Finally "Nailed" The Perfect At Home Manicure

For most of my adult life, I’ve been trying to figure out how to keep my nails presentable. As a teenager, as soon as I started making steady income, I would get my nails done every few weeks. That frequency would approximately last 4 months at a time, until I got tired, too broke or even turned off by the idea of going back to the nail salon and going through what never felt like a relaxing or soothing process to me. I repeated this cycle for over a decade; weathering the months during my “off season” with chipped, short and unpolished nails. When I entered my 30s, I realized a different approach to nail care was no doubt needed. I was in search of something manageable, but low maintenance and at the very least – less invasive. 

First, I decided that I would attempt to take care of my nails at home – for the most part. I would go to nail salons only on special occasions, when I wanted a certain style or look or was in need of something super cute for an outing. This drastically lessened the amount of times, overtime I entered into a nail salon. Second, I invested in at home nail tools. I had the odd nail polish and filer here and there; but didn’t have a dedicated set of tools to keep my nails in shape, buffed, and be able to retain length overtime. Third, I finally graduated from a standard polish to experimenting with gel polish, gel nail stickers and even a mini UV light to help secure my at home gel manicures. I did stay away from press-ons, cause while they've certainly have gotten cuter and more natural is the last decade, the length they usually come in and the glue application is too close to a nail salon visit, without actually prioritizing the health and longevity of my actual nails, which is what I was in search for. So where did I land?

Sally Hassen’s Miracle Gel Nail Polish definitely took the cake. Combined with a nail hardener for the base coat, and Sally Hansen’s gel top coat to finish. But I still struggle with the tips of my nails beginning to chip within 2-3 days. So to make sure thet stayed sealed for as a long as possible, I used the technique known as “capping the free edge”, where you paint and/or seal the edge or your nails with polish or top coat to help prevent chipping at the very top of the nail. A thin application is all that’s needed, going over the edge of the nail and if possible underneath to lock in the manicure. Another tip, as written in Vogue, is to apply a thin layer of the top coat to your nails on a daily basis, to help maintain your manicure by adding a protective layer as the days go by.

So whether you still prefer a nail salon visit or like me in search of something different, or even possibly creating a salon-worthy set at home, we hope this lil at home guide can be a source of inspo for your own nail journey.