my nail & cuticle care routine

So, I've had a few people Kik me or comment on IG about my cuticles & what I use & do to them...
Apparently, I have nice cuticles?!?! lol.. Who'd have thunk it!! ;)

Anywho..
I decided that since I haven't done ANYTHING to my nails in A WEEK, because I was doing my HK Girl Top Coat review (see previous blog post for more info/all details), that I would follow up with my nail & cuticle care routine, before I start my next mani!!! :)

here goes..........

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

FIRST, MY "GO-TO" SUPPLIES!! :)

1. cuticle pusher (I never cut/clip/nip my cuticles.. with the exception of HANG NAILS & then VERY CAREFULLY!!)

2. cotton ball & some strengthening polish remover.. not acetone (we wanna help heal our nails/cuticles/skin right now, not damage them more) :)

3. my Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter by  Lush (if you don't have any, I highly recommend purchasing some.. you know, it's not too late to add it to your Christmas wishlist) ;)

4. my China Glaze Orange Cuticle Oil (or cuticle oil of your choice)

5. & my China Glaze Strengthener & Growth Formual (or, again, the base coat or nail health formula of your choosing) :)

6. (not pictured) a nail file

Now.. We want to start with polish free nails..

Use acetone or whatever remover you need (or have) to remove all polish from the surface of your nails..

As I said, earlier, I haven't done anything to my nails in a week!!! :/

my babies probably feel so neglected :(

here they are.. free of polish..

dry skin & cuticles from the acetone..

uneven unshaped nails..

LET'S GET THEM BACK ON THE RIGHT TRACK!!! <3

FIRST:

SHAPE YOUR NAILS

just take your nail file & file your nails into the shape of your liking.. I prefer square nails :)

NEXT:

CLEAN YOUR NAILS

With your cotton ball & a little of your strengthening polish remover, gently rub your nails & cuticles..

This helps to remove any dust from filing & any polish that you may have missed from before, BUT is gentle on your skin!! :)

THIRD:

ADD  YOUR LEMONY FLUTTER

(or any cuticle butter)

A LITTLE BIT GOES A LONG WAY!!! :)

 this is all you need.. :)

then spread it out (but don't rub it in)

Let the cuticle butter sit on your nails for 10 to 15 minutes..

Then rub it in.. I like to rub it all the way up to my first knuckle on my fingers. (don't need to add any more)

don't forget to rub especially around your cuticles!!

AFTER YOU RUB IN THE BUTTER.. do your initial cuticle push..

gently, slide your cuticle pusher in circular motions around your cuitcle.. round it out as neatly as you can.

NEXT:

CUTICLE OIL

Apply a small amount around your cuticle..

Again, a LITTLE bit goes a long way!!! :)

I like to add a little to my nail beds as well..

Let the oil sit on your nails for about 5 minutes..

during that 5 minutes, though push your cuticles back again..

in small circular motions, making sure you get the oil under & all around the cuticle..

then rub it in, also in a circular motion

after it is all rubbed in, use your cuticle pusher one more time, just to make sure that the cuticle around the base of your nails is as round as possible (I have a bit of OCD lol)

here they are.. oil rubbed in

cuticles rounded

FINALLY

APPLY YOUR BASE

Almost finished..

All we have left to do is paint your base/strengthener/growth formula of your choice onto your nails!! :)

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!!!

All of my secrets revealed!! ;)

Now, I do NOT do this to my nails every day.. I do this whole process maybe once or twice a week (sometimes more, if I'm swatching or painting my nails a lot..)

On a day-to-day basis I DO use cuticle oil after every mani & I sometimes just add a little cuticle oil & let it completely soak  into my skin, meaning I don't rub it in.. I usually will do that at night while sitting on the couch watching TV or something.. a time when I know I won't really have much to do, so that the oil doesn't get rubbed off. Every time I use my oil I use my cuticle pusher while the oil is soaking, to push them back & round them out.

I really hope this helps.. Leave me some feed back if you have any.

Questions/Concerns/Just wanna say hello ;)

Also, if you have any more suggestions for blog posts, feel free to ask!!

I'll see what I can do!! :)

Glisten and Glow "HK Girl Top Coat" Review

I recently purchased my very first bottle of Glisten & Glow "HK Girl Top Coat"!!
I have heard so many great things about it, so I knew I just HAD to get some on my nails (I mean, my hands on some :))

Anyways, the shipping was pretty fast & I just couldn't wait to try it..
So, in the middle of 2 Christmas Challenges, I decided to go ahead & paint my nails & start my review!!! ;)

Day One:
Friday, December 6, 2013

I painted my nails with "Baby It's Cold Outside" by KicKass Beauty (one layer over "White on White" by China Glaze)
Then, if you haven't already figured it out, topped it with my HK Girl!!! :)

Day 4:

December, 9, 2013

I had already planned on taking photos of my nails today, to show the "half-way" mark, but then Eric said we were changing the brakes on the car.. I knew for sure my nails would chip.....

here they are.. all covered in grease.. after the brake job..

after I washed my hands

I had a corner chip on my index (big surprise there.. right when I think

it's gonna be long & beautiful again, corner chip!!!)

Well, as you can see.. EVEN after changing the brakes on my car, there were STILL NO chips or dulled shine.. still looked perfectly fine!!! Even where I chipped my nail hadn't chipped away the paint or anything!!!

Day 7:

Thursday, December 12,2013

Today is the day that I decided to end my testing, take my final picture, & finally remove the polish.

There you have it.. After ONE WEEK of the same polish & with the HK Girl Top Coat..

Barely any tip wear, one tiny chip on the corner of my nail..

All in all.. this top coat is FABULOUS!!!!!!

I LOVE IT!!

I would MOST DEFINITELY buy more bottles of it!

AND I HIGHLY recommend that if you ever get the chance, you buy some for yourself as well!!!

Great product, at first I thought the price was a little high, but after using it, I feel that the price is well worth the quality & life you get out of the bottle!!! :)

JUST so you know.. I did NOT take it easy on my nails this week!!

I wanted to deliver my true feelings & thoughts on this top coat & I carried on my days as usual..

bathing Ty, showering, dishes, laundry, I even painted my other hand & removed polish from & repainted my toes while wearing this polish!!! NOT TO MENTION did a brake job!!! ;)