Friday, August 2, 2013

The Notes - My nail care routine

I was requested by a lovely reader to write a post about my nail care routine in one of my NOTD post here and I apologise for taking a month to actually publish the post.

Nail care products
Nail care collection
So it's 8 pm in Chicago and we are watching House Hunters International on HGTV and imagining what house we'd choose if we were moving to Milan :) It's at a time like this when I take out my nail care essentials and start working on my nails which may I add are about as far from perfect as you can get. I think it's a manifestation of years of nail biting as a kid. Thankfully I managed to stop when I became a teenager but the damage was done.

I use a fair few products aimed at nourishing and strengthening as that is what I need. If you have lovely strong nails, feel free to skip or replace these products.

I tend to start with putting some of the Crabtree and Evelyn Nail and Cuticle Therapy on each of my nails. It's basically a very soft white cream that when you rub into your nails, and it softens the cuticles really easily. I love this stuff, you literally need the smallest tiniest amount, so this tube will last me for years! What a great value at $16.


Then onto clipping my nails if I need to and I use this set that I found in Boots years ago for about £2 and does the job well. I really like the cuticle pusher as it's strong but not sharp. Also love that it comes with a case which means I don't have to dig around to find the bleeding things.

Emery board, cuticle pusher, tweezer and nail clippers
The OPI Nail Envy is a cult classic. Since I have crappy nails, I am willing to try anything so when I heard that there was this amazing product that helps nails stay strong and stop breaking and peeling, I ran to my nearest ULTA and grabbed this for $16.95. The best purchase I ever made :) OPI Nail Envy is like a mask for your nails. You can wear it alone and add a layer every day for 10 days for an intense treatment or as a base coat under colour. It isn't cheap but it really works miracles, and I am a huge fan.

OPI Nail Envy

Sometimes I use an additional base coat and the one I have is an Avon one. My mum got this and gave it to me and I think it works fine. Nothing fancy.

Avon base coat

Then we are onto nail colour and today I am wearing OPI Casino Royale which is a deep plummy maroon. I like the colour but it does look slightly too mature for me.

OPI Casino Royale

Finally we add a bit of top coat in the form of the ever popular Seche Vite which adds an amazing shine which I love. If you like matte nails, this is not for you. I also love that it helps my nails dry faster. I am super clumsy so this is a huge bonus. It's $9.95 but is usually easy to find on sale or on offer.

Seche Vite

I always have a hand cream with me, one on my desk at work, one in my handbag and another one on my bedside table. I find that I wash my hands often and that makes them dry and I always need a hand cream. The one I am currently absolutely in love with and have purchased a full size of already is the Nuxe Reve de Miel hand and nail cream. This nail cream smells like heaven (honey and something extra) and I have been known to smell my hands many times after applying this. It absorbs so quickly. Nothing bad to say about this. 89.9% of the total ingredients are from natural origins, which is so great too. It's $19 for 75 ml so it's not cheap but truly worth it.

Nuxe Reve de Miel

So there we have it, that's my nail care. Oh and I use the Cutex nail polish remover which is great, but I haven't included a picture here. I hope this post helped some of you, do let me know if there are products that you use that you really love.

16 comments :

  1. I love that you use the word "bleeding"... so English :p I need to invest in one of those quick drying top coats if I am ever going to paint my finger nails... it just chips and smudges too quickly. Probably why I just stick to toes... (much more forgiving of whacky colours too).

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    1. Haha thanks for the comment. These days there are quite a few quick drying top coats, there are also some that come in a spray form which might be even quicker drying. However Seche Vite gives a really glossy finish which I like :)

      xx

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  2. I can't find nail envy anywhere, but it sounds great ! I also use the Seche Vite topcoat ! Love the post

    Madeline | Its a Mads Mads World

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    1. Hey Madeline,

      Thanks for the comments :) I love Seche Vite, I think it's a really good top coat.

      Shame you couldn't find Nail Envy, you live in Canada right, I did a quick search and found this place, have a look, they ship to Canada and the price is lower than what I paid!

      http://www.naildepot.ca/polish-top-coats-opi-c-6_90/opi-nail-envy-p-874

      xx

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  3. Oooh that OPI colour is so pretty, love it! I stoped using Sche vite because it says there is a chemical in it that causes birth defects and reproductive harm. Thanks for following me, following you back:) xx

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    1. OMG babe seriously? so what top coat do you use? Thanks for following. xx

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  4. Yeah doesn't your bottle have the warning label at the back? The chemical is called Toluene and it just totally put me off using it but Google it and see what you think. Currently I am not using a top coat but want to get the Butter London one soon because it's 3 free meaning it doesn't contain no formaldehyde, Toluene and DBP. Following you on GFC though because I am having troubles with bloglovin and it won't let me log in anyway sorry for this long ramble lol! xx

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    1. Ahhh thanks for letting me know. I'll look into it :)

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  5. I wish I could be this dedicated to my nails! I definitely want to try nail envy and a cuticle gel x

    lamourjosie.com

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    1. I do all of these steps maybe twice a month. Not that dedicated after all :) I love the nail envy and also the Crabtree and Evelyn cream. It is so nourishing and I absolutely adore C&E's packaging. That blue makes me think of sunny shores somewhere.

      Thanks so much for visiting. I love your blog. xx

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  6. Lovely post!! Been thinking about making a nail care post soon too :) Followed you back btw Shruti!!

    http://itsjessicachoy.blogspot.com/

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  7. Love Seche Vite - it changed my nail polishing habits entirely! :)

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    1. I really like it too.. but am worried due to the warning on the back of it.

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