At-home Manicure Essentials
This post has been sponsored by Palmer’s.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I love having my nails painted. I love going and getting them done (hey dip nails!) and I love doing them myself. I actually think that I write better (and more) when my nails are painted, because when I’m typing I look down and see these pretty fingernails hitting the keys.
But while I am a big fan of going and getting a manicure and having someone else paint my nails, a lot of the time I don’t have the time to make that happen. And, usually, I want to switch my nails up faster than I would need to if someone else did them… so I always makes sure that I have what I need at home to give myself a manicure.
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Original Solid Jar is one of the key ingredients for having a successful home manicure! Learn more about Palmer’s here! Your cuticles will thank you, especially during the winter months!
MY TOP FIVE ESSENTIALS FOR AN AT HOME MANICURE
CUTICLE TRIMMERS / NAIL CLIPPERS / FILE
This step works best with fingers that have soaked a minute or two in warm water. I prefer to trim my cuticles, over just pushing them back. That’s just the look that I like. But having a cuticle trimmer on hand make cleaning up around your nail bed so much easier!
I usually clip my nails (because I like keeping them really, really short) and then shape them with a file if needed. When I have my nail done professionally, they usually just file them, and while I love the shape that they take, they usually aren’t short enough for my preference.
ACETONE NAIL POLISH REMOVER
If you are removing polish, acetone is your friend. Especially if you’re removing dip nails yourself, or polish that has glitter in it, or shellac nails. You need acetone nail polish remover! Just look at the bottles and make sure you’re grabbing the one that contains acetone.
Even if you’re not removing any previous polish, it’s always good to wipe your nails with a little bit of polish remover just to make sure that they’re clean.
PALMER’S COCOA BUTTER FORMULA JAR
Because you’ve just trimmed and clipped and had acetone all over your nails, it’s important to moisture your fingers! Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Original Solid is amazing for at home manicures. Because of it’s unique formula, it melts into skin, creating a protective barrier that locks in moisture – which your fingers will need. It is paraben & phthalate free, and contains natural Cocoa Butter and natural Vitamin E.
And because of the form that it comes in – in a jar in a more solid state – it is the perfect thing to rub onto your nail bed and all around your fingers to put moisture back into your hands.
NAIL POLISH
This might seem like a ‘duh’ thing to add, but you’d be surprised how often you actually forget to grab the nail polish color you wanted to use when you’re at Target getting your Palmer’s Cocoa Butter.
I happen to think that my hands look old when I have classic red nail polish on them, so I usually stick to pinks, neutrals, white and blacks.
GEL TOPCOAT
There are a couple different options out there when it comes to a gel top coat, just pick your favorite. But don’t forget this step! It doesn’t matter if you’re not using the coordinating gel nail polish. That tends to work a bit better, but I’ve found that a gel top coat (one you just paint on) works with just about any nail polish. And helps your polish stay not chip as fast and keep your polish looking new and shiny.
You’re doing all this work for an at home manicure, you want it to stay on for longer than a day or two.
I love a good at-home manicure, and nothing looks better than moisturized hands and nails. So even this winter – with the cold, wind, and snow that my hands are constantly exposed to because I am always forgetting to grab gloves – Palmer’s Cocoa Butter keeps my nails deeply hydrated. Even after my polish is dry, I like to add another little coat of cocoa butter to my fingers. It’s a great little thing to keep by your bed to to run on your hands before bedtime.
That’s how I jar; how do you jar? Click here for additional ways to jar!
