I love a salon perfect manicure as much as the next girl, but month after month the spa bills tend to add up! After getting fed up with this added expense I decided it was due time to invest in a few products for assist me in creating a red-carpet worthy mani! Being a nail-junkie I had plenty of polish, probably too many. The real trick was in the tools, and most of these can be found at your local drugstore. 

Prepare your nails:
I tend to stay away from glitter heavy polish, only because they are extremely rough on my nails and the removal process is a pain! My most frequented polishes are neutral, so I tend to use a non-acetone nail polish remover. Occasionally, after removing a dark polish I'll have color residue left on my cuticles, the best way to touch this up is to use a Q-Tip precision Tip, these offer a clean and fresh removal every time. Once my nails are polish free I slather on a high-quality hand cream.

Find your base:
First things first, always use a base coat! I can't stress this enough, this will not only protect your nails but, it will also make the polish adhere better. I've found that my favorites are usually strengthening formulas.

Polish Please:
Just starting to purchase polishes? As much as I love crazy colors, it's rare that I wear them outside of Summer. My go-to shades are usually the classics, think navy blue, black, a true red, and a nude (great to have for professional events.) The actual application is easier than you think and even though it took me waay to long to figure out this trick I'm happy to pass it along. The trick is to apply the polish in three quick motions, once along the left, another on the right and one down the center. Once all nails are painted, wait 5-10 minutes and repeat the same method on a second coat.

Mistakes Be Gone:
Mistakes are common, especially when working with polish, no fear this is where the Q-Tip precision Tip come back into play! The flexible stick is great for getting in close to the cuticles and removing any excess polish that may be left on the skin. When excess polished is all removed finish with a high shine or matte top coat!

Want to add a bit of design to your nails? Use the Q-Tip Percision Tip to create patterns, my favorite is the inverted half moon! For my ideas check out Q-Tip's Pinterest boards http://clvr.li/1CA2zfP

xoxo,

Birdie