QUICK, CLEAN and EASY Polish Removal: No scrubbing and even works on glitter!

I used to scrub away at my polish like everyone else, until I discovered the "hands down" easiest way to remove polish. At first, I thought it sounded like more trouble than it was worth. Now, I won't remove my nail polish any other way!

I know most of you have heard of removing polish with cotton and tin foil. This post is for those of you who haven't, or those of you who have been resisting trying it.

Here's what you need: 

Tin Foil

Just the regular kind you keep in your kitchen 

Cotton

Balls, pads or squares: it doesn't matter what you use. Just try what you have on hand. You only need a piece big enough to cover your nail. 

Acetone (or other equally strong remover)

I prefer 100% acetone because it's inexpensive, works better than anything else I've tried and is readily available at stores (I buy mine from Walmart and Sally's Beauty Supply)

1. Soak cotton in acetone
2. Cover your nail with the cotton
3. Wrap your nail and the end of your finger completely
4. Set a timer for 5 minutes
5. Pull the foil, cotton and all, off of your nail. Apply pressure as you pull it off. 

That's it!!!! 

For those of you that have tried this method, what do you think? For those of you who haven't tried it yet, I URGE YOU!!! DO IT!!!! I myself was hesitant. I'm not sure why, maybe I just didn't want to waste foil. However, now that I've tried this technique, I can't remove polish any other way. This is just far easier. 

So try it! What have you got to lose? Besides all that annoying scrubbing. 

My CURRENT Nail Care Routine

Yes, I change products constantly. I mean...I basically use the same types of products, but like experimenting with new things. 

I use these to "exfoliate" my cuticles and clean my nails after I remove my polish and shape my nails

Here are my clean up products. 100% Acetone is all I use. I haven't had any issues with it damaging my cuticles. I get too annoyed to scrub with any other kind. I have tried a few brands, but I always end up going back to plain old acetone. 

I use polish thinner to thin my polishes if they are old or have evaporated. I used to use acetone, but since I've heard this damages the color of polish I switched to thinner instead. It's pretty inexpensive anyway and a bottle lasts you forever. 

Current favorite base and topcoats: 

• OPI Nail Envy Original Nail Strengthener: I have noticed a marked improvement in the strength of my nails since I started using this. I suggest using a trusted brand of strengthener. I like this one because I noticed a difference. Some people might. Some people might not. 
• American Classics Bridge the Ridge Ridgefiller: I follow my nourishing base coat with a coat of a ridgefiller. My nails are super ridgy and this stuff really smooths them out and the milky pigment of the polish is just enough to make my naturally dark nails look whiter. Ridgefiller also works great for smoothing nail repairs. I suggest any brand. I like this brand, Orly, Butter London Nail Foundation, or Beauty Secrets Ridgefiller. I like a certain consistency when it comes to nail foundation, but I haven't noticed that any brand is better than another. 
• Seche Vite Fast Dry Topcoat: I haven't had a problem with the polish shrinking. But let me tell you now...this topcoat dries fast but DOES NOT PROTECT. I don't intend for it to either. I put this over fresh polish and nail art for quick drying and high gloss. I've heard a lot of name dropping for Fast Dry Topcoats. So there are a lot of these to choose from and everyone has their own opinion on them. 
• American Classics Gelous Advanced Nail Gel Coat: When my polish is absolutely, positively, rock-hard dry (like I'm talking 12+ hours after application, I usually wait a full day or so), I add a nice healthy heaping of Gelous to my nails. I like that it's thick and protects well. I have also used Oh So Wet which also worked very well. I am picky about this coat. It needs to protect, it needs to shine, and it needs to be thick.
•  I use nippers on hangnails or torn cuticles. It's quick and pain-free. People discourage using these bc you could hurt yourself. But just like with Tweezers or any beauty tool...don't be a psycho with it and be careful. Easy peasy! This is a tool that must be sharp to work. 
• I use baby nail clipper to shape my nails cut the corners off of my nails as they grow. They work great for rounding my nails. They also prevent the cracking you have sometimes with the large ones.I don't like filing my nails. I do my best to avoid it because my nails peel and break more when I use them. 
• I use just about anything to push my cuticles. If my nails are long, I use my thumbnails to push my cuticles because it doesn't scratch my nails and its gentle. Orange sticks work good too. They're gentle and they clean under the nail really well. I have a metal spoon I like a lot but I really only use it on stubborn cuticles or when I'm doing someone else's nails. 
• I use a really fine grit yellow spongy nail block to buff the free edge of my nail for like a few seconds. It's specially made for natural nails. I buff just enough to remove any crust or peeling off the edge of my nail. That's as far as I go with filing. 

