My Nail Care Routine and Favorite Products

Hey y'all! Today is a non-polish post, but it is related to nails! This is something I have wanted to do for a while, but never got around to posting it. I wanted to share my nail care routine, and the products I use. It took me a long time to figure out what worked best for me, and settle into a routine that would keep my nails and cuticles healthy and moisturized.

When I first started blogging, I knew absolutely nothing about nail and cuticle care, and all I have learned comes from the master, Loodie. Seriously, she is my nail sensei and I do everything Loodie says.

Disclaimer: I am not a nail care professional. The following information is from my personal experience.

Through trial and error, I learned what products worked best for my nails and skin, and others that leave my cuticles looking like a ragged mess! I can't use any sort of balm for some reason, and most cuticle oils as well. Cuticle removers are the worst offenders! I guess I just have really sensitive skin. I stick with these three products and never ever stray.

My routine goes as follows, using O.P.I. Avo Juice hand cream, Jojoba Oil, and Nfu Oh Cuticle Remover.

Daily - Moisturize!!!! At least three times a day, and usually more, especially if I have a swatch day. I also apply lotion directly to my nail plate and along the cuticle lines and massage it in.

Weekly - Once a week, I use the Jojoba oil on my nails and work it in with lotion. If I use it more often, then my cuticles will start to peel. Weird, I know. I also use the cuticle oil after a long swatch day if I have used a ton of acetone.

Bi-weekly - I use the Nfu-Oh cuticle remover and an orange stick to remove any dead skin growth around my cuticles, side walls and underneath my nails. It is incredibly gentle, and contains lanolin (a yellow waxy substance secreted by woolly animals) which is awesome for skin. I never ever clip my cuticles. Ever. I use nippers, but only for hang nails. I follow up with Jojoba oil and Avo Juice lotion and usually wear moisture gloves. (I will be posting a review of the Nfu Oh Cuticle Remover soon!)

When I slack or forget to follow my routine, I can always see a difference. My skin feels tight, and I start to see dry nail beds. I am also more prone to breaks with dry nail plates.

While my routine may not work for you, I encourage you all to find some good products and a routine that fits your needs. Your nails will thank you!

O.P.I. Avojuice hand cream can be purchased from most places that carry O.P.I. products. Now Organic All Natural Jojoba Oil can be found in the vitamin and supplement section of most stores. Nfu Oh products can be found on line. Nfu Oh Cuticle remover retails for $11.50 a piece

Glossy Glam a.k.a. The most awesome thing to happen to the nail polishscene since Indies

Hey lovelies! I am super excited about today's post. I don't usually offer a review of top coats, because they are kinda tricky to review. And I go through so many different ones, that I would be spamming the blog with top coat posts. Finding a good solid top coat has been a huge struggle for me. Before Glossy Glam, my favorite was butter London P.D. Quick (which I actually did review, if you are interested), but the price tag was enough to kill my love for it. Every other tc either caused major shrinking or bubbling and the only way I was able to get good results was to add a load of thinner.

 

Glossy Glam hit the Indie marketplace several weeks ago, and it has gotten nothing but amazing reviews. After seeing the wear test from Marta of Chit Chat Nails, I knew I had to try it. Through the help of an awesome nail friend, I was able to get my claws on a bottle of this magical stuff and was completely blown away.

Update: Because I strive to give 100% honest reviews, I feel the need to expand on my initial review. While I still stand behind Glossy Glam, others have had drastically different experiences. It seems that for a majority of people, it works wonderfully, but for quite a few, it has caused smearing, major shrinking and not drying at all. As unfortunate as it is, it is the nature of things. All I can do, is share my experiences, honestly and to the best of my ability. Thank you for giving me a chance to do that.

