Winterizing Your Nails (My Favorite Manicure Routine!)

When it comes to the winter time, every part of our body is effected, including our nails. I don't know about you, but I find my nails to be more prone to breakage and splitting and my cuticles can get a bit wild. While it's nice and luxurious to get our digits done weekly at our favorite salon, it does get expensive. Instead, I prefer to do my own manicure and give myself some "me" time. Plus, I'm sometimes a perfectionist when it comes to my nails. So here's my winter nail routine. Along with the finished look!

1. During the winter I like to keep my nails short so I make sure to clip them on a bi-weekly basis. I find when I try to grow them out I always have the nails split on me. Sad panda.
   
   
   
2. After clipping my nails, file them with my favorite four sided file. I use the coarser side to help shape your nails and then the finer side to smooth it. It's a Pro-tip I learned from Julep!
   
3. Once I've filed all my nails into my desired shape, I will wash my hands to get rid of any grit and apply my favorite hand lotion to soften my hands. Then to help soften and maintain my cuticles I will use an oldie but goodie, the Julep Essential Cuticle Oil. It's made of essential oils such as vitamin E and quickly absorbs into my nails. I use this oil at least three to four times a week to help maintain my nails. Another fan favorite especially the cold winter months is the Might Nail and Cuticle Serum!
   
4. Next I'll check to see if I have any hang nails I'll need to nip. Don't pull on them unless you want a painful nail for the rest of the day!
5. Time to paint! Since it's the winter, I tend to lean towards dark, cream colors. If I want a lighter color, I'll go for a muted pastel. Usually though, I love a dark nailed look. My current favorite is Lola from the Julep It Girl line, but I have been eyeing Isla and Shari as well. 
   
6. I got creative and added a dusting of gold pigment on top of the blue polish to add some contrast. All you need is a fluffy brush and some loose pigment. After applying your base coat, individually apply your second coat. The pigment will only stick if the polish is wet. So it's best to do each nail at a time.
   
7. Add your top coat and wait for your nails to dry before you wash off the pigment. Glitter, jazz hands!
   
   

Ta-da! A fresh mani with some fun accents. Getting creative with your nails is such a fun way to express yourself. I want to know, what are some of your winter nail routines? Do you change it up per season or leave it as is all year round?

Tweed Season: Sally Hansen Salon Effects Polish Strips In Check It Out

Sally Hansen recently launched their own line of nail polish strips. What are nail polish strips? It's basically polish that peeled off like a sticker onto your own nail. There is no drying time and no mess. You place and stick and the manicure should last you at least 7 days. Sally Hansen claims that their strips will last on nails for up to ten days. I can't tell you guys whether it's true or not because I just put these on today.

What's cool about these strips is the different designs and colors you can get. For those who love detail and style but don't know how to do it, this is a convenient way to do so. The small box runs for about $8 USD. It includes 16 different sized nail polish strips, a cuticle stick, mini file/buffer.

It may seem easy to place the nail polish strip on but I needed to be careful placing mine. I had to peel off a few just because they seemed crooked but I caution that you don't press down until you are sure that you like where the strip is. Also rub the strip against the nail to avoid any air bubbles. When you are sick of the color, just remove it with regular polish remover.

This is the crazy design that I picked. I originally wanted the leopard print but they were sold out. The color/design is called Check It Out. 

Have you ladies tried this yet? What were your results? Do you love it? Hate it?