Sunday is mani-day!

As I've gotten older I've realised how it's the little things that make the woman. You don't have to be wearing a designer suit or diamond necklace to look fly and fabulous. Just keeping yourself well kempt goes a long way in portraying an image of someone who puts a lot of time and effort into her appearance.  

One of the things that I think really makes me look kempt and complete is a regular manicure. However, for me, having healthy nails is most important.
People often see my nails and think they're acrylics and that's for a couple of (inexpensive) reasons:

1) I take Cod Liver Oil capsules daily

2) I use Almond Milk instead of regular milk (2x the calcium and perfect for us lactose intolerants, yay!)

3) I have a manicure every week

After weeks of trying, I have now perfected my manicure routine and I'm so happy to share it with you guys in hopes that you can have strong healthy nails as well.

Trim and shape

Every week I trim my nails and shape them to make sure that they are always at their strongest. I prefer a more square shape to the usual round tip and for me my nails don't break or tear as easily.

Skip the 'base' coat

I used to buy into the hype of base coats until the store ran out of my brand and I had to find an alternative. I was skeptical about buying a 'no name' brand but it turned out that it suits my needs. This Ruby Kisses strengthener doubles as a base coat and a nail hardener. After applying just one coat my nails feel stronger and are shiny. Sometimes I don't even bother to polish them because it looks so classy. It also dries in about a minute (or the time it takes me to complete the other hand).

A little goes a long way

After reading up on it, and some trial and error, I have learnt that it's much better to apply several thin coats of polish than thick clumps. That's why I love my Rimmel London and Collection nail polishes with the Express Brush that helps me apply my coats evenly and smoothly because the brush is so fat and thick. Two coats are usually enough for me. (I will do another post later about my favourite nail polishes)

Top it off

Last but by no means least, I always finish it off with a top coat. There are two that I love for different reasons that I will post about them later but I will stress that I believe they go a long way in making my manicures last for an entire week.

Trick: I know what a pain it can be to wait for the polish to try but a trick I found is soaking your nails in very cold water after approximately 40 minutes. This helps harden the polish. Follow up with some lotion and you're done!

It may seem like a lot but I usually do this when I'm watching Devious Maids on Sunday nights and by the time the episode is over I'm done!

Be sure to let me know what your mani routine is like.

Smooches! xx