[Nail Care] Base & Top Coats, Treatments, Oils, Removers!

I Bought This Press Sample

Hi everyone! Now that we're getting into fall, I thought it'd be a good time to do another nail care post. It's been requested for a while now (hi, Steph!), but I honestly didn't have more to say since my nail care post from earlier this year. If anything, I use less products in the summer. ^^;; During the second half of summer, I started testing out a lot of new products, so I wanted to share my thoughts on them with you.

I'm going to warn you - this is a long and wordy post. Feel free to skip around to the parts you're most interested in. ^^

Healthier Nails for 2014: Tips & Products

Press Sample

Hi guys! I hope you all had a wonderful time with the holidays and the New Year's celebrations. Now that we're officially in 2014, it seems like a ton of "New Year, New You" posts are popping up everywhere. Have you made any New Year's resolutions?

I'm personally not a fan of the whole resolution thing. I used to make them, but never acted on them. So I learned not to make them in the first place. Haha. Don't get me wrong, I always have goals I want to accomplish regardless of whether it's a new year or not. In the end, I believe a resolution won't change anything, but a right mindset will. At least this has been true for me.

But if you're the type who likes the little kick in the pants New Year's resolutions can give you, here are few tips for healthier nails.

Oh hey, you get to see my bare nails! I don't think I've ever shown them on my blog, because they were always badly stained. So that's where the lemon comes in. To preface this, December 2013 was a bad, bad time for my hands and nails. Not only were they dry and flaky, but something odd had also happened to my hands.

My home uses pumped well water, which needs to be softened regularly as it can contain a lot of iron. I guess we had a few days of hard water, because one day I noticed that my hands were speckled black along my cuticles, under my nails, and anywhere with dry skin (which I had a lot of). As a result, it looked like I had a play-date in the dirt and didn't wash my hands.

After a lot of fretting and searching, I decided to give the old lemon trick a try. I actually did this before for my yellow stained nails, but didn't see an improvement. So I was doubtful, but guess what? It worked! On top of that, my nail tips are whiter than ever!

Here's what I did:

Essie Nail Care Line Follow Up

Press Sample

Hi guys!  As promised, here's my follow up on these three Essie products after having used them exclusively for 1.5 months.  For my first impression and in depth product description, visit my previous post found here.


Apricot Cuticle Oil:  I've used this consistently on nearly an every day basis.  Usually before and after a mani, or whenever my cuticles looked like they could use some love.  Because it absorbs quickly, I was able to use it between swatching sessions as well.  When I started out, my cuticles were a bit dry but now they are in good condition.  This may also be due to regular use.  I generally kept it around me so that I remembered to use it. 

*Helps dry cuticles?  Yes, with consistent use.
*Maintains cuticles?  Yes.  Again with consistent use.


Millionails Treatment:  This was my only base coat for 1.5 months.  I even wore it on its own over bare nails and during swatching sessions.  Basically, it's supposed to strengthen your nails and resist peeling.  Lately I've been having problems with my pointer and middle nails peeling where the corners curve.  After using this, I'm happy to say my nails have stopped peeling!  Peeling up to this point had been inevitable on my left pointer nail once it got long.  Right now my nails are pretty long and not even a sign of peeling.  So happy!  This will be joining my regular nail care routine. :)

*Resists peeling?  Yes!
*Resists splitting?  Yes.


Fill The Gap Treatment:  I don't have any major ridges in my nails, so I've been using this as another base coat over the Millionails Treatment.  I mainly used it only when using very pigmented colors to prevent staining and under creme polishes for extra smoothness. x)  It's nice, but I don't think it's essential to my nail care routine because I don't have any ridges.  It did prevent staining though. ^^

*Conceals imperfections?  Yes.  The sheer color is nice for covering minor staining.  Great if you wear a lot of sheer nudes or pinks.
*Fills in ridges?  Not applicable to me, so I'm still not sure.


Verdict:  I definitely love the Millionails treatment.  The cuticle oil is nice as well and smells very good.  The only thing I wouldn't purchase when I run out is the Fill The Gap Treatment because I don't really need it.  But I think it's worth a try if you're looking for something to fill nail ridges.  As always, these are my honest opinions based on my experience.  Results can vary from person to person depending on factors like lifestyle and body chemistry.

Availability:  Apricot Cuticle Oil retails for $8 / Millionails Treatment for $10 / Fill In The Gap Treatment for $10.  Visit Essie.com for a full list of their nail care line and to find a store near you.


Liz

First Impressions: Essie Nail Care Line

Hi guys!  Essie recently came out with a new and improved nail care line.  I'm pretty fortunate to have strong nails that grow relatively fast, but winter is taking its toll on my nails and cuticles.  One of the main issues I have is peeling on my left pointer and right middle nail.  Not sure why, but it's always just those two.  It may be because the sides curl more on those two nails.

I was immediately interested in these three products for my dry cuticles and peeling nails.  Here is some information on each of the products below, as well as my first impressions after using them for a week.

My Nail Care Routine

Hey all!  It doesn't look like the sun's coming out anytime soon.  I should just get a full spectrum bulb and build a light box. -_-  Since I can't swatch, I thought it was about time I showed you my nail care routine. ^^  (Disclaimer: I don't claim to be a professional, this is just what I do/use to care for my nails.  Also, all of these items were purchased by me; none of this is sponsored.)