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(While you’re reading this push your cuticles back.)
Last week I posted a few suggestions for conditioning damaged, ugly, disgusting, malnourished, pitiful hands and nails. This week is the segment everyone has been waiting for: The Mani-Pedi. 7 steps.
My routine begins on a Friday night. Pick your own day.
1. Friday night: Push the cuticles back, remove all polish and scrub nail with a nailbrush. Let them “breathe” overnight. Just put on a little lotion before going to bed. Takes about 5 minutes.
2. Saturday morning: Push the cuticles back, put lotion on the cuticles and massage. Takes about 2 minutes.
3. Saturday evening: Push the cuticles back, brush on one thin coat of clear polish, dry nails in front of the small space heater (suggested last week) or professional nail dryer. Takes about 10 minutes. Nice nails for Saturday night!
4. Sunday morning: Push the cuticles back, brush on one thin coat of color or if you don’t like color one more thin coat of clear, dry nails in front of the little heater. Takes about 5 minutes.
5. Monday evening: Push the cuticles back, check the nails for damage done during the work-day, file and clip as necessary, brush on one thin coat of color. If polish chips or (gads) there’s a broken nail, file the nail first and make sure all the other nails are the same length to match the broken/repaired nail. If there’s a polish chip in the nail polish dip a Q-tip in polish remover and lightly dab on the damaged area, dry it thoroughly in front of the little heater, then brush on ONE thin coat of polish and dry in front of the heater again. Note: if the nails are not tortured during the day, just push the cuticles back and put a thin coat of polish on if necessary. Takes about 5 minutes but longer if damage repair is required. Maybe 10 in that case.
6. Tuesday through Thursday evening: Repeat step 5.
7. Friday evening: start over!
That is all there is to it. Just a tiny bit of time each night (or whatever time works for you) is all that’s needed as long as the routine keeps going. Try not to let the nails and hands fall into hard times again because starting over is, well, starting over. If it’s been a hard day at the office and there’s a broken nail, don’t stress. Just cut the thing and be done with it and make sure all the others are trimmed to match. Sometimes when I wore longer nails I’d almost cry when I broke one. I see that as neurotic now. If nails are healthy and the cuticles are in good shape, the nails will grow out very quickly. It’s possible to go from short to long in just slightly over a month.
Even if longer nails aren’t desired, try keeping the nails in good shape and always put a coat of clear polish on them. It does protect the nail and for those who like longer nails, keeping polish on them does help prevent breaks. It depends on how hard we are on our hands during the day. That’s why I use gloves whenever possible.
The quality of nail products available goes from the ridiculous to the sublime. I buy medium ranged nail products. Cheaper tools break or don’t last. Nail polish can get gummy if not used frequently, especially the cheaper brands. I have many bottles of polish and I often have to toss them. It’s possible to put a drop or two of nail polish remover in them when they get gummy but it doesn’t always work the way I want it to. There is a special product made specifically for that purpose which I’ve never used.
Revlon manufactures my current favorite polish. They make a line called ColorStay. It’s a clear protective coating brushed over the polish and is sold as a set. The one-week routine above can be extended to two weeks if we are careful with how we handle our hands and use this line of polish. I have been able to keep a manicure going for as long as three weeks with touch ups.
One of the most frustrating aspects of pretty nails is the smudge. We spend time painting the nails then pick up a brownie too soon and bam (sorry Emeril) it’s smudged. That’s because it takes a bit of effort to dry the nails so don’t fudge (pun intended) on this step. Either a small space heater or a professional dryer is absolutely essential to keeping the manicure less frustrating each day. Some people say they don’t have all night to polish their nails. Not necessary. Spend a few bucks and get the little space heater. I place mine on a small stepping stool then I place my toes on the edge and dangle my hands in front and I’m done in about five minutes.
My last “trick” is a fun one and it works great. If I am a little sloppy with the polish I let it go. In fact, I’m usually very sloppy when it comes to the toes. I just let it dry. When the polish is thoroughly dry I slip on my socks and gloves with petroleum jelly or lotion before bed and the next morning the excess dried polish comes right off with a few swipes of the nailbrush. For stubborn spots just scratch it off with an emery board! And resist the urge to put too many coats on per session. One thin coat is best per day.
For pretty hands, feet, and nails, I spend just a few minutes each day before bed--instead of eating a bowl of ice cream. You can too.
www.sharonstrawhandgarner.com
Each week in this spot I will report an instance of good customer service (if any) but without embellishment. Just a business that knows how to treat customers. This week I received excellent customer service from:
www.MemoryMixers.com
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