After dipping my toes in the world of shellac I've really gotten inspired to start looking after my nails more so I thought I would share with you my manicure routine.
Firstly, the shape - I'm not adventurous enough to expand beyond rounded nails ,just yet, although got to love some stiletto nails on Instagram. Personally, I'm a short nail kinda gal, so to start off any manicure will mean cutting my nails with nail scissors or nail clippers. Here is where the stylfile comes into play. Prior to owning one of these I could not , I repeat could not, shape my nails well at all. After investing in a stylfile it couldn't be easier. I also find I file my nails faster using the stylfile than if I was to use a normal emery board.
Once the shaping, cutting and filing has taken place it's on to the actual texture of my nails. Every so often I will use my 4 Way Nail File and Buffer to buff away any ridges in my nails. On days where I'm not going to buff my nails and remove ridges - I'll just skip this step and just smooth and shine my nails for a nice polished look.
Now, for a long long time there was one thing that I had ignored in my nail care routine - cuticles. In order to make my nails look a little neater I use a cuticle pusher to push back my cuticles slightly. Following this I'll use a cuticle oil and put a drop on each nail and rub into the nail bed. I picked up a cheap cuticle oil from amazon and it does the job nicely. Finally I top everything off by rubbing some Soap & Glory Hand Dream Super Cream into my palms, before applying any polish. Hand Dream is often overlooked in the Soap & Glory range in favour of its cousin Hand Food, however once again Soap & Glory steps up to the mark with Hand Food.
Afterwards, I either leave my nails as they are or pop a coat of polish on top to add some colour.
What are your favourite manicure products?
