Pepper’s DIY Manicure: Step By Step!

I get a lot of comments on my nail polish in some of my knitting pictures, so just for funsies I thought I’d do a post on how I paint my nails.  I love this method because I can get at least a good week out of the polish and it looks and feels a lot like gel nails but without the frustrating removal process.

STEP 1: If your cuticles need help, use a cuticle remover cream.  I use Sally Hansen Problem Cuticle Remover and leave it on for 5 minutes, then I push the nailbed part of my cuticles back with the dull end of a wood cuticle pusher and I go around the sides with the pointy end just to clean that part up.  I only do this about once every 6 weeks or so.  It’s not as nice as when they trim your cuticles at the salon, but I don’t dare try that at home – this gets the job done well enough!

STEP 2: Use a buffer block to rough up your nails – this helps the polish last longer.  You just need a quick one or two up-stroke buff on healthy nails.  Some of my nails peel on the ends which is an invitation for your polish to chip, so I do a vigorous side-to-side buff over any peeling parts to get them totally flat.  This solves all my problems!  At this point, you can clip and file your nails to your desired length and shape.  When you’re done, go to the kitchen and wash your hands with your dishsoap.  This gets the buffing dust off and removes any excess oil on your nails.  (If you don’t know what a buffing block is, you can get them at beauty supply stores for $1 and they look like this).

STEP 3: Apply Gelish pH bond – get messy with the brush and cover your nails and the surrounding skin and use it liberally.  I have no idea what this stuff is exactly, but it makes the polish stay on your nails much longer.  I definitely notice a difference when I skip it.  You can buy it on Amazon for $8 or you can probably find it at a beauty supply store – the kind that sells to beauticians, not like Sephora.

STEP 4: Apply one coat of Nails Inc. NailKale base coat.  As I mentioned above, my nails peel and this is the best product I’ve found for keeping them strong.  It’s $15 at Sephora. If you don’t want to splurge on this, just try one of the many strengthening base coats at the drug store and you’ll probably be fine.  Since you are buffing your nails every time you paint them, I think it’s important to use one of these fancier base coats to strengthen them back up.

STEP 5: Apply two coats of regular nail polish.  I don’t buy any of the fancy long-wear or gel-type polishes – you don’t need them because of the magic product in step 6 below!  Likewise, I haven’t noticed any difference in the brand of polish I use.  I have really expensive polishes and the 99-cent kind and they all seem to perform the same to me.  What’s important is that you do these two coats of polish one right after the other – don’t let nails dry between the coats!

STEP 6: Apply a thick layer of Seche Vite top coat.  Again, don’t let your nail polish dry between the color coats and the top coat – your polish needs to be wet for Seche Vite to work its magic.  To apply the top coat, get a good amount of it on the brush and plant a big bead of it right at the base of your nail, then do one or two up-strokes to cover the whole nail.  This stuff is really cheap so use it liberally!  If you are too stingy with it or use too many strokes you’ll mess up the wet polish below and get streaks or bald spots.  If you apply it nice and thick, it will glide right over the polish below with a couple of strokes.

You can get a three pack of Seche Vite for about $12 on Amazon.  Once you open the bottle, it thickens over time so I usually only make it through half a bottle before it’s too thick to use, then it needs to be tossed.  If you hate to waste things, then you can buy thinning drops for it that will extend the life. (I’ve never tried those, but I probably should!)

STEP 7: Exercise a little patience. (Just a little).  If you were a whiz in your high school French class, then you already know that Seche Vite means “dry quick” – and, boy, does it!  Give it about two minutes for your nails to dry and then you can start doing basic light-touch stuff, like typing or eating.  Wait about 30 minutes for them to fully harden before you do anything that will put a lot pressure on the nails, like knitting or digging through your purse.

Enjoy!  If you try this method, I’d love to hear if it works as well for you as it does for me!