My One Week Manicure

I am desperately waiting for the sun to come out so I can show You my HC bottles in all their glory, but, weather is not cooperating.

Instead I think I will tell you the way I do my basic manicure. No nail blog could be complete without a description of the basics, could it? Besides, I really enjoy reading about other womens way of getting the most out of their manis, I have gotten so many good advice from fellow bloggers.

So, here goes. I usually have a very limited time to spend on my nails during the week. I work long hours, and have a family of husband and two small girls as well (although, if I'm honest, in my family it's more a rule than exception that my husband tends to mine and the girls needs than the other way around).

The solution for keeping up with my polish interest anyway has been to find a way to get the mani to last during the work week. I have been quite successful with that and want to share what works for me.

Rule number one. Start shaping your nails before taking off the old polish. If there is one piece of advice that has helped me more than anything else, that is it! It is so much easier to get an even and flattering form for of your nails if it's polished up already. With a naked nail I get distracted by the form of the nail bed, cracks and creases, all bad things which will not show anyway after you're finished with your mani. Ever since I started using glass files, I can't think of using anything else, they're simply the best!

When happy with the shape, I take off the old polish. I tried several removers, some better than others, but now I only use pure aceton without oil. I find it takes of any polish much more quickly than removers, and since I always use som kind of nail and hand cream, the drying of the nail isn't a problem.

Next is, if needed, the cuticle remover. This is a product to use with respect as it might damage the base of your nail if left on too long. I wait a couple of minutes (as stated in instructions, it's different for different brands). I then use the plastic orange stick to gently push the cuticles down. If there is any dead debris stuck on the nail, I very carefully remove it with the metal cuticle tool. This thing is sharp, so easy does it, if you slip it will leave you with bleeding cuticles.

Now, here comes the good news. I found a holy grail product for the cuticles! It is called
Cuticle Eraser by CND, but what it actually is, is a cuticle balm with a light peeling effect, The peeling based of Alpha Hydroxy Acid. Since I started using this a couple of times a week, I only have to do the tricky cuticle removing procedure maybe once a month! This is by all comparisons the very best nail product I own!

After shaping, polish removal and eventual cuticle removal I scrub down my hands with a nail brush and a mild soap, as to get any residue of the procucts off my nails. Let dry a little, and massage in the Cuticle Eraser treatment. No more washing after that, the treatment will help moistering those dry nails for you.

Now comes my little secret for the one week mani. I use a cuticle balm and nail balm made by a company called Trind. I think they're based in the Netherlands and their products are readily availible here in Sweden but I very seldom hear people talking about using them even here. So, instead of trying to get the nail plate as clean as possible before I put my polish on, I actually use 3 different products on my nails before the basecoat!

This works wonders for me, almost every polish, expensive high end of market stuff as well as cheap drug store polish, lasts a full week of work. Work which includes washing my hands about 20 times a day minimum, and putting disinfecting alcohol all over my hands and arms maybe double that amount. Sometimes, I get slight tip wear or a little ship after a couple of days, but I can usually fix this with a fresh coat of paint and a new layer of top coat.

I can't promise it will work for You, but this is the way of PolishPig!