Pre-Painting Prep!
First I remove whatever polish I'm wearing. I really like this Cutex brand remover!
Next I file, trim, and smooth my nails. I love my Sally Hansen clippers & buffer block.
I love this cuticle oil: OPI Avoplex Nail & Cuticle Replenishing Oil. I've had this for several years and it is still going strong. It has a really nice subtle scent and makes my cuticles so soft!
Occasionally I put my cuticle back and have recently fallen in love with these cuticle pushers from e.l.f. They come in a 2 pack for $1.00 and they are really nice quality!
Base Coat
I have two base coats I really love. The one I've used the longest is the OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener. The newest base coat I've fallen in love with is by Orly and it is their Bonder Rubberized Basecoat. These are both great options to use prior to applying color to your nails.
Quick Dry High Shine top coats
('cuz why use anything else ?!)
I've tried many over the years and these are my favorites for the price that dry quick and deliver a really high shine. Both are from Sally Hansen: Dries Instantly and Insta-Dri. Insta-Dri is a bit shinier but the product dries up quicker in the bottle so I feel like Dries Instantly is a better deal because you don't lose out on any product going goopy in the bottle!
Polish Maintenance
Speaking of polish going goopy. When you have a lot of polish or even just a few bottles that aren't getting used up quickly then I recommend a bottle of Nail Polish Thinner. I got this as Sally Beauty Supply for a few dollars and it has saved many a bottle of nail polish. It is normal for an unused polish to get goopy and hard to work with over time but squeeze a few drops of this in bottle, shake it up, and voila! Nail polish saved!
Extras & Embellishments
I love to decorate my nails after painting them. I like doing glitter accent nails or using the Sally Hansen Real Nail Polish strips but I've also come to love rhinestones and stickers. The full nail stickers can be worn alone or over a color and so many brands make them now. Sally Hansen like I mentioned and also Sinful Colors, Essie, NCLA, Sephora, L'Oreal... the list goes on and on.
These gold glitter strips are the newest addition to my collection. I ordered them online from either Groopdealz or Jane... I don't remember. But they make such a cute embellishment to a manicure and how can you go wrong with anything glittery and chevron... right?!
Hope you enjoyed,
what are you nail polish basics and favorite ways to embellish a manicure?
xoxo
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