Bridal DIY manicure that doesn’t look it!
November 3, 2016
Posted by Prachi Malji
In all that hustle bustle of getting married, you’ve forgotten to book that all important manicure. Or your wedding venue is nowhere near a salon. No worries! You can get those nails looking wedding-day polished using your own two hands. All you need is a steady grip—damn those pre-bridal jitters—and a covetable collection of lacquers. Just follow the simple steps below and enjoy a good ol’ fashioned salon spa session for your best nails yet.
Step 1: Start with a Clean Canvas
Clean your nails with nail polish remover and a cotton ball. You don’t want to have left over nail polish on your new base coat. Use an acetone-free formula like Inglot Nail Enamel Remover that’s also enriched with Vitamins A and E for a quick, moisturizing cleansing.
Step2: Care for your Cuticles
Use a nail clipper like Sally Hansen Treat Your Tones Control Grip Toe Nail Clipper to trim your nails to the desired length. Avoid cutting your cuticles at home, but if you have a lot of practice, then you go girl! Caution: your cuticles can get infected if you don’t know what you’re doing!
Step 3: Shape and Buff
Use an emery board nail file to shape your nails and even out any jagged edges and smoothen your nails. You can go round or stay edgy. My personal favorite to keep it somewhere between round and square. Next smoothen your nail surface with a buffing block. This will help you remove the yellow stains from wearing too much dark nail polish. Colorbar Quickfix 4-Way Nail Buffer is great bang for your buck since it has four sides of varying textures. Follow it up with the smooth buffing side for a high shine.
Step 4: Time to Exfoliate
Soak your hands for two to three minutes and feet for five minutes in hot water. Now time to exfoliate. We love Scholl Refreshing Foot Soak. It effortlessly, melts onto the skin and gently refines your skin to feeling like silk. For an easy at home fix, stir a tablespoon of sugar with baby oil and gently scrub away dead, dry skin. Rinse and pat dry. Your skin will smell and feel great.
Step 5: Moisturize and Massage
Now the fun Part… Massage!! Just like the skin on your face and body, the skin on your hands and feet needs hydration too. Use a nourishing moisturizer like Grace Cole Boutique Wild Fig & Pink Cedar Softening Hand & Nail Cream. This leaves your skin feeling soft and hydrated. Use the Sally Hansen Pedicure Moisturizing Foot Crème, a vitamin-rich lavender infused formula.
Step 6: Prep Up!
Clean your nails again, this time with alcohol to remove excess oil so that your nail polish stays on longer. Secret tip: rubbing alcohol instead of acetone keeps nail polish chip-free for days!
Step 7: Don’t Skip the “Oh – so – Important” base coat
Apply your trusted base coat to smoothen any ridges. We trust Ciaté London Underwear – Base Coat. A thin layer of this base coat will do the job.
Step 8: Polish Away!
Pick a color! Any color! And apply two coats. Polish in three strokes: one stroke down the center of your nail and then along the sides. Wait for the coats to dry between the two applications, it eliminates those little nail polish bubbles that no one likes. Nykaa Pop Nail Enamel – Very Cherry No. 4 is my go-to color to welcome the festivities. The key is to make the nail polish layers as thin as possible, helping the nail paint stay on longer and dry quicker.
Step 9: Shine like Diamond
Apply a final top coat to seal the deal. Applying a top coat does more than providing shine. It smoothens the flubs and flaws… total life saver. Just one coat is all you need. Apply another coat in the week to refresh your mani and pedi. LYN Lacquers – Top Coat is my go-to for pure color perfection.
Step 10: Relax! DON’T. TOUCH. ANYTHING.
Now relax, and resist the urge to touch anything except lay on your couch and daydream about your honeymoon. You’ve earned it! Don’t like waiting for the nail polish to dry? Don’t wait Just appreciate Colorbar’s Rapid Dry Top Coat. It sets your nail lacquer in seconds.
