Step-by-Step Nail tutorial and 2 new nailpolishes (pic heavy)
Hey everyone,
It's FREEZING here, it's freezing 12 degrees Celsius, which is about 10 degrees Fahrenheit. This means my nails break and look ugly. So I have a nailplan to make them look and feel better. (But then I hid them under nailpolish to show you guys my two new polishes I'm sooo happy with).
Here is my Dior nailpolish after about two weeks of wear and tear:
Looks pretty great right? I got it during Christmas and have been wearing it ever since, this is still the first application.
But today I took it off with a cotton pad and some nailpolish remover I got from a friend of mine who never wears nailpolish and wanted to get rid of it.
I then cleaned under my nails. With dark nailpolish and remover I usually get some nailpolish gunk under my nails.
I use Herome files to shorten and shape my nails. It has 2 who have different coarsenessess on each side.
For a buffer I also use a Herome file.
Using the coarsest I do something that the file isn't meant for.
I use it to file away some of the hardened skin next to my nails. You're not supposed to cut this skin, but people buff away dead skin at their feet, so I buff away some of the dead skin on my hands. Make sure to not hurt your cuticles though if you try this. I hold my file like this: 
I then shape my nails. There are a lot of different shape trends and I try to not go with them anymore, I found out that the best shape for my fingers is the same bend as the top of my finger has. Look at this picture to see that the curve of the nail is almost the same as the tip of my finger. I round the edges a bit, but not much.
Now to show you how badly my nails are actually damaged by the weather, which makes them prone to breaking and bending when I open a can or bump into things.
Now I use the fine file to file down the up sticking nail particles. I always try to not buff away all the ridges during the winter period because this thins out the nails and makes them even quicker to break. So when I file this damaged area I do it very carefully trying to only take away the out sticking parts of nail. You can use a buffer file for this, but I've done it more and I'm not as patient today. I do take the buffer file to clean up the cut and use the polish side (step 2) of the buffer file to close the damage.
I now go over the "dent" in the nail with some Hard as Wraps by Sally Hansen.
Which I then file down (when it's dry!!) until it blends in with the nail. You can skip this step if you don't file down a lot, but I always hate a little dent in my nails, even if I'm the only one who actually sees it.
I buff and polish the filed down polish to make it actually disappear in the nail even more. You now barely see the damage and it's somewhat strengthened to keep it from breaking there.
The next thing I do (after filling in the damage because there's chemicals in this and I don't think it's good to seep into a damaged nail) is use the Herome Cuticle Remover. This doesn't remove the cuticle, it's a bad name, it gets rid of overgrown cuticles. I haven't been doing anything to my nails for two weeks and even though they're not "overgrown" they are more on my nail then normally so I use this to gently loosen the cuticle. When cuticles lay loosely on the nail surface they no longer suffocate nail growth. So it's also something that helps with growing your nails. I do want the damaged part out as soon as possible, I really don't know if my nails grow any quicker with this, I think mostly supplements, vitamins and milk (calcium) help with this, but it won't damage them either so ....
I applied the gel to the cuticles and let it absorb for 3 minutes.
I then pushed back the cuticles with an orange stick and washed my hands thoroughly.
You may have noticed the laptop sitting near me, I always do my nails while watching a tv show or youtube or a tutorial online, this multitasking means I don't feel like I'm "wasting" time. I'm doing two things at once.
I now take another thing, Sally Hansen's Nail Revitaliser. Which turns discoloured, thick, ridged nails into smooth, clean healthy looking nails. Because I've been wearing dark nailpolish that stains the nails, I use this as a "better safe then sorry" measure.
This stuff works as follows, you put a dollop from the tube on your nails, then you scrub with the brush for (at least) one minute.
This is what they look like afterwards, a little dulled down.
A quick brush with the buffer and polish file to close any damage that may have occurred with the revitaliser just to be safe.
This file is on a soft surface which means you can't hurt your nails. This many short buffings is another reason why I don't file away my ridges at the start of the "manicure".
Now that the damage on my nails is "repaired", they're shaped, the cuticles are loose and they're revitalised and buffed to perfection it's time to feed them to make them healthy and strong.
I start with Herome's Hydrating Nail Gel, this stuff is amazing, and you actually feel it working. It's specifically made for dry and splitting nails. When your nails crack and the nail plates split, your nails lack moisture and this stuff brings it back.
