One of the favorite things one of my best Trophy Wife Girlfriends and I like to do is get together at the nail salon and have Manicure and Pedicures done while we dish about what's going on in our lives. A fun alternative to that has been getting together at one of each other's houses and having a mani/pedi picnic outdoors when the weather is warm. It's a great treat having well groomed hands and feet and a Trophy Wife "must do"! Here are some simple instructions on creating that perfect Manicure or Pedicure at Home. It's on Today's Fun To Do list right up there with my Hip Hop Hustle Class. Enjoy -Love Diva
Trophy Wife Manicure:
1.
Create
your favorite shape. I like slightly
squared with rounded edges. Start with clean, dry nails. Remove any old polish.
Clip to desired length and file into even shapes with an emery board. Use long,
smooth strokes, working in one
direction to prevent weakening and splitting.
2.
Smooth
tops of nails. Sand away ridges
and any surface stains with a buffing block, using a gentle side-to-side
motion. Start with the rougher side and follow with the finer side.
3.
Soften your cuticles. Apply a dab of
cuticle oil then push back gently with the flat end of an orange stick. Remove
debris from the underside of nails with the stick’s pointed end. Carefully trim
any hangnails with cuticle scissors (best time to do this is after showering,
when nails are soft and skin is moist or after soaking nails in warm sudsy water for 5 minutes). Apply thick hand cream or oil to cuticles
until completely absorbed. (Olive oil will work if you have no cuticle oil)
4.
Prep
nails for color. Wipe off cream
and any oily residue with polish remover on nails to help color adhere evenly.
Brush on a base coat to protect nails from discoloring and to provide a smooth
surface for the color especially when using a dark color polish. Let dry for 1-2
minutes.
5.
Paint
on nail polish. Use three
strokes: one down the middle, followed by one along each side. Polish with 1-2
thin coats, which don’t trap air bubbles as thick ones can (and take less time
to dry). Repeat. Correct mistakes with a cotton-wrapped orange stick dipped in
polish remover. Finish with topcoat.
6.
Let your nails dry completely. Aim for at least
15 minutes, or hold your nails under a fan like they do at the salon. **tip -
avoid fast-dry sprays, which can sometimes make the polish more prone to chips
and nicks. *guilty pleasure - polishing nails while watching one of the Bravo Housewives shows as background noise.
7.
Maintain
your manicure. Add a new layer
of topcoat every other day to revive sheen and help prevent chips and dings. A
good manicure should last a week or even longer with some of the new gel nails
long lasting polishes available.
*I use two travel bags to keep all my manicure tools together. A black roll up bag with all my Manicure tools inside and a clear roll up bag with all my polishes so that I can see the colors easily. Some of My favorite polishes: Revlon, OPI, Sally Hansen, Sonia Kashuk, Deborah Lippmann, Orly, CND, Loreal, Essie
*BONUS:
Put together a manicure tool kit with advice from All You magezine.
·
Nail clippers: Trim nails in small snips. A blunt cut across the entire nail
can cause cracking.
·
Nail files: Emery boards are cheap
and come in many grades.
·
Orange sticks: Cutting cuticles can cause infection. Push them back instead.
·
Buffing block: Get more mileage from this rectangular tool by cutting it into
smaller pieces.
·
Cotton pads: Cotton balls can leave
fuzz, ruining your manicure.
·
Polish remover: For brittle nails, use acetone-free formulas. Save removers with
acetone for dark, hard-to-budge polishes only.
·
Cuticle oil or hand cream: Massage a drop into the nail bed to seal in moisture and prevent
hangnails.
·
Base coat and topcoat: These two polishes help maintain and protect your nails and
prolong your manicure.
·
Nail polish: If the polish has
separated, roll—don’t shake—the bottle between your hands.
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