Healthy Mommy Life

The Perfect 5 Minute Mani'

 I, like most Moms, rarely have the time to go to a nail salon and get a manicure. I often leave my nails unpainted.  If I do paint them it stays on my nails so long that nothing is left but an ugly chipped blob in the centre of my nail. ( As you see in the before pic). So I decided to time myself to see how long it really does take me to give myself a decent looking mani'. I timed myself twice and both times were UNDER 5 minutes!!! I vow from this day on to dedicate 5 minutes twice a week to doing something nice for myself. Even I can spare that.

 

(I know the following pictures are a bit dark. This is because I waited until night when my daughter was in bed. I guess I need better lighting :P)

     

 

 

Here's what I started with ( Horrible I know)
 but hopefully the last time I will ever have nails looking this pitiful.

 

 

 

Here`s my gear: 

1. A nail file
2. 2 Quick dry polishes 
3. 2 Q-Tips
4.  Sally Hansen Polish remover
5.  A paper towel

   

 

 

 

Step 1) Remove old polish-  I only use Sally Hansen as I find it works the fastest. I like to use papertowel to remove the polish. It's more abrasive than other paper products and I don't like the feeling of cotton pads.

      

 

 

 

Step 2) File any bumpy edges away

         

 

 

3) Paint away- I used Sally Hanson-Colour Quick Pen in Smoke- The quick-dry pen speeds things up . Also for the sake of reducing time, I didn't use a base coat.( This can cause the polish to leave a slight stain on your nail, so you need to weigh your options to decide if that matters to you.)

 

***If you don't have quick drying polishes drying your nails with a hair blower or soaking your hand in ice-water are to great ways to make your polish dry quickly.***

           

 

 

 

 

Step 4) Painting the tips- I used Revlon Metallic Gold- Again it dries very quickly and I love the 2 colours together. I just free-handed. Tape placed around the edges of your nail can be great to prevent any mess but can be timely to apply so again I skipped this step.

 

               

 

 

 Here are my messy side (on the skin beside my nails) . I always end up with these  even when I`m not short on time! lol.

             

 

 

 

Step 5) A Q-Tip and a little polish remover go a long way to fix those edges

- The Q-Tip ensures your fresh polish stays away from the remover and allows for a bit of accuracy in removing the mess.

 

 

       

 

 

 

Here`s the end result! :D