After you put it on (I'm not only using it on the nails, whatever gets on the nailbed/cuticles doesn't do any damage and it feels so great that I'm always using a lot) my nails look like this:
After it sinks in, my nails look a lot better (the nails look wet, but they aren't, this is the moisture doing it's work which makes the nails look more "see through").
Next up is some more care, in the form of Herome Nourishing Nail Oil which repairs the condition of the nails and cuticles. I usually put this on my nails 2 to 3 times a week when I go to sleep, but now I need some extra care.
With this on my nails they look all shiny.
I massage it into my nails and then I'm ready for the next step in care.
What you see here is Badger Cuticle Care, Herome Cuticle and Nail Remedy Pen and Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Cuticle and Nail Moisture Treatment Pen.
I start with the Herome pen and follow with the Badger...
....which is restorative and rub this into my cuticles, I let this sink in for about an hour and then my nails look like this, well moisturized.
I now rub my hands/nails on a towel. If you want you can use some aceton free nailpolish remover to take away the oil from the nail, but I'm just rubbing it well, I don't want to undo the healing I've started.
The nailpolish that I'm using as a base is not the Nail Envy (OPI) I usually use, but I'm using Sally Hansen's Maximum Growth.
If you apply a new coat to your nails every day this is supposed to help your nails grow quicker. Remember when you polish your nails to get as close as possible to the cuticle, but not to actually touch them with the polish, your cuticles need air to be healthy.
Now here come the colours I got.
The left one is Dior Vernis (Long-Wearing Nail Lacquer) in 905 which is a black with very small silver glittery specks. Very very very pretty! This is the one I took off after two weeks of wear at the start of this blogpost.
The right one is Chanel Le Vernis (Nail Colour) in 479 Kaleidoscope which is a metallic mix between silver and gold. There's probably a great American name for this colour but I don't know which.
I did every other nail in the Kaleidoscope and the then bare nails in 905 Dior. After two coats (I like the extra depth of two coats, but one coat also gives great coverage, so the second layer is purely for my own idea) the nails look like this without flash:
With flash:
I hope you guys enjoyed this and didn't fall asleep halfway through.
Step-by-Step Nail tutorial and 2 new nailpolishes (pic heavy)
Hey everyone,
It's FREEZING here, it's freezing 12 degrees Celsius, which is about 10 degrees Fahrenheit. This means my nails break and look ugly. So I have a nailplan to make them look and feel better. (But then I hid them under nailpolish to show you guys my two new polishes I'm sooo happy with).
Here is my Dior nailpolish after about two weeks of wear and tear:
Looks pretty great right? I got it during Christmas and have been wearing it ever since, this is still the first application.
But today I took it off with a cotton pad and some nailpolish remover I got from a friend of mine who never wears nailpolish and wanted to get rid of it.
I then cleaned under my nails. With dark nailpolish and remover I usually get some nailpolish gunk under my nails.
I use Herome files to shorten and shape my nails. It has 2 who have different coarsenessess on each side.
For a buffer I also use a Herome file.
Using the coarsest I do something that the file isn't meant for.
I use it to file away some of the hardened skin next to my nails. You're not supposed to cut this skin, but people buff away dead skin at their feet, so I buff away some of the dead skin on my hands. Make sure to not hurt your cuticles though if you try this. I hold my file like this:
I then shape my nails. There are a lot of different shape trends and I try to not go with them anymore, I found out that the best shape for my fingers is the same bend as the top of my finger has. Look at this picture to see that the curve of the nail is almost the same as the tip of my finger. I round the edges a bit, but not much.
Now to show you how badly my nails are actually damaged by the weather, which makes them prone to breaking and bending when I open a can or bump into things.
Now I use the fine file to file down the up sticking nail particles. I always try to not buff away all the ridges during the winter period because this thins out the nails and makes them even quicker to break. So when I file this damaged area I do it very carefully trying to only take away the out sticking parts of nail. You can use a buffer file for this, but I've done it more and I'm not as patient today. I do take the buffer file to clean up the cut and use the polish side (step 2) of the buffer file to close the damage.
I now go over the "dent" in the nail with some Hard as Wraps by Sally Hansen.
Which I then file down (when it's dry!!) until it blends in with the nail. You can skip this step if you don't file down a lot, but I always hate a little dent in my nails, even if I'm the only one who actually sees it.
