How To: Give Yourself The Perfect Manicure Step by Step

We all love pampering ourselves by getting a manicure at the salon. However we all know it can get a little expensive if your hitting the salon up weekly. If your looking to save some money, you can easily learn how to get a professional manicure by doing it yourself.

Things you will need:

*Acetone free nail polish remover

*Emery board/Nail file

*Nail buffer

*Cuticle trimmer

*Cuticle cream/oil

*Orange stick

*Hand lotion

*Base coat

*Top coat

*Your nail polish of choice

*Cotton balls

*Bowl of warm water

*Nail cutter (optional)

*Nail dryer (optional)

Preparing the Nails:  

1. Start off by getting rid of any traces of nail polish with your acetone free nail polish remover and cotton balls

2. (If needed) trim nails with a nail cutter to your desired length.

3. File nails with an emery board or nail file so that the edges are smooth. File towards the tip and only file in one direction. Never file to deeply onto the sides.

4. Soak your fingertips in a bowl of warm water to remove the nail residue from filing and to soften the cuticles. Leave in for 5 to 10 minutes then dry your hands with a towel.

5. Drop a trace of cuticle oil onto the base of each nail to loosen the cuticle. Then massage the nail base with lotion and use the orange stick to gently push back the cuticle of each nail until the dead skin loosens up. Use the cuticle trimmer to carefully trim away the dead skin around the nail.

6.  Buff your nails to file the ridges and to add shine. Again, only buff in one direction. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water to get rid of any cuticle residue. Dry hands and apply your favorite hand lotion and massage your hands.

Polishing Nails:

1.  Apply a base coat to protect your nails from chemicals and help make your nail polish last longer. Do one stroke down the center of the nail then one on the right and one on the left.

2. Before applying polish rub the bottle between your palms for a few seconds to warm it up for easier application. Never shake the bottle, this will cause tiny bubbles. Paint the nail in three strokes – one down the center and two on the sides. Be careful not to paint the cuticle. Repeat with a second coat but make sure to let nails completely between coats.

3. Touch up the edges of your nails by wrapping a small piece of cotton around the orange stick and dipping it in nail polish remover.

4. Apply the top coat. Use one coat of polish for each nail. The top coat makes the color last longer and gives the nails a brilliant shine.

5. Dry your polished nails for at least 30 minutes. To speed up the drying time use a nail dryer spray. Spray 6 inches away from your nails.

Easy, right? Just make sure you have enough time dedicated for this and especially to let your nail polish dry completely. Nothing would suck more than going through all that just to chip your polish because you were in a hurry. Hope you guys liked!!! xoxo

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