Beauty: My Nailcare Routine for Weak Nails

 Polish: Rimmel's Misty Jade with L'Oreal Confetti Topcoat

I am not blessed with naturally beautiful nails. They are so soft, they flake, they break, and they grow about as quickly as a rock moves . Add in psorasis on my hands and the fact I end up dunking my hands in paint/ glue/ varnishes/ etc on an almost daily basis at work, and it all adds up to a pretty pitiful state of affairs. And yet, they are looking good at the moment, even if I do say so myself! So, considering this miracle, I thought I'd share my routine for getting my weak nails into good shape.

The Essentials:

From left, clockwise

OPI Matte Nail Envy - Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream - Korres Moisturising  Hand Cream - OPI RapiDry Top Coat - Nail files - Sally Hansen 3 in 1 Nourishing Cuticle Remover - Orange Stick - QVS Cuticle Trimmers

The Routine:

About once a week, I soak my hands in warm soapy water and give my nails scrub with a nailbrush to get rid of any paint/ chemicals etc under them. Then I brush on the cuticle remover around and under my nails, and leave it on for 5 minutes. Then, using my orange stick I gently push back all my cuticles. I very easily get dry hangnails so I trim them with the cuticle clippers- do not go overboard with this! You'll end up with very sore, raw fingers if you do. Also, If you like to trim your cuticles too, these are truly the only ones I'll use. No others are sharp enough and just seem to tear my cuticles ragged. I then gently file my nails into a square shape. I don't use nail scissors much, but prefer to file regularly to keep them at a length just beyond the tip of my fingers. 

Every day I moisturise my hands with a good handcream. Especially in winter I find my hands so dry, and I will just end up with cracked sore cuticles (yum!) if I don't keep putting on the cream. I love the scent of this Korres one, and it soaks in so easily- no greasy hands! I also use dabs of 8 hour cream overnight on my cuticles and any dry patches or cuts- it soothes like nothing else I've ever used. 

The best thing I have found for my nails is without a doubt OPI Nail Envy. It is amazing the difference it makes. I've used a ton of nail strengtheners and nothing has ever worked, never mind so well that I think I want to use it forever! It makes them so much stronger and they grow like the clappers. Magic, I swear! When I need a kickstarter I use just the Nail Envy- Two coats, and then one more every other day for a week. Otherwise, I use it as a base coat under every manicure. I've also started using the OPI RapiDry Topcoat for a really shiny, quick drying finish and love it so far. 

There you go- my guide for stronger, longer, pretter nails. I hope you find it useful! These are really my wonder products.

xxx

P.S. You know all that kerfuffle over Google Reader going? You can follow me on Bloglovin' here or Hello Cotton here to make sure you don't miss out on any posts. Do you know any other good blog readers?? I swear, I hate change!