We've all been there: you're growing out your nails, they're long and fabulous and all the same length (FINALLY) and then...chaos.  One breaks.  Or worse, splits halfway down so that you have to baby it until it grows out.  Except if you're anything like me you forget to baby it after like, an hour, and then it inevitable rips off painfully. Ouch.  Today's post will not only show you how to fix said break, but also show you how to beef up your natural nails while they're thin or just keep them a bit stronger whenever you feel you need a little more strength! You can wear silk wraps the same way as you wear acrylics but with more of a natural look and less skill!*

*Note: While wraps will cause less damage to your nail when properly applied than would an acrylic they are NOT without their drawbacks.  It will cause minimal surface damage as will any product applied to the top of your nail plate for strength (ie: tips, acrylics, gels, or full coverage false nails).  Wraps do dissolve easily in acetone and should be repaired or replaced every four weeks for maximum strength.

These are the basic supplies you will need to give yourself a wrap.  Some of them, as always, are optional.  I don't think that tweezers, Bond-Aid (or a dehydrator), or accelerator are strictly necessary.  However, if you are not going to use a nail dehydrator I strongly suggest substituting acetone or alcohol because it does really help the resin adhere.  Also, the accelerator is a BIG help since you won't have to wait forever for the resin to set.  You will also need a pair of nail scissors, which I forgot to picture.

This is a picture of the resin and accelerator.  I'm using ASP here but I really recommend Rap Stick. It's sold at Sally's Beauty Supply and it's not incredibly expensive (about $10 for both the accelerator and the resin).  It's much thicker than the ASP, the lid doesn't get glued shut (major bummer), and it's a bit cheaper.  Resin is only good for 6 months so don't buy a ton of it if you don't plan on using it.  Also, I use the Swiss Silk 40 pack of pre-cut silk wraps which can also be purchased at Sally's Beauty Supply for around $4.  If you do choose to use a resin/accelerator set PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE purchase the same brand and be VERY careful with them.  Accelerator should be LIGHTLY spritzed at a distance of about 6 inches from your nail.  Trust me, you don't need much.  If you over spray your nail (spray too close or too many times) you WILL burn the crap out of your finger.  It hurts. A lot. I've done it and it feels like sticking your finger onto a hot coal.  It doesn't cause residual damage and it only lasts a few seconds but if you do it once you won't want to do it again!! I hold my accelerator about 6 inches from my nail and lightly spritz twice.  You may want to spritz it once onto your paper towel to be sure there isn't anything jamming up the dispenser. You want an even, light spray of accelerator.

Here's how to apply the wraps:

This is the nail I'm applying a wrap to.  It's not broken, it's just thin and I wanted to keep it thicker to prevent it breaking while it was growing out.  Start by doing a basic cuticle care routine. Then swipe nail with alcohol or acetone to clean the plate. Then buff lightly to remove the shine and use the Bond Aid or alcohol to dehydrate the nail plate. Don't touch the nail after you've dehydrated it or you'll defeat the purpose.

Next tilt your nail at an angle towards you. If you use the ASP resin be aware that it is SUPER thin. It's like pouring water down your nail plate. I bought tip extenders to use with mine to make it easier. The Rap Stick is much thicker and easier to control. You might want to slide a paper towel in between your finger and your hand so that if resin drips off the nail (which won't happen with Rap Stick!) it won't go all over your hand.

So I'm just going to lay it out there for you guys. Nail school wrecked my nails. Lol...my left hand is a hot mess from having so many procedures done on it and I'm experimenting at the moment with not polishing my other hand for two months to see if polishing really does make your nails less healthy (results will be blogged so stay tuned!).  So...today when my thumb nail--on which the ridiculously thin, damaged part has finally reached the free edge--split down the CENTER of my nail I gave up on polishing.  It's split down about halfway through my nail plate and because both sides of the nail are attached to my nail bed it's essentially a giant crack in my nail which HURTS like a mother.  I bet it takes two weeks to grow off the free edge.  Polishing is a no go til I find some resin to seal this sucker up because it goes straight into my nail bed. Ouchie. :( So here are some fun with magnetic's nails I did awhile back!!  I wanted to try to use the magnets in interesting ways and create art but without doing it as straightforwardly as the magnet patterns.  It looked super cool in person 'cause when you move your hands it kind of has a 3D effect.  :)  I hope you all enjoy!! There are still TWO more Rehab posts and then there will be an awesome giveaway filled with supplies for you to keep your nails feeling and looking their best!

