LUX Beauty: DIY Manicure & Pedicure

Mar 5, 2013
Marisa Machak • Beauty

Springtime sun is approaching fast! Make sure your fingernails and especially toenails are perfectly pampered for sandal weather. LadyLUX will teach you step-by-step nail care, maintenance and polishing dos and don’ts that will help you save money and give you beautiful nails to flaunt everywhere you go!

Begin your basic at-home manicuring with some maintenance work. First, soften your hands and feet by soaking them in a bowl of warm water. For a spa-like effect, add a few rose petals in the water and light a candle. Soften cuticles with nail and cuticle oil and then gently push back cuticles with an orange stick. Cut nails to the desired length with a nail clipper and continue by softly cutting hangnails and extra cuticle skin with a cuticle nipper. Use an emery board to file down and give nails a better shape. Complete the maintenance work by smoothing nails with a buffer.

In between nail maintenance and polishing, prep your hands and feet. Exfoliate them with a scrub or exfoliator and moisturize them with extra-thick lotion or body butter to care for more than just your nails. Remove all polish, dirt and oils from your nails with an acetone polish remover and a cotton ball for a clean slate, enabling polish to stay on longer. Finish prepping by eliminating rough spots and calluses from your feet with a foot buffer.

Painting your nails requires some extra work too. It’s best to paint fingernails on a flat surface like a desk or table while sitting down and placing the arch of your foot on a coffee table.

Always begin painting with a base coat to make nail polish last longer. Continue with the polish color of choice by applying two thin coats. Finish off with a clear, glossy top coat. Then just sit back, relax and let your nails air dry! Blowing on your nails or drying them in front of a fan creates air bubbles, making the polish more likely to chip.

Try a new way of painting your nails by creating some cute nail art designs with a pair of brush tools or try an at-home UV light and gel polish system to keep your nails as glossy as can be!

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