 

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

 

 

Glossy Glam over Salon Perfect Pink Mystique - Day 1

 

Glossy Glam is the perfect top coat. I may be exaggerating slightly, but if my finicky body chemistry can get amazing results, then anyone can. It is thin, but not watery or runny. It applies flawlessly, smooth and self leveling. It dries very quickly, to the touch in about a minute and hard set in about 5 minutes. The shine rivals Seche Vite. No shrinking, no bubbling, no problems at all.

 

What really did me in, was how long it lasted. Marta, did a five day wear test, and I wanted to see what kind of results I would get after five days. Let me tell you, five whole frickin days of the same polish is hard. I am in the habit of changing polish at least once a day, sometimes 2-3 depending. Well, I managed four days. It felt like foreeeevvvverrrrrrrr. Ugh, never again.

 

Glossy Glam - Day 4

After four days, it still looked amazing. So shiny and the only sign of a four day marathon was minor tip wear. And that is four days worth of mom life; cleaning, cooking, dishes, gardening, small person wrangling. Amazing.

 

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.

 

Glossy Glam is made by the incredible Rica, and sold via her Etsy shop along with nail polish, stamping plates and a variety of accessories. Glossy Glam retails for $7 a bottle. International shoppers can find Glossy Glam at Shoppe Eclectico and Beauty So Fly.

Julep Maven Intro Box & Program Review

Good morning lovelies! Today I have my first Julep Maven box to show you all. Now there has been a lot of drama behind the Julep brand, but before we get in to that & my thoughts on the whole situation, let's check out the polish!

If you aren't familiar with the Julep Maven program, it is a monthly subscription based program started by a salon located in Washington state. When you first sign up, you take a "style" quiz that will determine what colors will be selected for your box. Every month, you get an email with your color choices, which you can opt out of if you don't like them. You also get a few extra goodies, like skin care or manicure essentials, or glitter! Along with your box picks, you can selected add-ons at a greatly reduced price.

 

My introductory box packaged all pretty.

 

 

Julep (Boho Glam) - Toni

 

Toni is a purple leaning dusty taupe cream. At first I didn' think I would like this color, but after I put it on, I changed my mind. It ended up being very flattering. It is a very pigmented polish and I needed just barely 2 coats. I could have gone with just one, but I can't help myself. Formula was excellent, thin, and flowy. The only issue I had, was the dry time was on the longer side. The bottle design has been a big complaint & I can see why. While they are pretty to look at, the long skinny design isn't very practical. It can pose a problem with tipping over (tho I haven't done that) & the brush is a bit longer, which can cause random drips, if you aren't careful.

 

 

Julep (Boho Glam) - Michelle

 

Michelle is a dark, muted navy cream. I am such a sucker for blue polish & this one is not an exception! Exact same formula as Toni, and even a bit more pigmented. I had some staining around my cuticles when I removed it.

 

 

Julep Cuticle Oil

 

The cuticle oil was the nail care item in the box & I can say, that I am so happy that it was! Love this stuff! It works really well, and smells like fruity pebbles! Also, a little goes a long way. I use it every day after I shower, and wash the dishes or give my daughter a bath. It also has a roller ball! I can't believe more oils don't come packaged this way. I never get oil all over my hands anymore.

 

 

 

 

Here's a break down of the pros & cons of the Maven program:

 

Pros:

 

- Nice selections of colors

- Fun packaging & extras

- Good price ($20 a month, plus add on polishes are $5. First box is $.01 cent with code PENNY)

- Flexible program

 

Cons:

 

- Previous drama with customer service

- Pricey w/o subscription ($14 for 8ml)

- Bottle design flaw

 

A lot of people are anti-Julep as they had a pretty big scandal involving Maven rewards (you can read more about it on The PolishAholic. From what I have found, it seems that Julep has since made up for that mistake and work very hard to keep current Mavens happy. I can honestly say that I did a lot of research before making the decision to sign up & I am very glad that I did. Thank goodness for the polish community! For me, it's always fun to get Nail Mail, and that's a big part of the reason I signed up. Also, I honestly wanted to try out the brand for myself, & for now, I am pretty happy!