Thanks for following!!

Colors Used: Nails Inc Trafalgar Square, Houses of Parliament, and WhiteHall Teal. Lines drawn with Models Own Nail Art Pen in Black.

It's time for another edition of Rehab Your Nails! Today's post is all about cuticle care. It's something we all deal with and keeping them healthy and in shape is easier than you think! Here's how to properly push and nip your cuticles!

Tools needed:

1, 2: Cuticle Remover

3,4,5: Cuticle Pusher

3, 6: Cuticle Nippers

7: Cuticle cream

You don't need all of these tools I'm just showing you some different things so you can get an idea of the options you have.  If you're nervous about cutting your cuticles, you can either skip that step or start with a slanted cuticle nipper like #3.  It has a V shaped groove you can simply slide around your cuticles. If you're feeling more confident, choose nippers like #6.  I like to use 1/4 jaw nippers since the blade is smaller which gives you more control.  #4 is a two sided metal pusher.  I prefer this type but if you're new to pushing you're better to start with a soft tip pusher like #5.  Be aware that a metal pusher CAN go through your nail plate so it's important to watch how much pressure you use and the angle at which you push.  I also have some cuticle cream which is optional but a good idea to have.  Cuticle oil would be another great option to finish your cuticle care routine.  If you don't have either of those you can use olive oil or a good hand lotion but cuticle oil/cream is well worth the investment because it really will help you keep your nails healthy and looking great.  Onto the procedure!!

This is the finger I'll be showing you on.  I waited a bit so I'd have a nice amount of cuticle to work with. You may have less or more.  I've added an arrow to indicate where the cuticle is.  You can tell that it's sort of a ledge if you will where the skin of your finger meets the nail plate.  The 'base' of this ledge is your eponychium, which is a fancy word for live skin.  You'll want to avoid cutting that since it will hurt and it will bleed.

Start by choosing a cuticle remover or softener and applying it around the cuticle area.  If you want, you can soak your nail in warm water after applying it (in a semi-thick layer in that case) to help soften the cuticle.  This DOES cause more damage to your nail plate though, so for me, it's not really a win situation.  Leave the cuticle remover/softener on according to the package directions.  If you feel any tingling, pain or other sensations you should remove it with soap and water immediately. Cuticle is DEAD skin. It doesn't have feeling so if you're experiencing pain there is a problem!  I used the Avoplex Exfoliating Cuticle Remover and left it on 3 minutes (or about a commercial break!) before massaging it in to my finger with my other hand.

Now you'll want to choose a pusher.  I'm going to use a metal two sided pusher.  Please PLEASE PLEASE do not buy a metal pusher until you are comfortable with this procedure.  You can seriously injure yourself with one and can even cause irreparable damage to your nail. You can also use an orange stick in a pinch.

Hold the pusher at about a 45 degree angle aimed at your cuticle.  Now using GENTLE, circular motions, press the cuticle back towards your hand.

Start the pusher about a quarter of the way up the nail from the cuticle when you push.  There is skin on the nail plate which will flake forward and come off the nail while you're pushing the still attached cuticle back.  This is normal and it's actually the purpose of pushing the cuticles.  Here's a better picture of what I'm talking about:

You should notice the color difference in my nail where I started pushing with my pusher about a quarter to halfway up the nail plate. See all those little flakes of skin?  That's cuticle and that's what we're trying to remove.  This is another great reason to start with a soft tip pusher or an orange stick. A metal pusher CAN remove layers of your nail. It will look different and it will feel different BUT if you're starting out you might not know the difference. Your cuticle remover/softener should have loosened this skin and made it pretty easy to push off.  You're going to notice that the cuticle which is still attached to your nail is also much easier to see after pushing.  I'm going to show it to you at a different angle so you can see what I mean.

