Tips

I received a request from a follower to do a post about what I use to do my manicures (brands of nail polish, tools, etc.)

I'll begin with nail polish. To be honest, I don't have a "brand" that I prefer over another. It really depends on what I am looking for in a particular nail polish. You really just have to be open and try everything out there.

I am a firm believer in using a nail strengthener as a base coat to keep your nails strong and the one I used and loved is OPI Nail Envy. I would be using that one now as my base coat, but I tried OPI Start to Finish to see how it compares and I like Nail Envy better, but I have to finish the bottle before buying another Nail Envy.

I think the reason I am not so particular about what brand nail polish I use is because I am all about using a really good top coat. If my top coat is good, then it doesn't matter what nail polish is underneath it, it's going to stay put. If you don't use top coat, then it is going to make a difference and the life of the nail polish will depend on the formula you choose.

 I have tried Seche Vite top coat and while it is very good, very fast drying and does it's job, it gets goopy halfway through the bottle and you have to thin it out with another product called Seche Restore. I didn't want to do that, so I never bought another bottle. I found INM Out the Door top coat and have never looked back. My current manicure which was painted on last Wednesday has only one small chip and tomorrow is the day I take off my nail polish so I can paint again on Wednesday. That is awesome.

You have to realize that I take very good care of my nails. I always wear rubber gloves when doing the dishes or any other type of cleaning involving water and cleaning agents. I apply hand cream every night before I go to bed and I massage my cuticles. The only time I don't have nail polish on my nails is the night before my manicure day which happens to be Tuesday nights. Every Tuesday night I remove my nail polish, shape my nails and buff if I need to. Then I apply a very thick emollient cream on my hands and massage my nails and hands and then do a hand scrub to rinse it all off. Then I massage my nails with hand cream. The day of my manicure I push back my cuticles with a plastic cuticle pusher. I then proceed to do my manicure.

The striping tape and dotting tools that I use to make lines and dots I purchased online through Amazon. You can also find them at Sally's, but they cost more. I have seen nail stripers at the dollar store but I have never tried them. I like to buy my nail polish remover at Sally's, because I can buy a really huge bottle of it for $5. That's also where I buy my INM top coat. Really you can find nail polish and tools lots of places, just be sure you do your research before you buy. If you have any more specific questions about this topic feel free to comment.