There's just something about having a manicure and therefore, absolutely babe'in nails, that just makes such a huge difference to my mindset. Call me superficial - I mean, preferably don't but if you really want to, I can't stop ya - but for me, having perfectly coloured and conditioned nails makes me feel put together, it makes me feel polished, it makes me feel like an outfit/look is completed... it sort of makes me feel like an effortless goddess until I look in the mirror and I am all about that life.
I was a massive tomboy growing up and painting my nails was kind of my first furore into being girly. I started painting them at around 13 and I can genuinely say that my nails have not been bare for long enough ever since to even know what my natural colour is any more. And over the years of covering my nails in all kinds of colours - remember when holographic silver was a thing? Lol - I've not only tried every product in existence, but I have my routine for creating the perfect manicure and keeping them in perfect condition down to a tee.
So I'm going to talk you through my top products/tips for creating the perfect at home mani with the help of my favourites, Sally Hansen (the number one nail care brand in the UK fyi) and also show you the sassiest colours that you're 100% going to want every one of.
There's absolutely no point in having the neatest nail painting skills if what you're painting on is in terrible condition because it'll never look pretty. Perfectly conditioned and moisturised nails is my top tip for getting a polished mani and I have a product to tell you about today which is pretty much my Sleeping beauty secret for my nails.
Said product that has absolutely transformed the condition of my nails? Sally Hansen Moisture Rehab [insert love heart/heart eye'd emojis here]. Now, Sally Hansen has over 40 care products but Moisture rehab is the first overnight nail serum which delivers the most incredible deep moisture as well as nutrient rich actives for intense nail and cuticle care. The beautifully luxurious formula contains a powerful blend of natural actives including black orchid, acai and algae to hydrate and rejuvenate the nails, and this is exactly what it does. It just makes your nails and cuticles looks unbelievably hydrated and in perfect condition.
The formula is quick drying - meaning you're OK to dive into the biscuit tin soon after applying, yassss - and works best applied nightly (or when needed). It really is so blimmin simple, paint it on to bare nails, massage in and let the nail gods go to work. I adore this product and it's now firmly part of my pamper routine.
Exclusive to Superdrug for £9.95.
Sally Hansen does care products pretty darn well (polite way of saying they own the market) but one thing I have always loved is that their colours are always on trend, nailing - can we take a moment for that pun please and thank you? - what's popular on the catwalks and current beauty trends. Their Complete Salon Manicure with keratin colour products are something that I got to experiment and play around with a lot and let me just tell you, I literally haven't used any other brand/range since. The product itself contains a whopping 7 benefits in one bottle; base coat, strengthener, keratin, colour, top coat, gel shine finish etc. all of which helps to give you up to 10 days of chip resistant wear. The latest absolutely stunning range consists of mostly nudes with the most perfect black, red and metallic pink thrown in for good measure. I genuinely would - and will - wear every single colour in the range because they really are that perfect. The shade in the shots above? That would be the gorgeous Naked Ambition, otherwise known as the shimmery peach nude that dreams were made of.
Anyone that knows me will know that I am the least decisive person to have ever walked the planet which is why I just had to show you both of my favourite Top coats because I couldn't settle on one (I see you eye-rolling, being more decisive is a new year's resolution OK?) Now I'm sure you've no doubt heard of them both because they are absolute classics and most people's go-to top coats but in case you've been under a rock for 10 years you haven't, the first is the Sally Hansen Double Duty which is an incredible base coat and top coat that keeps your colour looking perfect for days. It's also super glossy and shiny and I always get asked if I had a professional mani when I've used this.
And then we have Sally Hansen Insta-dri which has made all of my impatient dreams come true. It dries any nail colour in 30 seconds (I know, I know!) and gives gorgeous shine and glossiness. Whilst both top coats are incredible and dry quickly, I just love the convenience of how quick this is. It makes mani's simple and takes away the inconvenience of not being able to do anything for an hour after.
Plus, shiny, glossy, gleaming, sparkly nails will make you feel beyond sassy and that's what life is about, right?
So, let's just quickly establish the fact that I am pretty shoddy with nail art. Can I do a neat mani with the help of my SH (that's Sally Hansen but I feel like we're friends at this point so SH will do) beauty's? Yep. But can I do art? Lol, I think the photos above answer this. But when the range of colours is so gorgeous I just couldn't help using as many as I could to give this a go. My first attempt at nail art was a simple Love heart tip using the Society Ruler colour (another of my all time faves) and I think with a little more precision this would turn out beautifully (especially with Valentine's day looming).
Then I was going for polka dots but my total lack of precision kinda turned this into a, ahem, more rustic leopard print kinda vibe. Either way, I actually really liked it, and I adore Hooked on Onyx which is the stunning sheeny black shade I used to create the terribly messy dots ;)
So that brings my How to achieve the perfect Manicure post to an end. I honestly just think that having groomed nails, whilst seemingly such a small thing, can make the biggest difference to your mindset so I really hope you enjoyed the tips and product recommendations (... and my laughable attempt at "art")
What's your favourite Sally Hansen product? Have you ever tried Moisture Rehab before? I always love hearing your thoughts!
As always, thanks so much for reading!
xx
This post was sponsored by Sally Hansen but all thoughts, photos and extreme love of the UK's number 1 nail care brand, my own.
Labels: Beauty