The #1 in this picture shows you the line where I began to push with my pusher.  The #2 is the attached cuticle.  You don't have to cut this.  I never cut mine for years and years and it didn't bother me.  Leaving it alone CAN make you more prone to hang nails if you're not properly moisturizing your cuticle.  But removing it can have it's downsides as well.  It will grow back fairly quickly and if it's not cut properly it will grow back a bit weird.  Nothing to worry about mind you but just enough that you'll have to keep cutting it for awhile! If you decide not to cut then you can simply add cuticle oil or lotion and swipe your nail plate with alcohol or acetone (or wash your hands) to remove the lifted cuticle.  If you're going to cut you'll want to choose your nippers at this point.

I'm going to explain how to use the 1/4 jaw nippers because that's what I use but if you choose to use the V shaped blade nippers all you need to do is place the V at the base of the cuticle and press it gently to the other side of the nail, following the natural curve of the nail plate.  Easy.  It's another great starter tool because it's cheap and fairly easy to use without making your cuticle look like a hot mess.  You can pick up a double ended V blade/pusher for less than $5. These nippers (granted they're VERY nice nippers) cost me around $40.  If you're going to get a pair of jaw nippers you should also be aware that they're only good for about a year.  After that, they're too dull to do much good anymore so keep that in mind when investing.

To use the jaw nippers, position them at the base of your nail and just above the cuticle.  Now GENTLY press them down and then close the nippers. Then, with the nippers still closed, lift upwards, similar to tweezing hairs.  If you're nervous close them slowly. If you can FEEL them, they're on live skin. Reposition and try again.  It's not a race so take your time! You don't need to press hard either.  Just enough so that the nippers are on the cuticle.  When you close them and lift upwards there should be no pulling of skin. If it doesn't cut cleanly and pulls your skin, you need new nippers. 

Now add your cuticle oil and....voila!! Pretty, cuticle free nails! You'll notice I did leave a small cuticle on my nails. I prefer it this way since I work with my hands and don't always slather on lotion. If I remove them completely I get a lot more cracks in my eponychium.  I hope you all found this helpful!  I can't wait to share more tips with you all!

Here's another oldie but goodie!! I've had this one on the back burner since the Purple Crumpet Fairy Spring Challenge! Ah! The wonderful Miss Claire featured it on her blog during our guest post challenge so I thought I'd save it for awhile before showcasing it here on my own blog.  I was sort of inspired by some nails that were featured ages ago on The Daily Nail blog.  Mine aren't nearly as lovely as Melissa's but I think they came out rather well anyway!  I love retro designs and even though I've been really anti-animal print leopard is so easy and it always looks so cool on your nails!  I've started to really like doing it!  In fact it's kind of become my go-to pattern when I'm feeling a little lax on the art side of things.  Now zebra on the other hand...that might have to grow on me some more!  These have a retro vibe too which I adore. :)  I hope you all enjoy and thanks for following!!

Base is OPI Red and Models Own Concrete Mixer.  Leopard is China Glaze Ingrid and Models Own Nail Art Pen in Black.

These are some nails I've had sitting in my blog cache for awhile.  Awhile back there was a huge Tiffany & Co. nail art trend going on and since I'd done them just before, I wanted to wait a bit to let it die down before throwing mine into the bunch!! But since I was just at Tiffany & Co. a few days back...I thought it was a good time to do it!  I started with a base of For Audrey.  There are two different versions of For Audrey and one is a bit more green than the other.  I think mine is the more blue version and it's lovely though not EXACTLY the color of the Tiffany box.  Then I stamped on some bows and added in Audrey with some stamping and a bit of free handing to finish her out.  I think they came out pretty nice considering!  I'm still working on my stamping and some of the bows are a little lower or higher than the others but I kind of liked that better when I finished because it makes it look less uniform. Thanks for following!! I hope everyone is having a good weekend!

