How to Give yourself a manicure

Why spend upwards of 20 dollars on a good manicure when you can do it yourself. All it takes is a little practice and time!

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Nail polish or lacquer
• Emery board
• Nail clippers
• Orange stick (optional)
• Lotion
• Clean, soapy water

1. Remove any old nail polish. Be it full, chipped, clear, or dark... You must get every scrap of nail polish off of your nails before you can lovely them up. Take your nail polish remover liquid and some cotton balls. Make sure you only rub up on your fingernail, so as not to color the cuticle. Pay special attention to the area of your nails closest to the sides of your fingers. When you finish this step, you should re-inspect under bright lights to ensure there are no trace amounts of nail polish on your nails.
2. Clip and file your nails. Use sharp clippers and try not to create any ridges or unevenness in your nails. Once you’ve gotten them the proper length, take an emery board and file your nails to the preferred shape. Take your time, and only file in one direction. Filing back and forth creates micro-ridges in the tips of your nails and will make them split or chip easily.
3. Soak your nails in a bowl of warm, soapy water. Let them sit for about five minutes so as to loosen all dirt and soften the nail bed and cuticles. Once they are soaked properly, use a nail brush to clean under the nails, as well as the top and sides of the nails. Pat on a hand towel to dry.
4. Now is the time to take care of any hangnails. Because your skin is soft, be quite careful here, you don’t want to make anything worse. Using small nail clippers, carefully remove the uplifted skin from your hands. Once this is done, use an orange stick to push back your cuticles. You’ll want them snug against the end of your nail and finger. Don’t push them back too far, and do not cut them… both can lead to infection.
5. Using a thick lotion or cream, moisturize your entire hand, nails included. Get in every crack and crevice. This will leave a slick residue on your nails, but it is an important step. You should then use a dab of nail polish remover on the nail to get them ready for paining.
6. Once your hands are dry, it’s time to polish your nails. Starting in the middle, brush on your first coat. Apply a thin coat to both sides of this original line until the entire nail is perfectly coated. If you get some on your skin, dip your orange stick into the nail polish remover and rub the access nail polish off.
7. Finish both hands and let sit for 5 to 7 minutes before applying the second coat. Repeat step 6, starting with the same hand as you started with for coat one. Let this coat dry, as well, and then apply your top coat just after.
8. Two to three minutes after your top coat, you can dip your hands (slowly) into cool to cold water to finish hardening the polish, or you can choose to use a spray on finisher. If you do not use either, be mindful of your nails for the next 10 to 20 minutes, as the polish sets.

Tips & Warnings

• Be creative with your polish. The worst that can happen is that you mess up and have to remove the polish.
• A base coat is not necessary, but not a bad idea.
• Reapply a top coat every two or three days to make your nail art last longer.
• If you nick your nails a very small bit after paining them, apply another coat of top coat. This will usually fill in smaller lines without notice.
• Do no clip your cuticles. This allows for dirt and germs to access the skin underneath and increases your chances for nail infection and possibly fungus.
• Nails take a while after they are dry to harden. If you nick your nails badly in that time frame, use a Q-Tip to remove that nail's polish and start over.