My Current At Home Manicure

Well, at least this Monday it is... We spent the weekend doing housework and preparing for Kyle to go back to work today which doesn't make for a terribly exciting blog post.

If I "collect" anything, it's nail polishes. (Well, aside from the whole snow globe thing I've got goin' on.) It is extremely rare for me to not have my nails polished. EX-TREMELY rare. My nails legit feel strange with nothing on them and I have to at least throw a base coat on them so the strangeness isn't distracting. Call me high maintenance insane, I don't care. I can roll around town reeking of sour milk, wearing my jammies, but my nails will be polished damn it!

I absolutely loooove experimenting with new nail treatments, adding polishes to my collection and trying various manicure techniques. This is a deep rooted obsession--my nail addict days began as a preteen. It's serious business.

That being said, I don't have the time (read : childcare), money or give-a-shit to go out and have a professional manicure done weekly (or even monthly or quarterly)... So, I present to you, my current 7 step manicure that can be achieved during nap time and lasts through a few days worth of dishes (aka your nail polishes' arch nemesis) or until you're bored and ready for a change.

Here we go!


1. Push and treat cuticles || Lately, I've been really enjoying this cuticle softener and remover by Julep. I find it gets rid of the dead skin and any lingering polish my remover may have missed. The cuticle pusher came in a nail kit from way back in the day...I wan't to say it was by Sally Hansen, but any pusher will do. I tend to prefer the wider pushers to the narrower ones, but you do you boo. (Jaclyn Hill anyone? Anyone?)

 2. Condition and protect || Holy grail status right here! My dear friend (and fellow nail junkie) gave this CND Solar Oil to me a while ago and it's my favorite! I slather this all over the nail and cuticle area, then rub it in. I love how hydrating this solar oil is and the smell...Oh the smell! Ahhhmazing! This stuff has lived in my purse, in my car, in my vanity, you name it-I've kept it there and my original bottle is still going strong! Clearly, it lasts forever.


3. Shape || I know glass files are all the rage, but I'm not a huge fan of this step so I'm keeping it old school with the emery board. It's necessary I know, but ugghhh! Filing my nails kind of makes my skin crawl...Like, sometimes I'm tempting to try and shape my nails with my nail clippers instead. Now that i'm typing this I feel like I should try the glass file -- maybe, it will solve all of my goosebump-y issues with filing. Hmm. Anyway. Shape your nails now! Ready, go!

 4. Harden/Strengthen/Base || Whatever you want to call this step...just get Dr. MarVey and put it on under your nail color. This is a recent find for me, but it has been a game changer! It can be used as a base coat or on it's own leaving a pretty pink hue. I've even layered a nude color in between a couple coats of this stuff for a super natural and healthy look. I'm hooked! And ummm, did ya see the price?! Yeah. Run, don't walk.


6. Quick Dry || Ok, this step is mandatory. I won't even attempt an at home manicure if I'm out of my Seche Vite. As soon as you finish your last coat of color, slap a layer of this stuff on top. I can guarantee that after 10 minutes your nails will be 100% dry! Like, pull on a pair of sneakers and put a key on a keyring D-R-Y (likely even sooner than that...)