Spring is finally in full spring, meaning summer is just around the corner! Now that I'm wearing sandals more often, I like to make sure my hands and feet have matching (or at least coordinated) and chip-free polish. This means re-painting my nails about once per week.
At home, I love getting mani/pedis with my mom, but since going to college and studying abroad, I have been painting my nails myself much more often. Given all the walking and writing I do, my hands and feet need a bit of extra attention to look and feel nice.
Here's how I give myself a mani/pedi.
1. Remove nail polish. I love using Deborah Lippmann's "The Stripper" Nail Polish Remover. It smells like lavender and leaves nails feeling slightly moisturized still. Then I wash my hands.
2. Next I cut my toe nails. I like to cut them very short using Tweezerman's nail clippers and file them with a Tweezerman nail file (isn't the pattern so cute?!).
3. I then apply Deborah Lippmann cuticle remover to my toes and soak them in warm water while I cut and file my finger nails. I have pretty deep nail beds, so I like to keep my nails pretty short and rounded at the corners. After my fingernails are trimmed, I apply cuticle remover.
4. I dry my feet off and wipe off the cuticle remover with a towel. I then get to work filing my feet with a Tweezerman pedicure file so the skin is super soft. I find this easiest after my feet are clean and have soaked for a little while.
5. Next I wash the cuticle remover off my hands and use nail scissors to trim anything that looks raggedy around my nails.
6. Finally, it is time to paint! I start by swiping each nail with some more nail polish remover to make sure there is nothing left and then I begin by painting my toes.
7. I start with a ridge filler. I love Deborah Lippmann's formula! Next, I pick out a polish (more on this later) and paint two thin coats, sometimes even a third if the color is very sheer. While this is drying I paint my nails.
8. About 20-25 minutes later I paint over everything with a quick dry top coat to seal in the color. I also repeat this top coat step the next day for long lasting color.
My Favorite Polishes
I like to stick to generally neutral polishes year round. The most daring I get is a charcoal grey/dark green in the winter or coral/red in the summer. Most days, I use the same polish (Deborah Lippmann's Modern Love) that goes with everything. I've also found that neutral colors hide chips much better! Here's what I'm loving for summer:
1. Cherry Red: Chanel's "Dragon"
2. Mauve: Deborah Lippmann's "Modern Love"
3. Coral: Dior's "Riviera"
4. Light Pink: Tom Ford's "Show Me Pink"
5. Orange: Butter London's "Jaffa"
xoxo
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