My Nail Care Routine

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Hi guys!

Today I have a sort of unusual post for you all: a nail care post!

I love reading these sorts of posts, and I've been meaning to write one for myself for awhile, but it just never seemed to come together -- until now! Yay!


(Oh, and for removing old polish I use some sort of protein enhancing non-acetone nail polish remover -- not pure acetone. But I think you could use either, I used to use acetone and switching to non-acetone didn't make a difference)


First, I file. I use these glass files from Amazon -- until recently I was using one of the cheap emery boards, but these are so much better. The tips of my nails feel more smooth and are less prone to splitting since I switched. Also, you don't have to keep running out to buy emery boards every couple of weeks: glass files pretty much last forever! 
I use a 200-220 grit file; you can read more about file grits in Nails by Kayla Shevonne's post here.


The next step: get rid of those gross cuticles! I don't do this every week, usually two times every three weeks or so; basically whenever I feel like my cuticles are getting kind of gross. I use Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover and then push them back with an orangewood stick.
I'm not entirely happy with my cuticles now, though; there's always a line of thick, dried looking skin at the base of my nail no matter how much I push/scrape/moisturize! Do you guys have any tips on that?


Now it's time to make your hands happy! I use either Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream or RGB cuticle oil; the RGB oil works better, but it's pretty oily (surprise, right?) so when I need to not leave oily fingerprints everywhere I use Burt's Bees.
I'm also thinking about trying Essie's apricot cuticle oil -- have any of you guys tried it? Would you recommend it, or should I spend my $8 elsewhere?


It's almost time to start painting! But first, I take a Q-tip dipped in acetone and swipe it over the nail to prep the surface. 


And finally, base coat time. I use Deborah Lippmann's Turn Back Time base coat, but I'm not really happy with how my nails are right now -- they keep chipping and peeling so I keep having to file them down :(
I have a bottle of Nail Envy coming in the mail though! Eeep, so excited to have long nails again!

So that's what I do every time I paint my nails! Hope you guys enjoyed :) I'm thinking about doing a sort of mini-post on how I take/edit photos, would you be interested in that?

Thanks for reading!
Lucy xx

19 comments:

  1. I didn't know Burt's Bees had something like that! Is it anything like Lush's Lemony Flutter? I found that one to be a bit too greasy for cuticle use, but I'd be interested in trying another one out. The nail files look like the ones I buy from eBay, but mine don't seem to last forever... The mini ones are a handy size, though, but I guess you do get what you pay for :P

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    1. I haven't tried out Lemony Flutter, but Burt's Bees is pretty greasy! I've heard Indigo Bananas makes a really good non-greasy cuticle balm, maybe you should give that a try. Yeah, they're supposed to last forever, but it probably depends on the quality of file you buy -- I think the higher-quality glass ones are worth the investment!

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    2. I tried out the Burt's Bees after I read this, and I love it! It sinks in a lot faster, and I love the little gritty bits - it's a lot nicer than the Lush one, I think, and a lot cheaper! And I'm sorry to hear about you having to abstain from painting your nails... It doesn't seem a very fair punishment, controlling what you do with yourself, to yourself... But I hope you can get back into painting soon and that it'll be a fun month for you nonetheless <3

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    3. Yay, I'm glad to hear someone was actually helped by this post! Ah well, my nails could use some TLC anyways :P
      Thanks for the good wishes, I'll definitely be thinking about possible designs even though I won't be able to paint them for a little while!

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  2. Great post! Now, I think I need that cuticle cream:)

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    1. Thanks! It has done a pretty good job moisturizing my cuticles :)

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  3. Love the post and your pic! I've never tried glass file

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  4. I tried the nail oil from Essie. It's great, but I only use it at night with cotton gloves, because I don't like oily fingers. It also smells very good.

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    1. Hm, I think I'll try it out then -- I've heard a lot of good stuff about it, and it turns out you can get it for pretty cheap on Amazon :) Thanks for the advice!

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  5. Wow great to see what products you use!

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  6. I'ts very interesting to see what other bloggers have as a nail routine!
    Thank you so much for posting this article :)

    Xx Julia

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    1. Thanks! I felt like since I enjoy these types of posts so much, I might as well write one :D Glad you liked it!

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  7. i love posts like this too!

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    1. Yay! Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for stopping by!

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  8. I love these types of posts, too. Will have to try those Czech files. I order the old Essie ones from Ebay but I am always looking for new ones.

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    1. Thanks! Hm, I've never tried the old Essie ones but everything Essie makes is usually pretty good :)

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