Nail Care

Hey errybody, a friend requested me to do a blog post on how I take care of my nails so...here it is! Before I introduce everything to you guys, I just want to say I am not a professional or anything. Y'all can take my advice if you want, it all works for me. I am still in the process of learning and this has been my routine for only a month so far. However, I do certainly hope this helps you all somehow.

These are Max Makeup Cherimoya Nail Polish Removal Pads With Cuticle Oil (whew, that was quite a mouthful). The regular ole' nail polish remover with acetone dried out my nails, big time. They would get "peel-y" and yellow and just...no, m-mm. So I found these in a flea market for very cheap, maybe a dollar or two for two and they smell very nice in comparison to the alcohol scent in polish remover. The cuticle oil moisturize both the skin around the nail but the nail itself and prevents anymore gruesome funk happening to your nail-polish-removing-process. 

If you are looking for shapely nails, you are in need of a file. I just got this one for $1.50 from Daiso, a Japanese dollar store. You can just get one of these from pretty much anywhere that sells beauty products i.e. drug stores, online, malls, etc. I just run these straight across my nail and on the sides so I can achieve a round square/rectangle shape. Don't see-saw the file across your nails. According to Brittani Louise Taylor (whose nail care video can be found here), it can weaken the nail and cause further breakage. I just file once a week after removing my previous nail polish. Filing has actually replaced my nail clippers, not sure if that's a good or bad thing but I haven't had any problems yet. Frequent filing/trimming also strengthens the nails and helps them grow faster.

Next up, buffing. I only buff about once a month or maybe when I'm having a "nail break". I don't know if giving your nails a break actually helps but whatever. I use a three-step nail buffer, also from Daiso for $1.50, and it just makes my nails all nice and smooth. After buffing, I just can't stop touching my nails, oooohhh, hahaha. I remember touching my friend's freshly-buffed nails and it was like touching an angel's bum. According to previous research, buffing can help strengthen the nail? Not sure about that but my nails sure seem to be going strong. You should buff in one direction across the nail to prevent splitting.

Wooh, after that your nails are probably in need of some moisture and replenishment. I use this little bottle of Argan oil that my aunt gave me. I don't know where you can find this exact brand since she got it while in Morocco but I'm sure any brand will do. I just do one squirt in my hand and "massage" (boy, do I despise that word...so...weirdly erotic) it into each nail liberally. I just rub the rest into my hand as if it were lotion and let it sit for a bit, maybe watch one or two youtube videos.

If you don't have Argan oil or you don't feel like spending the money, you just use a regular hand cream. Lotion would probably even work. Just rub it into the nails along with your hands and you'll be perfectly good-to-go! I also got this for $1.50 at Daiso, that store just gets me. Honestly, I don't really like this...it smells great (Mango & Peach, oh man) but it has shimmer which I'm just not a fan of. I should have known it had shimmer, look at that glitter action on the bottle!

Finally, after all that treatment and the oil is all settled, I go in with the base coat. I use Orly Satin Bond Satin Adhesion Basecoat. I think it's been discontinued since I can't find it anywhere online. I do not recommend this, it's extremely "whatever". After applying two coats of a nail polish, I apply my top coat, Orly Sunscreen For Nails Topcoat. It seems like they changed the packaging but I think it's basically the same. I wouldn't recommend this one either especially if you do nail art, it smears like no other. Also, it's gone very gloopy now. I bought both at a nail warehouse store so it was much cheaper probably old...

Alrighty, in the very end I just dip my fingers in a small bowl of ice water for as long as I can, I've heard you only need to do so for a few seconds and I've also heard 3 minutes! That might not sound like a long time but trust me, it's a freaking long time. I'll usually do it for 30 seconds or something and stop for a bit and just casually wade my fingers in there for a bit and wash my hands in some warm and cold water. This will leave your nails rock-hard if you don't like waiting. I usually try my best not to touch anything for a few hours if I decide to skip the ice water. Haha, wade...I'm thinking about my fingers wearing swimsuits and wading in a swimming pool. 

OKAY, enough of that, I hope this helped you out and gave you an idea of how to care for your nails. Let me know in the comments if you have any further tips, PEACE.