May has finally arrived and that means it's time for my May Make-over Rehab Your Nails series!  Each week there will be one post about getting your nails healthy and in shape!  At the end of the month there will be a giveaway of products to help you get your nails looking their best! :)  If the series does well, and it seems to be something you guys are interested in learning more about, I'll continue it throughout the year but at a slower rate!  As always, there will be a new sidebar for you to click to easily access these posts and there will be a tab at the top of my blog for easy access as well (look for it when the giveaway goes up!)  So without further delay...here's Part One of the series!!

How to Properly Remove Acrylic Nails:

It's prom time here (and prime wedding time!) and I'm noticing a lot of people with acrylic nails.  Many of those only have acrylics this time of year and therefore are eager to remove them when the event is over.  But removing acrylic nails improperly can actually do severe damage to your nails!  And most people, even those who are trying to remove them properly, are still causing damage to their nails that they don't need to.  So here's how to do it properly and cause your nails the LEAST amount of damage possible!*

*Side note:  Improper application of acrylics as well as cheap product can also cause damage to your natural nail.  Whenever possible, try to go to a nice salon with a good reputation for doing nail enhancements.  Yes, you will pay more for your nails but you will also save yourself a lot of pain and your nails will last longer and look much nicer!

These are the basic supplies you need to remove your acrylics:

1. 100% Pure Acetone: resist the urge to get the kind with additives.  It just slows down the process and it won't damage your nails any more or less.

2. A small bowl: I'm using a miso soup bowl. This is optional but will speed up the process.

3. A glass cup: I'm using a shot glass. A dappen dish will also work. It should fit inside the small bowl comfortably and also accommodate at least two fingers.  If you're not using a bowl then choose a glass dish/bowl which will comfortably accommodate your fingers.

4. Cotton balls, pledgets, or cotton pads: your choice. Whichever you normally use to remove your polish is fine.

5. Buffers: This is a 320/400 and a 180.  You can choose any grit above 180 but I recommend at least having a 220/400 so that you can get your nails as smooth as possible after removal.

6, Orange wood Stick: For removing the acrylic

Other optional supplies include:

1. A nail file: This is a 180/400 OPI file. It's good for shaping nails after removal

2. Nail Brush: These are pretty cheap at nail supply stores. It's good for getting the acrylic dust off your nails.

3. Cuticle Oil: To treat your cuticles after removal.  I'm using OPI Avoplex

4. Nail Strengthener: This is Nail Envy.  Since nails are often thin after removal this is great for helping them bounce back.

5. Lotion: To treat your skin after removal.  This is because of the drying effect of the acetone.  Avoid AHA lotions for this purpose and choose one with intensive moisturizers. This is Hempz lotion.

Tips:  Try to wait until you're two weeks out of an acrylic application before removal.  The more of your undamaged natural nail that you have to work with, the better your nails will fare.  To set up, fill your small bowl 2/3 full with hot water (NOT BOILING!!!).  Then fill the glass dish 2/3 full with acetone and sit it inside the bowl.  This will heat the acetone and speed up the removal process.  DO NOT MICROWAVE ACETONE OR PUT IT ON A STOVE.   This method is the ONLY safe way to heat acetone.  Lightly buff the surface of your nail before submerging it into the acetone.

Step One:  Submerge nail(s) for 10 minutes in warm acetone.

 This is what your nail(s) will look like after 10 minutes in the acetone solution.  Now you can use your orange wood stick to GENTLY push the acrylic off your nails.  Lay it on the top of the first layer of acrylic (DO NOT attempt to push from the base of the acrylic where it meets the nail plate. You want to remove the top layers before the base layers) and gently, at an angle, push the acrylic towards the top of the nail.

The acrylic should 'flake' off with little pressure.  If it gets difficult to push it then you need to soak the nails again.  I soak in five minute intervals after the initial ten.  Before submerging back into the acetone, use an acetone soaked cotton ball or pledget to swipe the loose acrylic off your nail.

Continue this process until all or most of the acrylic is removed. You may notice if your nails are particularly thin that pushing, even gently, on your nail plate is painful after awhile.  If that happens you can use your buffer to LIGHTLY buff the remaining acrylic off your nail.  Just be sure to use gentle pressure and keep the buffer parallel to your nail plate.

