Manicure On A Budget

Manicure

    Getting a Manicure can range in price from $10.00 - $50.00. Although the experience can

be exceptional, you can have a very similar experience at home for a fraction of the price.  

Over the holiday season, I was able to get several nail polishes for free and nail polish gift

sets (9 small bottles per set) for $.99 each. In addition, you will need a few nail salon tools

such as nail file, buffer, nail polish remover, cuticle tools, cotton balls, and Q-tips.  

    I have systematically acquired a variety of beauty tools at a discount over the years. Thus

creating the ability to give me a manicure at home for far less than the salons. However, I

gave myself a home manicure long before I had all of the tools.

Let’s get started with how easy it is.

Tools:

The first thing I do is remove all of my old polish and wash my hands.  This will create a

a clean slate for the next week.

I select my polish based on nail length and weekly activities.  I have found the that

better/more costly nail polishes provide a better coat and will decrease chipping.  In

addition, it is important to take the time to apply a top coat to your polish in order to extend

its look.  

Now it is time to actually get started with the main parts of the manicure.  I soak my hands to

soften them and prepare the cuticles for maintenance. Using the cuticle pusher I push back

all of the cuticles to produce a nice shape to your nail.  

I then shape the nails into a square shape and buff them in order to prepare them to take

the polish better.  

The next step is to apply your color polish 2 times.  It is important to all drying time in-between applications.  I also try to match the application brush strokes. After allowing the

a second application to fully dry, then apply the topcoat to the nails and allow to dry.