Friday, April 6, 2012

The Busy Mom's Mani

As a working mom of two, I understand how hard it can be to find the time to pamper yourself with things like manicures. But over the years, I've developed a method that allows me to do a home mani in a short amount of time right before I go to bed. The secret is the fast-dry topcoat- my nails are completely dry by the time I hit the sack, and I don't get sheet marks at all! Start to finish, a mani takes me less than 20 minutes. Who doesn't have 20 minutes to pamper themselves?

So without further ado, here are my favorite nail products, shown in order of use for the perfect salon-quality mani. For all products, I start with the pinkie of one hand and continue on to the other hand before I move to the next step. And there's no need to let the coats dry in between steps- just start with the same nail each step.




1. Sally Hanson Instant Cuticle Remover. I apply this all around my cuticles, wait a bit (you can wait longer that it says), then use the thumbnail of my opposite hand to push back/scrape the cuticles. I typically do this twice.

2. Wash your hands and dry them well.

3. Orly Bonder. Apply one coat. This rubberized basecoat overrides any oily residue on your nails and gives your polish something to stick to. Key to a long-lasting mani.


4. Sally Hanson Nailgrowth Miracle in the gold bottle. Love this as a basecoat. Watch for CVS/Walgreens to have their BOGO or BOGO half off on Sally Hanson products and stock up.
5. 2 coats of color. OPI polish is one of my favorite brands. Tip for newbies: Try a sheer or light color as you are practicing your painting skills. They are certainly more forgiving than a vampy dark shade!

6. Seche Vite top coat. I won't use any other top coat. This is a super-fast dry topcoat with a fab shine. Expensive, but worth it!

7. Creative Nail Design Cuticle Eraser. Keeping your cuticles neat and clean is one of the keys to making your manicure last longer. This product is fabulous and I massage this into my cuticles a few times a day to prevent hangnails and prevent cuticle buildup.



Did you know I love nail polish so much that I've got a separate blog just for my nail polish review and pictures? Visit me at http://www.manicuremommas.com/ if you like nail polish as much as I do!

6 comments:

sprinkles said...

I don't always have 20 minutes before bedtime but when I do, this seems easy enough to do.

Unknown said...

I jumped on your top coat bandwagon ... LOVE Seche Vite. Now, if I only knew how to pronounce it ... ha ha!

Becky C. said...

I just had to go by Sally on the way home to pick up the top coat. I am very impressed and my mani last night is perfect and it was done in no time.

Thanks for the awesome tip.

Erin said...

so this has nothing to do with your mani post, but i did find a recipe that i'm going to try very soon...thought you guys might like it too!

http://www.howsweeteats.com/2010/11/crunchy-honey-chicken/

maybe it will be more like pei wei:)

Sasha said...

Sprinkles- give it a try- the Seche Vite topcoat is worth it's weight in gold!

April- I am so glad you love the SV!

Becky- stop back by and let me know what you think!

Erin- thanks so much for the recipe idea! You know what my kids like! :-) Off to check it out....

Marissa said...

I am at cvs right now! Stocking up on everything you suggested. I can't find the last one though. Creative nail design product.
Thanks for this I can't wait to get home and give myself a great mani!