Now personally, I love nails and I think nails are a great way to express one's mood, spice up an outfit, and/or easy to take risks with. I will agree that long nails can look pretty darn ugly and fairly impractical. So, I'm working with short fingernails here and this is what I came up with to spice up those nails.
Sally Hansen's Nail Art Pen!
High maintenance? No way with this thing! It's like having a nail salon right at your home! French manicures, designs, tiny minuscule details -everything can be done with this little thing. Plus it comes in all your favorite colors. I will admit, it's a bit expensive hovering around 7 bucks, but it save many $20 salon trips.
Here are my steps to a perfect at home manicure:
- Remove any nail polish with nail polish remover.
- Cut your nails to a desired length and gently smooth your nails with an emery board. You might want to shape your nails so it has a nice curve.
- Take a large bin and fill it with warm/hot water.
- Add some hand softening material like olive oil, honey, milk, etc. Try and search the internet for other options - there are tons of natural foods that can help those hands. Covering your hand in avocados can also be a great pack.
- If you wish, take an old toothbrush and dip in your favorite soap and gently scrub your nails to loosen and get rid of any dirt.
- After about 10 minutes or so, take them out. Push back your cuticles at this point.
- Dry your hands thoroughly.
- Apply your favorite color of nail polish as directed on the bottle. Don't apply the top coat yet.
- Time to use those pens! For a french manicure, gently draw across the tip of each nail. Then draw another line directly below the line for a little more depth. Take a look at some conservative nail designs below if you are feeling a little more adventurous :)
- Apply a clear top coat.
- And ta-da! You are done!