We’re all the in the same boat. Our lashes have fallen out each and every day, slowly but very surely. We’ve not been able to get our bikini wax booked and so have resorted to shaving or seriously given it some thought as to whether we’re brave enough to strip wax it ourselves with a home wax job sponsored by Amazon beauty supplies. Our nails are too long to do anything and our gel polish is hanging on by a thread with cuticles you could see a mile off. None of us are judging because we’re all in it together.
Over the next couple of weeks, whilst we’re keeping safe at home, we’ll be launching our weekly blog posts about home to re-create your very own at home treatments to make you feel that little bit better, whilst giving yourself that all important ‘me time’. So, put the kids to bed, light a candle or two and pop a deep conditioning treatment on your hair, while we walk you through how to do your very own manicure.
What you’ll need:
- A towel to have as a surface to work on.
- Cotton wool.
- Nail polish remover or acetone to remove any nail polish or gel. (See our previous Instagram posts on how to remove gel polish at home).
- Nail clippers & nail file.
- Orange stick or cuticle removal tool.
- Buffer
- Hand cream or moisturiser.
- Exfoliating wash.
- Nail polish base coat.
- Nail polish colour.
- Nail polish top coat.
Step 1:
Lay a towel down on top of the surface you’ll be working from to protect it and remove your nail polish by pouring some acetone or nail polish remover onto some cotton wool.
Step 2:
Let one hand soak into some warm water for 2 – 3 minutes. Removing that hand, take your orange stick or cuticle shaping tool to gently push back your cuticles from your nail bed. Then repeat this step on the other hand. Allowing your hands to soak into warm water, softens your cuticles and makes it easier for pushing them back.
Step 3:
Clip the nail or shape the nail down to your desired length and shape. Short, square nails are the strongest option to go for. Rounded nails have a point of impact at the point of the nail and so are easier to break or split.
Step 4:
Using your buffer, buff over each nail. Make sure to buff down each side of the nail as well as down to the nail bed to remove any stubborn cuticle you had a hard time to cut or push away.
Step 5:
Apply a small amount of exfoliator to the palm of your hands. Rub together to warm the product up, this will make a small amount of product go further and then rub over your hands, palms, forearms and wrists of both arms to remove any dead skin cells and leave for 2 – 3 minutes then rinse off.
Step 6:
Using the same technique as step 5, apply a small amount of moisturiser to the palms of your hands and warm up before spreading the product over your arms, wrists, fingers and palms. Some people may at this stage wish to wrap their hands in cling film and leave for 5 – 10 minutes. The cling film will create heat, which will then make the moisturiser sink deeper into your skin.
Step 7:
Using your cotton wool pads, wipe over each nail to remove any moisturiser that may still be on the nail. If there are any excess oils or creams on the nail bed, it will be hard for the base coat and colour to last very long.
Step 8:
Apply one layer of base coat to each nail and allow to dry for 2 – 3 minutes.
Step 9:
Apply two layers of your desired colour to each nail. Work across one hand first then then next. Do not apply two layers at once to one nail then move onto the other nail. Allow the first coat of polish to have 5 minutes to breath, before applying the second coat.
Step 10:
Allow 5 minutes for the second layer of colour to dry before applying the top coat. If you apply the top coat too quickly, you will pick the colour of your polish up and transfer it back into the clear bottle. Apply one layer of top coat and then allow to dry for 30 minutes.
Top tip: polish can take up to 2 hours to dry properly. We usually ask our clients to wait around 30 minutes under a drier at the salon, to make sure they leave with un-smudged nails. Please be very gentle with your nails and wait at least half an hour before doing or touching anything. If you have a dry coat spray, use it from a forearms length away from your nails. If you spray it onto your nails too close, it will actually make them wetter which will take them longer to dry not quicker!