Ah yesss...and here she is....

My Holy Grail Of All My Nail Products

I have this product to thank for my nails getting evenly long. I used to have a lot of problems with a few, not all, of my nails peeling and breaking. This product works wonders for quick repairs. I don't follow the directions. I have my own way of using it. I don't brush the whole nail with glue. I just use the glue and powder on a problem area. I do the process twice. Brush. Dip. Smooth (right away..don't wait for it to dry or its harder to smooth out). Brush. Dip. Smooth. Everything comes in a nice user-friendly kit that's cheap and lasts forever. I think it's like $6 at Sally's. They are always have sales on it too. There is enough product to last ages. I had a problem a few months ago with the glue bottle getting stuck. The nice cashier at Sally's Beauty gave me a new kit and suggested I put some cuticle oil around the neck of bottle where the threads are. This worked perfectly. No more stuck glue bottle. I'm still waiting for Orly to hire me to sell their product since I never shut up about it. :P

And of course MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE!!!

I like using a lot of different moisturizers in various shapes, forms, consistencies and scents. It's my thing I guess. This is just the collection I have with my Helmer and in my purse. I have a whole 'nother collection in my medicine cabinet and next to my bed. I like oils for manicures, lotions for all day multi-use, and balms once a day to nourish. 

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my nail care routine. I'm not saying I'm right. I'm not saying I'm wrong. And since I switch it up often, I'm ALWAYS looking for new ideas and useful hints. 

So what's your routine?? 

Got any tips???

Broke AND FIXED a nail!! Orly Nail Rescue to the Rescue!!!

I broke a nail and I figured it was a good time to do another Orly Nail Rescue Plug. No, I don't work for them or get their products free (I WISH!). I just like to spotlight products or processes that I feel have been a great benefit to me in my nail care routine. This is one of them.

Don't get me wrong. I have my complaints. Like my glue bottle got stuck and I had to exchange my kit. When I got a new one, the cashier at Sally's Beauty Supply told me to put some cuticle oil around the inside of the lid. She said nail glue bottles get stuck if you don't. I did what she said and the new bottle hasn't gotten stuck so far. The last one was stuck like every time I used it. So whether it was the oil in the lid trick, or the fact that it was a new bottle, I haven't had this issue since.

I also think the nail file sucks ass. But any other nail file works just fine. I use a crystal file.

It was also brought to my attention that this kit is simply nail glue and acrylic powder. So instead of buying a kit, I went to Sally's looking for just those two things and came up empty handed because I didn't like the prices. It was cheaper to get this little $6 kit. It's more than enough glue and powder to last me a lifetime.

Here was a previous review I did of the product: My Unsolicited Review of Orly Nail Rescue

Since that review I've become a pro at using this stuff and can patch a nail in 30 seconds flat with barely even filing the area. Like most everything else about nail care: practice makes perfect.

I don't really use the instructions in the kit either. They say to paint the whole nail with glue. I only paint the broken area and dip it in the powder. I use it for splits in two of my right fingernails and for the occasional break. Like this one:

Before Orly Nail Rescue. It's a chip. Darn!

 For chips, since you don't have a nail in the empty area, you have to sort of build the acrylic into the space. I do this by painting the broken area, dipping in the powder and repeating that over and over till the space is filled. Let it dry. 

After Orly Nail Rescue. Buffed and painted with Ridge filler. It's ROCK HARD and has to be soaked in acetone to be removed. AWESOME!!!

Here's what the "patch" looks like polished. 

Beneath all my manis....