On the left you'll see my nail with the acrylic removed and just gently buffed with the 320 side of my buffer.  On the right is my nail after buffing a second time LIGHTLY with my 400 buffer and then brushed with the nail brush.  At this point, for all intents and purposes, you're finished.  That said, you might want to give your nails a little boost to keep them healthy while the damaged parts are growing out.  Do that by applying your cuticle oil over the ENTIRE nail and the cuticle and leaving it for at least five minutes.  You can also wrap them in hot towels to assist them in soaking up the oil.  Then apply lotion to your hands.  Gently wipe the nail plate with alcohol or acetone to cleanse it and then apply your nail strengthener according to directions.  I found that using the Nail Envy not only kept my nails stronger, but it also soothed them. They HURT a lot when my acrylic was first off but the Nail Envy really helped ease the pain.  If your nails are VERY thin it might be best to cut them to below the top of your fingers as well to prevent damage.

Tada! Finished, acrylic-free nails!  The arrows point to the thin areas of my nails where they were prepped for the acrylics.  I also had tips on my nails at some point so you'll notice closer to the free edges that there are some white-ish areas where the tips left damage and residue on my nails.  My thumb had the worst damage and I didn't cut it down like an idiot, but it was so thin that several days after this it lightly caught my hair and bent upwards to the point where my nail looked like a saucer!  I had to cut it down.  My middle finger also broke back recently.  The more they grow right now the weaker they get because when that pink line I'm showing you reaches the free edge it's the thinnest part of the nail.  And it WILL suck.  Keeping them cut back and covered with strengthener DOES help.  I coated my right hand with the Nail Envy and left it polish free reapplying the Nail Envy according to the instructions. This hand was polished with the strengthener being used regularly as a base coat.  I have no breaks on my other hand.  A basic manicure will help a lot too! So watch for that post to come!! 

Thanks for following along!! Is this how you remove your acrylic nails?

Today I have something extra special for you guys!  My very first indie polish review.  This is a SoFlaJo polish and it was made by Jody Alu.  She makes some really amazing polishes and her most recent, Year of the Dragon collection was just absolutely stunning.  I've been dying to get my hands on some of her creations so when she offered me the chance to review one of them for her I was elated.  I was NOT disappointed!  Jody has been making personal care items since the 80's and currently has her polishes available at her personal shop as well as via Etsy.    This particular polish is from her new Happy Hour collection.  It's called Shirley Temple.

Jody describes Shirley Temple as a cherry shimmer.  I think it leans a little orange in some lights, more of a tomato type red than a cherry.  It's not enough of a shift to be a duo chrome but it has a hint in there which makes it extra special and gives it a little oomph.  Definitely not your standard red polish.  And just look at that shimmer!!  I really encourage you to blow up the picture (just click it!)  so you can see all the gorgeous shimmer packed in to this polish. It's just lovely.  How was application, you ask?

Here we have two coats of Shirley Temple photographed in natural light.  You can really see the orange hint in this picture but it's more noticeable in artificial lights while in natural light it leans more reddish.  The application was a dream.  I've noticed with some indie polishes I've gotten recently that they're very thick, not very smooth, or that pigments in them separate easily. This is not the case with my SoFlaJo. I even let it sit without moving it for a solid week and there was NO hint of separation.  The first coat of this is a bit sheer but two coats builds nicely.  I think three would be ideal but I also love that the sheerness of it allows you the possibility of layering it over other things.  As far as wear time and dry time goes I'd liken this to an OPI.  It dried fairly quickly and shiny (there is no topcoat in the above photo)  and it lasted three days with no chips.  I'm VERY hard on my hands and my nails are damaged and thin at the moment so I imagine someone who is less hard could easily go a week with no chips or little wear with this.  Definitely worth the investment!  I can't wait to pick up more of these polishes!  You can purchase Shirley Temple (or one of Jody's other fabulous polishes!) by clicking on the links above! 

 Thanks for following! Do you have any SoFlaJo polishes? How do you like them?