A Detour From Mouth to Hands

I usually talk food. Well, I don't know if I can say usually, since I blog so irregularly. The point, though, is that for the past few weeks I have been totally obsessed with my nails and have been dying to talk about them.

I should begin by explaining that for most of my life I was the worst nail biter. After I was in a terrible car accident I stopped. Just stopped. Ok, so maybe that's overstating it. They tied my hands down so I would stop yanking out my IV and that was what really stopped it. But I digress.

I have thin weak nails, so even after I stopped biting them I had to learn a lot of tricks just to keep them decent looking. The big thing I learned was that nail salons make almost no money on a regular manicure so they do a rush job on it. If you're lucky enough to find a place that does a decent job tip well and tell your friends.

I've spoken to women, occasionally at the table next to me in the salon, who get they're nails shaped and prepped by a professional and then paint them at home. I've not tried that but I like the idea.

I have a short product list that I'm really happy with. It's mostly higher end stuff, but nothing you can't find a good drug store.

A glass nail file - I was shocked at how inexpensive this was and how much of a difference it made in overall nail strength. I'm not even sure why that would be, since it doesn't seem to make sense.

Orly Bonder - This is great stuff. For a while I was just painting on anything labeled "base coat". You can do that if all you want is to keep the color from staining your nails but this changes the ball game. A great buy at twice the price.


Any higher end polish - OPI, Essie, Orly (I like the minis to save money) or even the higher end Sally Hansen. Sure, you can buy a bottle of cheap polish for a third the cost, but it won't give a long lasting manicure. I'd really recommend staying away from the drugstore makeup brands. Those polishes aren't cheap and they don't last. Paint on two nice, thick coats of the good stuff.

Top Coat - I use Sally Hansen Insta-Dri when I don't have a lot of time but have found it chips a little easier than Sally Hansen Super Shine Nail Finish.

Give each coat a minute or two to dry before starting the next. That's it. My manicures last five days minimum and I'm super tough on my nails