Manicure Essentials

These are my current nail care go-to items that I use weekly/daily. From removing old nail polish, to making sure my cuticles stay hydrated and polish-free, these items have all become staples in my nail care routine, which (in my opinion) makes all the difference in having your hands and nails look beautiful. 

Nail polish removal: At the moment I am using pure acetone to remove my nail polish (and for clean up), but in order to try to protect my skin from the serious dehydration it causes I put Vaseline around my cuticle area before I take the polish off. It works pretty well, and I use this method every time I take my polish off. I got both of these at Target, the Vaseline was in the travel-size section and I think it was about $1. The nail polish remover was around $2.59. I know a lot of girls recommend the Zoya Remove+ polish remover, but I haven't been able to justify spending $9.99 for 8 ounces of product. Not that I'm not dying to try it, because I am...

Good old Vaseline and Acetone

Cuticle hydration: One of my favorite YouTubers (Nicole/Young Wild and Polished) recommended using Aquaphor on your cuticles, so I went out and got this 3.5oz tub from Target. I think it was $6.99 and it is amazing. I use it (almost) every night before I go to bed, and my cuticles have never looked better. In addition to the Aquaphor I am also (currently) using Essie's Apricot cuticle oil that a friend found for me at a local swap meet for something like $2! What a score. I use this almost every day, too. The little applicator brush makes it really easy to apply quickly.

Essie's Apricot Cuticle Oil, and the 3.5 oz tub of Aquaphor

Cuticle Management: Rather than cutting my cuticles, I use Sally Hansen's Instant Cuticle Remover. The bottle is small, but I only need to use it every few weeks or so, so it lasts for a while. And then I use my orangewood sticks to push the cuticles back, and to clean the surface of my nails, and underneath. The cuticle remover was about $4.99 at Target, and I don't remember where I got these cuticle sticks. I'm sure it wasn't expensive, and I use them constantly. 

Sally Hansen's Instant Cuticle Remover and basic orangewood cuticle sticks

Nail Polish Clean-up: I will post a separate post about base and top coats, but the final item I want to cover here is one of the most crucial steps to giving yourself a professional looking manicure, and that is a good clean up technique. Before I started watching YouTube videos to learn how paint my nails I figured the best method to getting the entire nail covered was to haphazardly paint without worrying about all of the polish I would get on my skin because I would just wait for it to come off naturally, or try to pick it off. If only I knew how brilliantly easy and effective it was to take a small brush and some acetone and simply clean up the skin around the nails! It also helps you get that crisp, rounded line around around your cuticle area, which I think really makes your manicure look great. The brush I use is the E.L.F concealer brush (#1821), which is literally only $1 at Target and Wal-Mart. I must say, these brushes don't last forever, and I've probably purchased at least five of them by now. I think the acetone can be damaging on the glues that bind the bristles. I've had bristles come out and strange warping issues, but I have learned that it is best to take care of your brushes... After I use one I make sure to thoroughly rinse it out with soap and water, otherwise the acetone just makes the bristles rock hard. But I cannot recommend this method of cleaning up your cuticles enough. Now, for someone like me, who is a perfectionist, I can get a little bit carried away trying to get my lines 100% perfect, but that's okay, haha. 

E.L.F.'s Concealer brush #1821

More E.L.F concealer brushes, the first two showing some signs of warping

So, that's it for now! These items are not very expensive to buy, but I think the payoff is pretty great. Until next time!