MCO Beauty Week: Nails

Today is perhaps my favorite beauty topic of them all! I love nails! I love painting my nails, I love buying supplies to do my nails, I love getting my nails done! For some reason, having my nails done and doing my own nails is just extremely relaxing for me. The amount of nail polish and supplies that I have is disgusting. Yes, I'm a little obsessed. As much as I enjoy getting my nails done, I typically only go to a nail salon about twice a year, which for some people may be an eternity. I go two times a year to treat myself and to also have a professional fix my nails up and sort of maintenance them.

 My Big Box of Nail Supplies

 

MCO Nail Tip #1:

Do your own nails! If you have the urge to go get a mani or a pedi, drive yourself to the beauty supply store instead and buy something for your at home mani/pedi whether it be a new polish, some rhinestones, or even a new lotion! By doing this you will save the money you would spend at the salon and spend a fraction of the cost at the supply store.



As much as I hate to admit it, I love acrylic nails. I love the way they look on me and I love how girly they make me feel! What I don't love is when they come off how brittle, thin, and sore my nails are. Acrylic  any fake nails are the worst thing you could do to your nails.


MCO Nail Tip #2:

Avoid fake nails like the plague. You may think you love them but when they come off you will regret it like crazy.



To give yourself a basic salon quality at home manicure or pedicure you are going to need the following: a nail file, a nail buffer, cuticle treatment, a cuticle pusher, cuticle nippers, cuticle balm, a strengthening base coat, a good quality top coat, and a brush to clean up any polish that may end up on your skin.

Nail Supplies: Creative's Toughen Up Base Coat, Seche Vite Top Coat, Basic Nail Buffer and Nail File, SolarBalm Cuticle Balm, Miracle Mango Cuticle Remover, Cuticle Pusher, Cuticle Nippers, and Clean Up Brush

 

 



The first thing you will want to do in your self mani/pedi is gather up your supplies and choose a color for your nails. Once that is complete start by filing your nails into the length/shape that works best for you. Follow your filing with working on your cuticles. Start by applying a small dab of cuticle treatment directly onto the cuticle, massage it in, and let it sit. When all ten fingers have cuticle treatment you will want to take your cuticle pusher and push back your cuticles as much as possible (please be gentle). You will then notice that your cuticles have some gunk on them- this is a mixture of your dead cuticle and the cuticle treatment- use your cuticle nippers to get all of the gross away (you will want to be extra careful when doing this, those nippers can be very sharp!). When all of the gunk is off of my cuticle I like to take a clean paper towel and wipe my nail clean before applying cuticle balm (or oil) and massaging it in. Let the balm soak in for a good 5-10 minutes before proceeding to the next step. Once the balm has had a chance to soak into your cuticles, I then take a paper towel, put some acetone on it, and rub my nail bed down to remove any excess oils that may be left over from the cuticle treatment and balm. If your nail bed has oil on it prior to painting, it causes a weaker bond between the polish and the nail therefore resulting in faster chipping/peeling of the polish! When your nail beds are nice and clean, take your buffer and quickly buff out any imperfections that you may have. You will next apply your base coat, let it dry completely, then apply two coats of polish, and a top coat! DO NOT touch anything for the next 20-30 minutes (it's best to do your nails when the little ones have gone to bed) otherwise you run the risk of getting a smudge.

 For my self pedi I used my base coat, my top coat, and Creative's "Wildfire" Polish

 



For my self mani I used my base coat, my top coat, and OPI's "Lincoln Park After Dark" Polish

 

 

Here is an AWESOME guide on how to paint your nails without getting it on your skin! Credit to The Fashionista Coach for the photo!

 

 

MCO Nail Tip #3

 

To clean up any polish that may have gotten on your skin....Take the cap off of your acetone bottle and pour a little bit of acetone into it (about halfway so you avoid spills), grab a clean paper towel and your clean up brush (you may find a brush like this at Sally's Beauty Supply, basically all you need is a thin paint brush). Dip your brush into the acetone and slowly brush it over the tips of your fingers or where ever the mess is. Do small amounts at a time and rub your brush over the paper towel to get the excess color off of the brush before starting on a new section! Viola! Polish mess clean!

 

MCO Nail Tip #4

 

Smudge your nail? You can fix it. If it isn't to bad of a smudge take your top coat and put two additional coats over your whole nail. It will help smooth and hide at the same time! If it's really bad (this is going to be kind of gross) use your tongue to smooth it. It won't taste good and it most likely ISN'T good for you, but it does the job. I know, I'm nasty.

 

 

 

 

Always make sure you let your nails dry completely if you can! There is a formula that OPI has on the market called Drip Dry that works absolute miracles in drying nails quickly so if you need to go out right after you are finished painting, I recommend that you use some of that!

 

See, doing your own nails can be easy and FUN! Instead of paying $15+ every time you want to get a manicure, treat yourself every other time to the beauty supply store and grab some new fun things to use at home. Not only will you save money but you save yourself the risk of contracting any strange things from an unclean shop! Your nails will look gorgeous and salon fresh every time you do them (at home)!

 

*All of MCO's beauty tips are 100% my personal opinions, I have not gone to school for Cosmetology and I am not a professional. My statements are merely my experiences and are being shared with you for entertainment purposes. All of the products photographed have been purchased by me prior to this blog post and are for personal use.