My Nail Care Routine

Hello!

I'm back from my hols! I've got a post today about my nail care routine. After my hols with the same mani on with NO maintenance for nearly 2 weeks!!! I was eager to get home and give my nails some TLC! I enjoyed Cyprus but I was having nail painting withdrawal symptoms :) and I didn't want to risk my polishes on the plane! As I was cutting my talons down I thought I'd compile a post for you guys to give you an insight into my nail care routine. I think nail care is a very personal thing so this is just what I do that works for me. Hopefully it may help someone at least! :) Due to a daily dip in the pool and sea my nails were a bit worse for wear so I decided to cut them all down to regrow all new and shiny! Here's my process...

'Removal of previous mani' tools

So first of all removal. I use a Sally Hansen Moisturising nail polish remover. Back in the day before I was Nail cray cray my nails were quite prone to peeling and breaking so I try to use lots of 'kind to my nails' products; especially working in a lab with nasty solvents all day. Once I've got the most of my previous mani off with a cotton pad and nail polish remover I dip my clean up brush in some pure acetone just to get rid of the last few bits around the side. My clean up brush is a Models Own brush out of their nail art brush set. It's the one I'm most comfortable with but there's loads out there so find one that's right for you :) I tend to wash my hands at this point to get off any remaining solvent so any damage to my nails is reduced.

Nail tidying tools

Due to the fact I was shortening my nails I used my nail clippers to take off most of the length. Some people don't like using clippers on their nails and I do tend to file them most of the time but when I'm giving them quite a big cut down I find it's easier to do most of it with the clippers. My nail file is from Cirque Colors and I've had it for a couple of years now and I love it! Glass nail files are really good for your nails as they leave a smoother edge and are just fab! I do admit that I'm not great at the whole 'file one way' thing until right at the end of my filing; I've never had a problem due to it. For my nail shape I tend to file the top down to a straight edge and then round the sides and then create an overall rounded curve with the one way filing. I don't tend to file my nails every time I do a manicure, mainly it's just when I'm cutting them down or I've broken/caught one. (THE HORROR!!). I wash my hands after this and just check that all the nail that I've filed has come off. If not I'll use the file again just to gently take the last bits off.

Cuticle care tools

Now comes the hard bit...Cuticles. I'm quite new to cuticle care and am still in the process of learning the dos and don'ts. Though the process I use at the moment seems to be working for me. I first of all use my Color 4 Nails 'Cuticle Away'. It comes in a tube with a brush and you twist the end to dispense the amount you want into the brush. I then sweep the brush around my cuticles and leave it to soak for a couple of minutes. This softens the cuticles up and makes them easier to push down. It's a really great product and smells a little of oranges! Yum! I then go around my cuticle with my pink rubber cuticle pusher and gently push down the cuticles. Then I do the same with my metal cuticle pusher. Once I've done that I use the tool in the bottom right. (I don't know what it's called) to go around my cuticle line and just scrape off any dead skin still stuck to the nail to create a nice clean line. It's got a little blade in between the two side metal bits that takes the stray bits off the nail bed. After this I go around once more with my rubber cuticle pusher. Then another hand wash and I use a little brush just to scrub any excess cuticle off that's hanging on. I do tend to do my cuticles every time I do a manicure. It sounds like a lot of steps but once your doing it regularly there's not a lot to tidy up each time.

This is the cute little manicure set case I have for all my tools!

Buffing

My next step is buffing. I tend to use my Avon Nail Buffer (Top) or my Models Own 4 Way Buffer (Bottom). I don't Buff very much, just enough to take a fine dusting of nail off to leave a nice smooth surface. I then use the smooth and shine or step 2 & 3 to make my nails all shiny :)

Cuticle Oil

As I mentioned previously, moisture is important for my nails. I use this amazing cuticle oil from Color 4 Nails to rehydrate my cuticles and nails after all the above steps. It smells amazing (coconut and kiwi) and they do loads of other scents that I'm looking forward to trying. Again the oil is in a tube with a brush with the twisting end to dispense the amount you require. I brush the oil around my nails and leave it to soak for about 5 to 10 minutes. This cuticle oil doesn't leave my hands feeling greasy or oily and it soaks in really fast. The brush applicator also makes it really easy to apply and stops it ending up everywhere.

Hand Cream and Base Coat

Last but not least I also use my trusty Avon Care Glycerine Hand and Nail Hand cream. This has been a miracle cure for my hands and nails in terms of moisturising them and making them look healthy and feel so much nicer. I tend to leave this to work it's magic and then just use a little bit of tissue to wipe any excess off my nails before I start my mani. My last step is a coat of OPI 'Original Nail Envy'. This has also worked miracles for my peeling that I mentioned earlier and my nails are now super strong after using it for about a year. I also use this as my base coat.

My nails before I put on my base coat

So that's it! It seems like a lot now it's all in writing but the whole process normally takes me about half an hour when I'm not doing a major cut down on my nails. I hope you've found this interesting and hopefully also maybe a little bit helpful :). Let me know in the comments if you've got any questions. Are there any nail care tips, tricks or products that you swear by in your routine?

Thanks for visiting,

Have a lovely day,

Helen xx