I can count on one hand the amount of manicures I have paid for.  As far back as I can remember, I have done my own.  Not only because of the money part of it, but because I don’t like to be pampered by salon girl.  I feel it’s such a waste of time.  You either love it or hate it.  I hate it.

My sister and I came up with a few tricks when we were in high school (150 years ago) to make it appear as though we know what we are doing.  😂 I was asked to share over on Instagram, so that means I share here, too.   Here are my tips and tricks for a home manicure.

 

Home Manicure – Tips and Tricks

Step One

I soak my hands in a bowl of water with a mild soap.  I really use nothing special… just soap.  This is just to get my cuticles soft and ready for the work.

 

Step Two

I apply A LOT of cuticle cream to all ten nails.  This will soften them up even more and making the JAMMING of my cuticles a little easier.  I swear, Deb won’t let me do this to her.  She thinks it feels terrible.  😂

 

 

Step Three

I file my nails while the cuticle cream is doing it’s thing.  My favorite is SHORT and SQUARE.  I have longer nail beds so when my nails are filed to the tip of my fingers, they still are a good length.  Any over hanging nails are too long.  I get sour about that.  😂 It really puts me in a bad mood when my nails are too long.

 

Step Four

I jam those cuticles.  😂 I really don’t… but that’s what Deb says I do.  I gently push my cuticles back using this wonderful tool.  It truly is my favorite.  It kind of scrapes any extra off of your nail that is attached.  And, then I trim away any hangnails, etc.

 

 

Step Five

Using a fine nail file, I gently buff off where my cuticles were and the entire top of my nail to rough it up a bit.  I think it makes my polish adhere better.  Depending on the weather and how dry it is, I will add a little more cuticle cream and let it soak in a bit.  Remember, I’m watching Netflix at this point, so I have all the time in the world.   Before painting, I wash and dry my hands really well.

 

 

Step Six

This is the tip that my sister and I came up with in high school and it works like a charm.  I start painting my nails at my pinky and work my way up to my middle finger… wiping off any polish from my skin on those three fingers using my thumb.  I repeat that same process on my opposite hand.  My pointer finger and my thumb remain.  Depending on how sloppy I am, I may have polish all over each thumb.  At this point, I use my pointers and my thumbs to take off any extra from my skin with a cotton ball.  And have a Q-tip with nail polish remover available.

I then paint my pointer fingers using my thumbs again, to wipe off any extra that may have gotten on my skin.  I’m down to both thumbs.  Since I am right handed, I start with my left hand first and paint my right thumb.  And, lastly, I paint my left thumb since I can normally do that with out an sloppage.  😆  I do the same for the second coat and the top coat.

 

 

Tips for a Longer Lasting Manicure

I have been using Sally Hansen Insta-Dri and Essie Speed Setter Top Coat and can get about a week out of my manicures.  A week is plenty perfect for me.  My nails grow SO FAST.  And after a week, they have overages and I’m ready to snap.  So I end up needing to file them down again.  BUT… if I notice any small chips toward the end of those 7 days, I just touch those up with my polish and then add another top coat.  That will for sure give me another few days.

This method has worked so well over the last 150 years that I thought I would share my technique.

 

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