all about nails

I don't know if you guys know this, but I'm a big BIG nail polish fan.
So big I bought about half of the Sally Hansen "Miracle Gel Nail" polishes in one go. Then spent 3 days in a funk because I couldn't decided what color to go with (upcoming post about this). 

Now, if you live in the Philippines you'll know this: manicures are cheap. Like, doing your own nails isn't even on your list of options because it's so cheap. I think a manicure in the United States is about $30? Well, here you can get it for about $4. Make it $7-8 if you're adding the tip. This is an average cost. I've yet to splurge on a really expensive place, mind you there are even cheaper ones (not that I'd advise venturing to those places. You can be cheap but not that cheap).

As much as I adore having my nails done - the hand massages (it's just not as satisfying to give yourself one), the smell of the nail salon (I'm so addicted to it), and the nice lady who tries to get the best version of your 30-min life story while she gives you french tips - I still enjoy the novelty of having people say "I love your nails!" and then you give them a sly look and say -very proudly, I might add- "I did them myself!" Gasps of surprise are given and questions come in from all corners!

Before I ramble on too much let me tell you the secret to having the perfect tips. It's all in the prep work. The filing, buffing and most of all pushing. Yup, pushing. Cuticle pushing. Without further ado:

The Nail Kit:

4-Way Buffer - My sister bought me my first ever buffer. Its was beautiful, pink, tiring on the arms but so worth it.

Nail Clipper - There is such a thing as a perfect clipper. I had one. It was great and had monkeys on it. It's long since passed away but I am still on the hunt for it's replacement. 

Cuticle Nipper - These babies cut off those hangnails with a vengeance.

Cuticle Pushy & Cleaner -  This one seems scary but all it takes is practice and I promise you your routine won't seem complete without it.

Rubber Cuticle Pusher -  I'm not a super fan of the wooden orange sticks (plus they aren't reusable) and they start to smell weird.

Glass Nail File -  I'm putting this up even of I have yet to try it, but come on, a nail file that is cool looking, never wears out and is made of glass. This is always what I imagined the future to look like, and looks like I didn't have to wait long. Whether glass or not though I spend most of my days filing to the perfect shape (I'm a square kind of gal).

Cuticle Remover - As a kid I'd go with my mom to the salon and they'd do my nails and I clearly remember her telling them "Don't cut her cuticles!" Well, this has long since replaced cuticle cutting and it's safe and painless.

Toe Nail Clipper -  The woes of attempting to cut your toe nails with a regular clipper isn't worth it. Always have both the a regular clipper and a toe nail clipper. Your feet deserve as much pampering, if not more.

Toe Separators - Not everyone needs this, but I've often found it to be a beautiful thing. And it's cheap so you can buy one in every color!

Nail Polish Remover - Buy yourself the big bottle, you'll thank yourself later when it's 3 a.m. you can't sleep and you just want to change the color of your tips.

Cuticle Oil - I've only recently jumped onto the cuticle oil bandwagon, but let me tell you, I am never getting off. If you want those beautiful nail ad type hands get this. Plus, it's easier to do a good job painting them when your surface isn't this jagged expanse of broken and torn cuticles.

Hand Cream - I've commandeered all the bottles of hand cream in the house and lined them up for easier access. I'm a sucker for anything with a whiff of peppermint so I'd go with this. Trust me, there is a difference with a soft handshake (give a nice firm one any day) and a soft handshake.

That's all for now! I'll try to do a tutorial for most, if not all, of the things mentioned above. Just get started collecting these things and you'll have two very happy hands and lots of impressed people.