I buff and polish the filed down polish to make it actually disappear in the nail even more. You now barely see the damage and it's somewhat strengthened to keep it from breaking there.
The next thing I do (after filling in the damage because there's chemicals in this and I don't think it's good to seep into a damaged nail) is use the Herome Cuticle Remover. This doesn't remove the cuticle, it's a bad name, it gets rid of overgrown cuticles. I haven't been doing anything to my nails for two weeks and even though they're not "overgrown" they are more on my nail then normally so I use this to gently loosen the cuticle. When cuticles lay loosely on the nail surface they no longer suffocate nail growth. So it's also something that helps with growing your nails. I do want the damaged part out as soon as possible, I really don't know if my nails grow any quicker with this, I think mostly supplements, vitamins and milk (calcium) help with this, but it won't damage them either so ....
I applied the gel to the cuticles and let it absorb for 3 minutes.
I then pushed back the cuticles with an orange stick and washed my hands thoroughly.
You may have noticed the laptop sitting near me, I always do my nails while watching a tv show or youtube or a tutorial online, this multitasking means I don't feel like I'm "wasting" time. I'm doing two things at once.
I now take another thing, Sally Hansen's Nail Revitaliser. Which turns discoloured, thick, ridged nails into smooth, clean healthy looking nails. Because I've been wearing dark nailpolish that stains the nails, I use this as a "better safe then sorry" measure.
This stuff works as follows, you put a dollop from the tube on your nails, then you scrub with the brush for (at least) one minute.
This is what they look like afterwards, a little dulled down.
A quick brush with the buffer and polish file to close any damage that may have occurred with the revitaliser just to be safe.
This file is on a soft surface which means you can't hurt your nails. This many short buffings is another reason why I don't file away my ridges at the start of the "manicure".
Now that the damage on my nails is "repaired", they're shaped, the cuticles are loose and they're revitalised and buffed to perfection it's time to feed them to make them healthy and strong.
I start with Herome's Hydrating Nail Gel, this stuff is amazing, and you actually feel it working. It's specifically made for dry and splitting nails. When your nails crack and the nail plates split, your nails lack moisture and this stuff brings it back.
After you put it on (I'm not only using it on the nails, whatever gets on the nailbed/cuticles doesn't do any damage and it feels so great that I'm always using a lot) my nails look like this:
After it sinks in, my nails look a lot better (the nails look wet, but they aren't, this is the moisture doing it's work which makes the nails look more "see through").
Next up is some more care, in the form of Herome Nourishing Nail Oil which repairs the condition of the nails and cuticles. I usually put this on my nails 2 to 3 times a week when I go to sleep, but now I need some extra care.
With this on my nails they look all shiny.
I massage it into my nails and then I'm ready for the next step in care.
What you see here is Badger Cuticle Care, Herome Cuticle and Nail Remedy Pen and Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Cuticle and Nail Moisture Treatment Pen.
I start with the Herome pen and follow with the Badger...
....which is restorative and rub this into my cuticles, I let this sink in for about an hour and then my nails look like this, well moisturized.
I now rub my hands/nails on a towel. If you want you can use some aceton free nailpolish remover to take away the oil from the nail, but I'm just rubbing it well, I don't want to undo the healing I've started.
The nailpolish that I'm using as a base is not the Nail Envy (OPI) I usually use, but I'm using Sally Hansen's Maximum Growth.
If you apply a new coat to your nails every day this is supposed to help your nails grow quicker. Remember when you polish your nails to get as close as possible to the cuticle, but not to actually touch them with the polish, your cuticles need air to be healthy.
Now here come the colours I got.
The left one is Dior Vernis (Long-Wearing Nail Lacquer) in 905 which is a black with very small silver glittery specks. Very very very pretty! This is the one I took off after two weeks of wear at the start of this blogpost.
The right one is Chanel Le Vernis (Nail Colour) in 479 Kaleidoscope which is a metallic mix between silver and gold. There's probably a great American name for this colour but I don't know which.
I did every other nail in the Kaleidoscope and the then bare nails in 905 Dior. After two coats (I like the extra depth of two coats, but one coat also gives great coverage, so the second layer is purely for my own idea) the nails look like this without flash:
With flash:
I hope you guys enjoyed this and didn't fall asleep halfway through.
Beauty Product Junkies