I don't usually do my manicures in one sitting. I like to spread it out over a few days. I usually wear naked nails around for a day...or well, nearly naked. I do my manicures in steps. Because:

• I don't have enough spare time to sit for more than 20 minutes at a time and do my nails. 
• It gives my base-coats a chance to dry before I begin layering polish or art onto them.  
• It takes me a good long while to decide what polish I'll be using. 
• It gets me around a week out of each polish change. 

Here's my routine for day 1 of my manicures: 

1. I take all my polish off with acetone and felt. 
2. I apply a cuticle removing cream and push back my cuticles with my thumbnails (they work better than any pusher and they won't scratch your nails). 
3. I then wash my hands with an exfoliating hand scrub. I use a brush to help exfoliate my nail beds. 
4. I will then shape and cut my nails with baby nail clippers. They make teeny tiny sharp cuts and are great for "rounding" your nails. They don't work well at all for squared nails. 
5. I use a buffing block to simply buff the free edge of the nail that I just cut, so the edge is smooth. I do this just a few seconds per nail. I don't like doing any unnecessary filing. 
6. If needed, I use cuticle nippers to remove any hangnails torn cuticles. 
7. I then apply a nail treatment, usually one coat. 
8. I put 1-2 layers of a ridge-filler base coat to smooth and strengthen my nails. 
9. Finally, I add oil to my nail beds because it moisturizes the nail beds and dries my polish. 

And here's what my nearly nude nails look like. I am in love with Orly Ridge-filler. You can see little fibers in it! How cool! It's a huge bottle and it's cheap!

I am always changing products or steps in the routine. What's your routine? Do you follow any of these steps? What steps of your own do you add in? 

Ooops.......my way too expensive haul!!! PIC HEAVY

So this was my haul from CVS and Cosmo Prof Beauty supply. Okay..so I went a little overboard: but it's income tax time. I gotta live a little right??? Plus I got some good deals. I mean...the total doesn't look all that pretty, but I had a lot of fun picking stuff out with my friend Lindsay the nail tech. I'm sure she thought I was nuts. :) 

I completed my line of Milani 3D Holographic Polishes

HD, 3D, HI TECH, CYBERSPACE, DIGITAL, HI RES (previously owned)

2 coats, no flash

With flash

Outdoors

I've been hunting a neon set for while and I love this. It's the Summer 2010 China Glaze Poolside Collection

POOL PARTY, FLIP FLOP FANTASY, SUN WORSHIPER, YELLOW POLKA DOT BIKINI, KIWI COOL-ADA, TOWEL BOY TOY

2 coats without flash-Yay!! They're matte finish!!! 

With Flash

I completed my set of Revlon Metallics

Gold Coin, Copper Penny, Silver Dollar (previously owned)

2 coats without flash

2 coats with flash

I picked up a few polishes from the Spoiled line of Wet n Wild Polishes

Toad-ally Amazing, Jewelry Heist

2 coats without flash- I was so impressed with the green. It's a shimmery-creme polish and I can't wait to wear it. 

with flash

I also got these cool CND package duo sets. There were just these 4 available and something told me I should pick them up and see if any of my polish junkie friends wanted them. And sure enough, two of them are being sent to my friend Jacki. I hope she loves them as much as I do. They really are such cute sets and I love the colors. 

Red Hot- includes Just Red and Red Sparkle

2 coats no flash

With flash

Silver & Gold Sparkling Effects: Includes Silver Sparkling Effect and Gold Sparkling Effect

2 coats without flash: these are so much better in person. They are so shimmery and have the smallest glitter particles I've ever seen. The silver is like a shimmery white sparkle. The gold is a super fine gold holo top coat. Amazing!!! 

With flash- compare the gold glitter particles to the red ones on the right They are so much smaller. This is micro-glitter for sure! 

I needed some new nippers. These were pretty cheap too. I also got some oil for my nail beds, an awesome cuticle spoon and a new foot file so I can start getting at my winter-worn feet. 

And these were FREE SAMPLES!!! Woooohooooo!!!!! I love FREE!!!

And my very first bottle of AvoJuice! It was on clearance for like $3. I had to try it. 

OH NOEZ!!!!!!! 

Needless to say I'm grounded from polish shopping for a bit. I will buy my Helmer and I think I'm good for a while. We'll see though. I know I'll be a sucker with all the summer polish comes out. :)