Pin Up Beauty on A Shoe String, The Manicure!

The Humble Manicure

 

This beauty staple can be so expensive. However, it is easily replicated at home and is the perfect activity whilst you are watching the T.V (please note; it is not an activity that is well suited to blogging.  I can't see my "G" button. But that's O.K no one else can find it either).

 

The key to all beauty treatments is: PREPARATION! This is paramount, you don't want to soak your cuticles for 15 minutes and discover you don't have any orange sticks to push them back.

 

 

 

You will need:

 

A bowl big enough to soak your finger tips

 

A hand towel

 

Nail Polish Remover

 

An emery board

 

An orange stick

 

Olive Oil

 

Lemon Juice

 

Base coat

 

Your nail colour of choice.

 

A top coat.

 

Patience

 

Method:

 

1. Make sure all your old nail polish has been taken off and you have washed your hands and nails thoroughly.

 

2. Fill your bowl with luke-warm water and some lemon juice. The lemon juice acts as a whitener and stain remover. Tip: if you have any small cuts, just put a little fairy liquid in. If you don't know if you have any small cuts, you are about to find out.
Soak your nails including cuticles for 5-10 minutes.

3. Get your orange stick which looks like this

and gently use the rounded end to push back your cuticles so, they are a uniform shape and size. Be careful not to push too hard. You actually need your cuticles!

4. Dry your hands thoroughly and grab your emery board. Shape your nails moving from the centre of your nail to the edge or the edge to the centre (Pick one). Tip: Do not use see-saw motions like you see secretaries in movies doing. You will split your natural nail in the unholiest of ways! Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but soon and the re-growing nail will be a bitch.

5. Make a cup of tea.

6. With your weakest hand, apply the base coat to your strongest hand. Using your weakest hand first means you will concentrate harder. You will actually do a better job this way.

Wait for it to dry....(sigh)
Apply base coat to the other hand and wait for that to dry.......siiigh.

7. Dry? No? Wait some more.

8.Apply your colour of choice in the same fashion as the base coat. Using your weakest hand first. Don't worry about mistakes, we can rectify those later.

Wait for that to dry.....siiiiiigh

Apply colour to the hand and wait for THAT to dry. SIIIIIIIIIIGH

9. Find your inhaler, you seem to be sighing a lot.

10. When it is dry, seal the deal with some top coat applied in the same patient manner as before.

VOILA

Do you have a few blobby mistakes? So long as your manicure is now completely dry, go and wash the dishes. The blobby mistakes will come off the surrounding skin.

11. Finish with a bit of moisturiser specifically for your hands and massage a little olive oil into your cuticles!

Until next time

Much Love,

Ginger xxx