I grew up with a mom who always had bright red polish on her nails – I remember only one time when I was little that I saw her bare nails without polish & I thought something was wrong with them! She taught me the correct way to file, shape & paint my nails and I’m so thankful for her guidance because I can now give myself manicures at home, without having to spend money for them at a salon. Though I’m not currently taking any supplements, in the past I have used collagen to help promote & stimulate growth. I also found that when I switched my diet to only eating whole organic foods (eliminating grains, sugar & processed junk), I noticed a huge improvement in the strength & overall health of my nails. I can usually get my manicures to last between 7 and 10 days using these products:
Target Nail Polish Remover – I love this convenient pump dispenser & strengthening formula
OPI Flex Nail Buffer – After filing & shaping my nails, I use this to buff them & get rid of any ridges or uneven spots
Orly Bonder Rubberized Base Coat – This is by far the best base coat I’ve tried because it acts like double-stick tape and really adheres to the polish, which prolongs the life of your manicure
Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat – The fastest drying top coat on the market with a high gloss finish – this is the only one I use and I swear by it (especially handy if you’re a mom & need your nails dry quickly!)
Orly Cuticle Care Complex – Once my nails are completely dry, I apply this nourishing oil to keep my cuticles moisturized & looking healthy (I also reapply daily throughout the week)
When I’m painting my nails, I take care to apply the polish all the way to the nail bed, without touching the cuticle. This is crucial in achieving a professional looking manicure & it’s the #1 mistake most women make. If I happen to go over & get some lacquer on my cuticle, I use my thumb nail from the opposite hand & run it along the inside of the cuticle to wipe away any mistakes (for this reason, I always paint my thumbs last). If there are any additional swipes of polish on my fingers at the end, I dip a pointed q-tip in remover and gently rub over those areas.
I own so many polishes that there are very few I actually run out of because I tend to rotate the colors I wear quite frequently. But, just recently, I discovered that a handful of my polishes needed to be replaced because I was nearing the end of the bottle. This was also an indicator to me of the colors I wear most frequently, so I thought I would share my absolute favorite shades with you. Each of these hues will look good on any skin tone & every single option listed below is a formula that provides good coverage & holds up well through regular wear & tear.
Essie Fiesta (cool bright fuschia) // Essie Lollipop (classic candy apple red / Olivia Palermo’s signature color)
top image via
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