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!! :)