DIY: MANICURE

How to Give Yourself a Professional Manicure.

Tools you'll need: 

A small bowl for soaking, polish remover, cotton balls (or pads), and manicure tools (a cuticle pusher and a flexible nail file), cuticle cream and towels.

How to do it:

Step 1. Remove your old polish with a few fresh cotton balls or pads and an acetone polish remover.

Step 2. File and shape your nails. To get the right shape, use a flexible nail file, not a metal file (it may may damage nails). File each nail, working toward the center of the nail with each swipe; sawing back and forth will tear the nail. Filing in one direction also lets you proceed slowly, so you're more likely to achieve the shape you want. Start with a coarse file, then finish with a finer texture.

 Step 3. Soak your fingertips. Fill a bowl with warm, soapy water, and submerge nails and cuticles for a few minutes. If you have time, give yourself a post-soak hand massage. Make a fist and push the knuckles of that hand gently into the palm of the other hand; then switch hands. Rub your fingers along the bones in the back of each hand, then pull gently on each finger.

 Step 4. Groom your cuticles. Apply a dab of cuticle cream to each nail, massage it into the nail bed, then let it do its thing for a minute or two. Gently push cuticles back with a cuticle pusher or orangewood stick.

 Step 5. Clean up. Wash your hands, using a small nail brush or towel to get the cream off your fingers; then swipe nails with polish remover to clear them of excess cream.

 Step 6. Apply polish. Start with a layer of base coat, then follow with two coats of color and a final dose of top coat. (If you're pressed for time, try a one-coat polish.)  Try to cover the entire nail with only three strokes of polish; the more swipes you take, the more likely you are to get streaks.


Step 7. Clean off any polish that might have dripped onto your skin with a cotton swab dipped in polish remover. Be sure to let nails dry for at least 15 minutes before handling anything, and be extra careful for a complete half-hour to prevent smudges or dents.