When there’s not enough time to head to your nail salon, or the idea of heading out into the cold air is beyond terrifying an at home manicure (or pedicure) may be your only option. I’ve teamed up with Deborah Lippman to share my how-to’s for the perfect DIY manicure. Deborah Lippman products are 7-free, meaning they are formulated without seven common toxins: Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate, Camphor, Xylene, Diethylhexyl Adipate. They’re also fortified with proteins and nutrients to promote health, wear and shine.
Step 1: Start by prepping the nails. If you have any polish on (even clear polish), soak a cotton swap in a bit of nail polish remover and start the rubbing. If you have a really dark polish or potent red, you might also want to have a few q-tips around to get into the edges of the nails.
Step 2: Pull out your cuticle lab kit and grab the exfoliating cuticle remover treatment (the white one) and the cuticle pusher. Brush a bit of the treatment on each nail bed and then gently use the cuticle pusher to push back your nail beds. This step is crucial for a good manicure. It gives the polish a nice clean surface to adhere to and will help to give you healthier nail beds. From here you can take a nail file or clippers and even out or re-shape any nails that my have broken.
Step 3: Gently wipe off the nails post cuticle session and grab your base coat. I try and stick with the 3-stroke method for applying all my polish. Take your brush in the center of the nail a bit below the nail bed- place it down and give a little nudge toward the nail bed before pulling the brush straight down toward the edge of the nail. From here, start at the same beginning point and bring your brush down one side of the nail and then down the other. You may also want to give a little swipe across the edge of the nail to ensure the color goes all the way to the tip. Do this to each nail with your base coat to give your polish the best possible starting point.
Step 4: Pick your favorite Deborah Lippman polish color or gel lab pro color for a longer lasting polish, pause, make sure you’re happy with your choice, because there’s a lot of great ones to pick from. For our trip to Sonoma and San Francisco last month I went with a neutral from the gel lab pro collection to make sure I would have 10 perfect fingers throughout the trip, “Dirty Little Secret” was the perfect color because even towards day 5 when I had a tiny chip on one of my nails you couldn’t even tell.
Step 5: Use the same 3-stroke method and apply your first coat of polish. We were heading to dinner later that evening so I went for one of the regular polishes knowing I’d probably want to switch up my color a few days later. “Love in the Dunes” was the perfect mix between having a bit of color and sticking with my BFF, the neutral pallet.
Step 6: You’re in the home stretch. Give your digits a second coat of polish to lock in the color and keep your nails looking fresh and saturated. After this, grab your top coat and use the 3-stroke method one last time. I usually give my nails about 2-minutes in between coats to dry. This helps cut down the final dry-time as I’m not one to sit still for long afterwards.
Step 7: After your nails have had plenty of time to dry, I like to grab the cuticle repair cream from the cuticle lab set and slather it on my nail beds. I have a terrible habit of picking at my cuticles and the only way to keep it at bay is to have them be well-nourished at all times. It’s also the perfect size to keep in your purse so don’t forget to take it with you, especially during the winter! Sometimes I’ll also keep the cuticle oil by my bedside-table and rub into my nails and cuticles before bed- this just gives me the extra boost I need when I’m stressed out or my nail beds are in rough shape.
Shop your manicure and pedicure essentials:
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Products courtesy of Deborah Lippman. Thank you for supporting the partnerships that make Bonjour Blue possible.
