Nail Care 101

I have had a few people ask me how I take care of my nails and cuticles so even though I have been blessed with very low maintenance hands, I thought I would share what makes my nails photo-ready!

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I very rarely use nail clippers to trim my nails because I always tend to take off too much nail and my “c-curve” is quite pronounced so fitting my nail into a nail clipper can be quite a challenge. To take down most of my nail length, I use a glass nail file as I am able to go back and forth straight across the nail. I use an emery nail file to round out the corners, as I hate sharp corners, and to file upwards to get rid of any excess nail filings across the front of the nail.

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For my cuticles, I never ever trim them! I used to, but I have found that cuticle removers like Essie’s Disappearing Trick and Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover are much better alternatives. I use an orange stick to remove whatever “cuticle bits” have been removed. I find that I only have to do this once a month as I push back my cuticles in the shower with conditioner about once a week. My favourite cuticle oil at the moment is from Julep and has a very convenient rollerball applicator which I love.

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These are my three favourite base coats: OPI Nail Envy in Original and Matte and Essie Grow Stronger. Nail Envy has made such a difference in my nails’ endurance that even with constant nail polish application and removal, they never break or split anymore and I’m never afraid to go out with naked nails. Grow Stronger is a newer addition to my base coat collection and I think I like it for the subtle pink glow it provides. My nails haven’t worsened with its use nor have they improved so it’s hard for me to say which company makes a better product or if they’re both the same. Needless to say, I love all three.

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Many of you know that inm Out the Door is my favourite top coat because I don’t suffer the same nail polish shrinkage that Seche Vite causes. I still have a couple of bottles of Seche Vite when I thought I would never use anything else, but the toluene and shrinkage made me switch. I am OBSESSED with Julep Quick Dry Polish Drops and in addition to the soothing lavender scent, make me nails dry in a flash!

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To remove nail polish when I’m not using the Elmer’s Glue method, I use pure acetone and Naturally Clean by Essie which doesn’t dry my skin and nails out quite as much as pure acetone.

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To keep my hands moisturized, any L’Occitane hand cream will do as well as Lemon Chiffon Velveteen Hand Creme by Cake. I use the Cake one during the day as it is non-greasy and the L’Occitane one by night as it has a thicker consistency that I prefer to use as a “hand mask” when I go to bed.

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A couple of times a week, I give my hands a little scrub with either Julep Glycolic Hand Scrub or L’Occitane Shea One Minute Hand Scrub. My hands just feel extra smooth after using both products and takes no time at all!

And there it is! My nail care secrets! I’m always curious about what other tips people have to keep their hands and nails looking gorgeous so feel free to share!

24 comments

  1. Great post! I was so curious about your secrets to awesome nails. I need to get a cuticle remover. I usually get grossed out by mine and got get a manicure LOL. Lazy I know!
    I just ripped one of my nails on the side in the middle. I tried gluing it but I kept snagging it and I finally filed it off. It was so traumatizing!

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    1. Oh no! Nail rips are the worst! I get sad too when it happens, but I always take solace in the fact that nails grow back :)
      I'm glad you enjoyed this post! Just get a bottle of cuticle remover and do it even once a month. It's fun to see it get eaten up!

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  2. My nails are splitting, but I've found that converting from emery nail files to glass and laser-engraved ones helped me reduce the problem. I'm still on search of the perfect base coat, I'm now waiting for Nubar Foundation to arrive, and in the meantime I'm using the leftovers of Anny basecoat (it's a German brand that's recently become widely available in Russia, where I live). At first I'd thought it'd stop the splitting at all, and while it did make my nails better, it fails to cure them completely. Still, the best nail growth results I've achieved so far were using this basecoat. I've heard a lot of great things about OPI Nail Envy, but the original folmula isn't Big3free, is it?

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    1. No, the original formula must not be 3 free, but thankfully the new bottles of Nail Envy don't toluene, but I think there a formaldehyde resin in them.

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  3. I think you pretty well covered it all here!! I see a couple products here that I use as well!:)

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    1. I know, there were a lot of things here, but I really don't spend all this time on my nails! I do have a life apart from them! LOL

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  4. Thank you so much for sharing all of these products and tips! I tend to slack when it comes to taking care of my hands and nails, but I'm trying to get better so I will certainly try some of these products. I also think that's a great idea to push back your cuticles in the shower, I will have to try it because it seems like a great time saver!

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    1. It just takes a few seconds and boom fresh cuticles! I'm happy you enjoyed the post, I really wanted to make sure I covered all of my nail habits so that other people could benefit.

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  5. I definitely need a cuticle remover, will have to try those out! That Naturally Clean polish remover sounds great, too! I've been using this soy nail polish remover, but it doesn't work that great with certain polishes haha x

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    1. I just bought a soy nail polish remover from Well.ca and it's crap. So ineffective!

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  6. hooray!! thanks for this post... so helpful. :)

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    1. You're welcome! I knew you had wanted this post so it was partly dedicated to you!

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  7. Oh lots of good stuff for your nail care routine! I'm a little paranoid about pushing my cuticles, but maybe it's not as bad as I thought (and way better than cutting them)

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    1. Pushing is a lot safer than cutting IMO. I've cut myself before so I've avoided cutting since.

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  8. Oooh nice! Thanks for sharing this, Jayne! It's so fun to see what others use for their nails :D

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    1. I love reading what other girls use too and learning their secrets :)

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  9. That is a lot of products LOL but you have amazing nails and fingers so it shows you care a lot for them ^^ I only use almond oil on my cuticles and that pretty much it, except for the occasional hand cream haha

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    1. I do love my nails! LOL! Almond oil and hand cream are great too!

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  10. Very detailed nail routine! I never seem to find the time but am definitely interested in trying some of these products you shared with us :) great post!

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    1. I do the whole routine probably twice a week because I work a lot and it's my time to relax :)

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  11. Out the Door is amazing stuff! and I don't know what I'd do without those quick dry drops now. Thanks for sharing your other go-to behind the scenes faves!

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    1. Those quick dry drops changed my LIFE! LOL!
      I'm glad you enjoyed the post! It was like a year in the making!

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  12. Great tips! Bookmarking for future reference :D

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