Getting to the nail salon every couple of weeks can be hard on time and your pennies. For those not lucky enough to have a live-in nail technician, it’s nice to know how to give yourself a proper manicure once in a while.
So, here are our beauty specialist tips for an at-home manicure.
Here’s a list of what you need to buy to give yourself a manicure
- Nail tool set (nail clippers, nail file, cuticle clipper, buffing file, cuticle pusher)
- Nail polish remover
- Cotton balls
- Cotton tips
- Nail brush
- Base coat
- Nail polish
- Top coat
- Cuticle cream or oil
- Hand cream
- Small bowl
- Hand towel
How to do a manicure at home?
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- Remove any old nail polish with a cotton ball and nail polish remover
- When all the polish is removed, fill a bowl with warm water
- Soak your fingers in the water for 2-5 minutes to soften your cuticles. If you are experiencing any yellowing on your nails, squeeze some fresh lemon juice into the water to help bring your nails back to white
- While your nails are soaking scrub them with the nail brush to remove any excess polish and dirt
- Pat your hands dry when done
- Clip your nails to the desired length
- File your nails in a one-way direction, not backwards and forwards
- Buff your nails from the base to the free edge going front to back, not side to side
- Massage cuticle oil into your nail beds for hydration
- Wait a couple of minutes then loosen and push your cuticles away from your nail beds with the cuticle pusher
- Clip your cuticles with the cuticle clipper
- Wash any excess oil with warm soapy water and pat dry
- Apply a good quality hand cream. For a real salon-feel warm the hand cream in the microwave for 10 seconds before applying
- Apply the base coat and allow it to dry
- Apply 2 coats of the nail polish and allow to dry. Clean up any spills between coats using the remover and a cotton tip
- Apply the top coat then let it dry
Your beauty specialist tutorial is now complete and so is your manicure!
How to choose the right shade polish?
Choose a shade that compliments your skin tone. The following shades generally work well:
- pale skin tones – purple or red
- medium skin tones – blue or metallic colours
- dark skin tones – golds and deep reds
- good for all skin tones – corals and greys
For more help choosing a colour check out the OPI Nail Studio.
Nail cuticles require gentle products. To nourish your cuticles and keep them looking their best, apply a natural product like Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream every night.
For an at-home treatment without any fuss – hire a mobile nail technician on Airtasker.
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