I love nails. I love getting them done or doing them myself. When I was younger, that would be one of the first things I’d do if I was bored, even if I had just done them the day before. I don’t take as much time for them as I used to, for whatever reason (my toesies are in desperate need of some love). But I definitely still love finding a few moments to file, exfoliate, buff, and polish when I can.
When I was younger, bright colors were the only thing I wanted to put on my nails. But these days, I generally stick with an ivory or very light pink. One of my favorite polishes is an ivory glitter that comes from Aerie, although I will say that some days I just want a little girly pink on my nails! I do have one bottle of soft pink that I really like and will use occasionally.
Of course, the French manicure is an absolute favorite, but I don’t have the skill or patience or desire to attempt to paint on those fine white tip lines myself. I save the French style for the times I get a real manicure from a salon. I actually like what they call an “American manicure” better than the French style. This is where the tip color is an off-white instead of bright white. I think it looks more natural and less noticeable, but for some reason, I have a hard time ever getting nail stylists to be ok with doing the off-white. They always try to talk me out of it, saying that you can’t see it as much. Yes, that’s the point.
I’ve never gotten acrylic, or fake, nails. I’ve always been too scared of what they will do to my real nail bed, but it’s also annoying to pay for a manicure and polish and have it last for all of twenty four hours. I’ve gotten the Shellac polish a few times, which is a gel type polish put on top of your real nail. Shellac is supposed to last for at least two weeks, and I’ve had some that have made it that long and some that haven’t. I think it depends on how hard you are on the polish with doing things like cleaning, washing dishes, etc. Unfortunately, I’ve found that the Shellac does still cause some nail damage, although pretty minimal compared to getting the acrylic nails. Shellac is also pretty hard to remove since you have to soak the nail in pure acetone for up to ten minutes in order for the gel to separate itself from the nail. It’s a long, annoying process and the acetone wrecks havoc on your skin. But sometimes it’s worth it. Not always, but sometimes.
Also, I never buy the expensive hand exfoliating products out there. If your hands and cuticles need a little extra moisture, combine some sugar and olive oil until lightly wet and scrub away. Add some lemon juice or lavender oil for extra awesomeness, if you want! This will make your hands feel like they’ve had a visit to some swank, high-end salon right in your own kitchen.
What about you: what do you like to do with your nails? What are your at-home nail tricks?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
