Nail Essentials Updated

Hey Guys!
I totally just realized today that I have been blogging for a whole year! So in order to celebrate, I thought I would redo one of my first blog posts ever: my nail essentials.  If you want to take a look at the original post, click here.  The things I use to take care of my nails have changed since then, and I think it would be good to update my post about them.

 First off, the products I use to keep my hands moisturized.  For my cuticles I use the Smith's Rosebud Salve.  I got mine at Sephora, but I'm pretty sure you can get at least a similar product at Bath and Body Works.  You can use this on other dry areas such as your lips and elbows and such, but I just use it for my cuticles.  This is a nice creamy product that moisturizes my cuticles like a dream.  It can get a little sticky, so apply it before my lotion.  The lotion I use is L'Occitane Creme Mains hand cream.  I like that it keeps my hands moisturized without being greasy.  The only caveat: it kinda smells like bug spray.  I can get over that though :) In late October when it began getting cold where I go to college, my hands got super dry, and my cuticles freaked out! I was getting hangnails left and right.  These products helped me get my hands back to normal.

 The nail polish remover I have been using is the CVS regular polish remover.  I like this one in particular because it seems to take off my nail polish more quickly.  Plus the smell is not as bad as most of the remover I have used.  I never go to fancy with my nail polish remover because I am just not willing to pay the money for the OPI or Zoya ones.  The cheap drugstore ones seem to work just fine for me. 

 Now, on to base coat.  I have been using the Sally Hansen Salon Manicure base coat.  I have mainly been using this one because I ran out of my OPI one and needed a new base coat, so I got this one in a pinch.  It works pretty well.  I like the smooth base it gives, however it seems to peel a little more than the OPI.

 For top coat I have been using Sally Hansen Insta-dri anti chip top coat.  I like this because it drys quickly while still giving a shiny finish to the nails.  It's also a lot cheaper than the Seche Vite top coat. 

I have found that for nail clippers, straight clippers are the way to go.  I am not positive what brand these are, but I love them! I have noticed that curved nail clippers tend to cut my nails too short.  The straight ones just give me more control.

One thing that I don't have a picture of that I use in my nail care is a glass file.  I don't have a picture because I recently broke mine.  That's what happens when you drop a glass file on tile dorm floor.  Anyway, I find that a glass file makes my nails peel less than a normal emery board.

I hope this was informational for you, and happy one year blogiversary (close enough anyway)!  Have a top notch Tuesday!
~ Mary Elizabeth