with Abbie and Candy would look nice and I was right.

I added some light purple crystals to add a little pop to them.

For this look you will need nail art tape, Julep Candy, Abbie, Freedom top coat & crystals.

First, prep for your manicure, to make it last longer. Remove your old polish, if any, and soak your hands in warm water for a few minutes. Trim your nails and push back your cuticles. Do not use lotions or oils on your hands, it may make the dry time longer.

Apply 2-3 coats of Candy or another jelly color. I have 2 coats of Candy.

Make and x with your tape near the tip of you nails so you have the small triangle on the whites of you nails. Apply a coat or two of Abbie or another color if you wish.

After it is completely dry removed the tape. Finish the rest of you nails and add the crystals to the center of you x. You can see how I apply my crystals if needed on this nail tutorial.

Apply a thick coat of your freedom top coat and you are done!

Enjoy your lovely bright nails!

I don't know why my thumb nail corners looks so round... Anyway, here is a close up!

I also got to play with Avery from my Classic with a twist Maven profile. Since is a bright color I used my base coat to help staining of my nails if there was any... when I took off the pink there was no staining thankfully.

I wanted very spring time nails with this pink so I went with light flower to make the pink of Avery pop! 

This is such a lovely pink that my fiance who is known for hating pink loved it, he kept complimenting on how nice the color looked on me.

I think it is safe to say I love the brights from Julep this month and can't wait to play with the rest of colors.

You can find the polish, base and top coat by Julep on their site.

Become a Julep Maven and get your first box free with coupon code FREEBOX!

Let me know what style you are!

I'm a classic with a twist :) 

Check out my last spring tutorial with Julep!

Paddy's Day Inspired Nail Tutorial

St Paddy's Nails!

This is how I had my nails a few days ago. They came out alright but they were messy & then I kept picking at my nails and they became chipped... so I had to do them over! I also got a new file so I wanted to fix my nails. 

Here's what you'll need: A top coat (I use Sally Hansen Dries Instantly, dries in about 30 second), feature colors for your dots and faded colors, a base color, a sponge. Go wild with picking out colors, I went with green and gold for St. Patrick's Day.

First, prep for your manicure, to make it last longer. Remove your old polish, if any, and soak your hands in warm water for a few minutes. Trim your nails and push back your cuticles but don't cut them. Do not use lotions or oils on your hands before you start, it may make the dry time longer. 

Try using the manicure file with the different sides after you've had your hands soaking in warm water. It helps smooth away the ridges in your nails for a longer lasting and better looking manicure.

Go across the base of your nail for a cleaner look.

 For a more professional look try making your first swipe at the base of your nail without getting polish on your cuticles. I started doing this and the nails really come out so much nicer.

No polish on the sides or cuticles :)

 Apply one or two coats of you base color.

Starting from the back always helps me!

Next, grab your sponge. I used a makeup sponge.

 I got a big cheap bag at the super market. You can cut it smaller if you want, it may be cleaner if the 

piece is smaller.

Apply some of your polish to a corner of the sponge.

I went light to dark for my fade but you can do a different combo.

Tap the sponge on the nail.

 Don't go all the way to the cuticle, you want some of the base color to show.

Apply once or twice until you are happy with the color.

I applied 2 coats of the first green.

Apply the second color to the sponge.

Apply the second color closer to the tips.

 Don't cover some of the first color.

Apply the second color until you are happy with the color.

I added a 3rd color but it didn't show :(

I'm using the brush from my nail art polish.

 You can use a toothpick if needed.

Use the base color for your dots.

I put some on a piece of paper so I can dip the brush.

Tap your brush or toothpick in the polish.

Start adding your dots.

 You can do other designs or use another color other then your base color.

I did half diagonally on my ring finger.

Apply one or two coats of your top coat.

I applied 2 coats.

All done!

Pretty!

 Thanks for looking 

& 

Happy Paddy's Day!

Let me know if you give it a shot!

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