Manicure Essentials.

I really don’t feel human unless my nails are nice – I’m not sure if that’s a little bit cray cray or not. Saying that, I don’t always have polish on my nails – I think I could go a couple of weeks without having anything on except a clear base coat – but I like them filed neatly and my cuticles looking healthy at the very least.

I tend to file my nails in to a simple squoval shape, pretty much the same as my cuticles. I use a good fine grit file and take them down until they’re all roughly the same size. Then, I work in a good amount of cuticle cream to my cuticles – I never really need to do much with my cuticles as I was blessed with good nail beds so I usually just apply hand cream at night to keep them hydrated.

I’ve recently discovered a rather luxurious handcare routine that is working wonders for me – a combination of the beautiful Aesop Resurrection Hand Cream (£19) and a few drops the Estée Lauder ANR (£43) – see? Very luxe. I tend to rub the ANR excess in to my paws after I’ve applied it to my face, adding an extra drop or two and then follow this up with a good helping of the Aesop cream. It honestly works SO well, and not just for hands and cuticles but nails too. No more flakes.

My favourite base coat is definitely the CND Stickey Base Coat (£8.95) as it completely adheres the polish to the nail, while also taking care of any flakes so polish stays chip-free for a good few days. I’ve just finished a bottle though, so I’ve been using the Sally Hansen Maximum Growth (£4.89) which is also really great for keeping nails strong and healthy. If I’m being lazy, I’ll just stop my routine there but I usually finish the job…

The hue I tend to reach for is of course Essie Blanc Nail Polish (£7.99), I just love white nails and I adore the Essie brush – it makes application a dream! I follow up colour with the Leighton Denny Crystal Finish Top Coat (£11) which is a favourite of mine at the moment. I know base and top coats make the biggest difference so I tend to go hard on them, making sure to use them every time I paint my nails.

I have a few on rotation but I usually go for the ones that give the nails a salon-like glossy finish, I think it looks so professional and nice.

I then finish up with some sort of quick-drying product as I’m super impatient! I honestly couldn’t go without something like the Leighton Denny Miracle Drops (£9) they speed up drying time by a good ten minutes I reckon. I like big thick coats so it really is an essential step for me.

This is a pretty basic routine for me but it works so well – I’m obsessed with getting my nails really neat so I tend to take my time and get it right, giving myself lots of free time. I find it quite therapeutic so it’s a nice way to relax in the evening. Saying that, the other day I did my nails while watching The Inbetweeners (old school) and I was laughing so much, slopping the brush everywhere. I’m going to say it was worth it.

Do you have any manicure favourites?