Manicure

· by · in DIY. ·

A fresh manicure makes me feel powerful. Getting a manicure is an indulgent and relaxing experience and it is lovely to have it done by a professional, however it is something that you can master on your own too, saving you lots of money. You can do a manicure quickly or over a long period of time, depending on how many extra treatments you want to include. It takes practise getting the polish perfect, and if you aren’t confident, try to stick with lighter, more forgiving colours before you go with bold reds or dark purples. Do remember that you can use a cotton bud with nail polish remover on it to get excess polish off the skin around your nail.

TOOLS

  • cotton wool balls/pads
  • nail files
  • orangewood stick coated with cotton wool
  • stainless steel cuticle pusher
  • 3 way buff or satin buff
  • cuticle nippers
  • nail clippers/scissors

PRODUCTS

  • soap/antibacterial gel
  • nail polish remover
  • cuticle cream/oil
  • cuticle remover
  • exfoliant
  • hand mask (optional)
  • hand cream/moisturiser
  • base coat
  • coloured nail polish
  • top coat

STEP BY STEP

  1. Remove watch, jewellery & rings
  2. Wash hands with soap/antibacterial gel
  3. Remove old nail polish with nail polish remover & cotton ball/pad on both hands
  4. Choose preferred nail shape: pointed, square, oval, round, square-rounded
  5. Trim very long nails with scissors/nail clippers
  6. File nails to preferred shape: never file into corners of the nail & file in one direction
  7. Soak hand in water bowl
  8. Repeat steps 5-7 on other hand
  9. Coat fingers sparingly in cuticle cream/oil and massage well into nails
  10. Place hand in warm soapy water then remove and towel dry
  11. Repeat steps 9 & 10 on other hand
  12. Apply cuticle remover to nails and use cuticle pusher/cuticle nippers to clean and lift any dead tissue from the nail and surrounding area and remove any hangnails or extra dead tissue – NOT LIVE TISSUE
  13. Clean under the nail edges with cotton tipped orangewood stick
  14. Repeat Steps 12 & 13 on other hand
  15. Exfoliate hands
  16. Apply hand mask (OPTIONAL)
  17. Massage moisturiser into hands
  18. Buff nails – removing any staining or ridges in nails & makes them shine, don’t need to do every manicure (Stop here for a natural nail appearance)
  19. Wipe nails with an alcohol wipe or nail polish remover to remove excess oils from moisturiser.
  20. Apply base coat to all nails
  21. Apply 2 coats polish
  22. Apply topcoat
  23. Leave to dry & look after your nails! That means no washing up without gloves on!

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