DIY: Manicure at Home

Are you like me ? Can't be bothered to spend a tonne on professionally done manicures ? Well this post is about showing you an easy manicure routine that I use to save me money whilst getting professional level results.

Here is what you will need and where you can get it :-

• Acetone- any drug store
• Cuticle Remover- I use Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover
• Cuticle Pusher- any drug store
• Nail Files- any drug store
• Nail Buffer- any drug store
• 100% Organic Argan Oil or Olive Oil- I use argan oil I bought from Amazon.com
• Q-tips- any drug store
• St. Ives Apricot Scrub- I like this because it really gets rid of the dead skin 
• Bowl with warm water - things around the house
• Hand moisturizer- any drug store or beauty shop
• Towel- things around the house
• Any nail polish colours of your choice. In the picture I choose from Essie's Marshmallow and Chinchilly. 

Let's get started with the process.

1. Clean of any remaining nail polish using the q-tips and acetone.
2. Using the nail buffer, even out, smooth, buff then shine nails.
3. Soak hands in water and quickly dry in towel.
4. Use the nail files to shape your nails in the way you prefer.
5. Now using the cuticle remover , massage it onto your cuticles . Use the instructions for the cuticle remover you have for best results. The Sally Hansen one really works though. 
6. Push back your cuticles with the cuticle pusher ( the wooden stick).
7. Use the scrub to exfoliate your entire hands and also to get rid of the cuticle remover on nails. 
8. Rinse nails in water and dry well with towel.
9. Here is where I apply the argan oil directly onto my nails. This stuff if amazing. Your nails look extremely healthy and shiny. Don't forget to massage the oil onto the cuticles. 
10. Moisturize hands with your choice of hand creams. I use Bath and Body Works Body Butters. They smell amazing and really seals in moisture leaving your hands super soft.

At this point you can stop , but if you would like to paint your nails with your favourite nail polish here is what to do.

1. Remove excess oil from your nails with acetone. This ensures nail polish goes on smoothly without any of those annoying air bubbles.
2. Apply your base coat, your nail polish of choice and then top coat. 

Now you can enjoy your beautiful manicure that you did all by yourself! 

Is there anything additional you do ? Please feel free to leave in the comments below.