FATT Tuesday - Finger Alternative Treatments and Tutorials

HELLO FELLOW FOLLOWERS!!

OK - SO I'VE DESIGNATED TUESDAY AS FATT TUESDAY (WHO KNOWS WHY - I JUST LIKE THE WAY IT SOUNDS)  ANY WHO - SINCE LAST TUESDAY I DISPLAYED MY NEKKID NAILS SINCE I HAD TO CUT THEM DOWN AND WAS SHOWING YOU HOW WELL BIOTIN WORKED FOR ME I THOUGHT I'D JUST KEEP THE THEME GOING AND SHOW YOU MY NAIL ROUTINE TODAY. 

I'VE BEEN ASKED THAT QUESTION QUITE A FEW TIMES AND THOUGHT I'D JUST SHOW YOU MY PRODUCTS AND A PEEK INTO MY STASH (I SWORE I'D NEVER BE ONE OF THOSE BLOGGERS - BUT I JUST WASNT UP TO SWATCHING TODAY)

SO, ON WITH THE SHOW!!

THESE WERE MY NAILS LAST WEEK 

 

These are my nails THIS week - not too much growth - but they're looking pretty healthy!!  I have on nail envy - I was debating on swatching and decided against it.

I wasnt up to swatching today and I was out of town all weekend - so Im still recouperating!!  Week 2 has a base coat of OPI Nail Envy shown here -

Next  up is what I use to do my mani's each and every time - except for swatching - I never do a mani without following this same routine - it's a little redundant and anal to some - but I am just as much a nail afficianodo as I am a np junkie!!

Before removing my polish I will file my nais with a glass or crystal nail file.  Doing the filing with your nail polish a) keeps your nails from splitting and b) allows you to see how straight you are actually filing your nails. Then I will buff the top of the nail to keep it smooth and snag free with light buffing.

I have many glass or crystal files one for home and one for my purse.  I always keep extra's on hand just in case I break one.  As you can see - I use these buffers regularly. 

After removing any old polish with remover (whatever I grab is what I usually use - but for the most part it's Remover+ 

 

...and I always use felt squares - cotton balls leave too much lint behind and the felt squares gives your cuticles a good massage and thorough buffing for the nails.  I usually use white felt that I get it from Michaels and then cut them up into squares and put them in a zip lock baggie.

As you can see - me needs some more felt! :-)

Well, once all remnants of np are gone I do a soak:

 I use baking soda, a mild hand soap liquid, hydrogen peroxide and either nail cuticle oil or olive oil - whichever I grab first and I put a dash of each into my little bowl on the end that I only use for my mani's.  I fill it 3/4 of the way with warm water - let it sit about a minute and proceed to soak my nails into a coma!! 

I also use this lap board regularly:

I love this lap board because it allows me to do my nails in the bed while watching t.v. or on those days i don't feel well and don't want to leave the bed.  This lap board opens up and has legs so that it can be used as a lap tray as well as the small flap in front that opens forward for holdiing books if I want to read - I use the front flap to hold my polishes in place!! :-)  Or I can us it as it is, flat - which is they way I usually use it.

So, after I have done a thorough soak I use one of these:

If it's been a rough week for me or more than a week since i've done a mani i will use one of these products with the orange stick after my soak.  I can't pick one over the other because I like them both - so I have a back up of each (The Borghese I get from Ross for $3.99!!) The SH usually from walmart.

OR 

If I've been really good about keeping up with my nails then I'll use this cuticle softner and remover that you can get from sally's for about $2.99.  I will say I like this one because it is not as harsh on my cuticles as the gel and I can use it each and every time I do a  mani to keep my cuticles maintained.  I also keep a bottle of this in the shower because it's awesome on your toes as well.  Rub some on you toes before you get in the shower - shower as usual - then use a scrub brush and whala - you're virtually cuticle free!!  (I also use a pumice stone and sugar scrub on my feet while in the shower as well.)

After my nails are thoroughly clean - THEN I use this:

To me - this is the next best thing to the pedi egg (which I also use religiously)  If you have not tried this - you have been missing out on mani heaven.  This is Satin Hands by Mary Kay you can order it here under the Body and Sun link.  There are two kinds - fragrance free and the peach scented.  I like the peach sented cause well, it smells good.  I use these in the order of which they are numbered.  After I have done my cuticles, I put on #1 and rub it all in, then I use the exfollient , #2, and really concentrate on the cuticle area and then I wash it all of off and use #3 the lotion, and my hands are as smooth as satin when I get done - If you don't have it - your missiing out on a great hand treatment.

I have on occasion used the emollient cream solo with latex gloves on and let them sit for about 5 or 10 minutes and it's just like a home made parrafin dip!

Then I will wipe my nails down with an alcohol pad or pure acetone and gather my nail treatments. These here I NEVER do a mani without, but I also have others that I may use on occasion depending on if I'm swatching or trying out somethng new for effect - but these here are my HG of all treatments. 

I forgot to add David, Barielle Mani Extender, Poshe or SV - whichever I pick up first is the one I finish my mani with.

 These below, I actually keep these in a basket - but I put them here in a cigar box for your viewing pleasure:

I also have mattes as a treatment - because I didn't want them in my stash.

This is where I keep all of my other "stuff":

 

 

This tote has truly saved my life!!  You can order yours from organize.com here You will have a plethora of totes to which to pick from as well as colors and different shapes.  This tote here only cost me $23 and it was worth every penny!!  I know michaels and joanne's have similar one's for scrapbooking - but this one here has been a life saver!!

...and this is what she looks like when she's full!!  I put EVRYTHING in here!!

After my soak and cuticle cleaning and get the treatments I'm using, I pick a color, grab my tote and go to wherever I plan on doing my mani anywhere in the house!!  My lap board stays by my bed so I dont have to carry that anywhere.  What a time saver this is for me.

Now for the hardest part of doing a mani - this part can literally take me hours if not days -

Where do I get my colors from you may be asking????

(I swore I would NEVER do this....)

...there are just the ones I cleaned out from last week - I still have three more drawers of which are still in mayhem - that I refuse to tackle at this moment.  So it is still in disarray - but chaotically organized in cigar boxes!!

After all is said and done from the soaking, and decuticlizing (did I just make up a another word), exfoliating, priming and polishing, I don't go to bed without putting on a heavy duty emollient cream and some cotton gloves (I could not show you pictures of my gloves because they were dirty and in the wash - I need to get a second pair, anyway).

Throughout the day I use:

OR

I am not one of those persons that has issues using oil on their cuticles so I will use these through out the day - and sometime I will use both - depending on how dry my hands and nails are.

I drink water constantly,take biotin and prenatal vitamins religiously and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!!

I NEVER, NEVER, NEVER do any kind of house work or chore without some type of gloves on and I will put on a hand cream before putting the gloves on so that my hands will be moisturizing while I'm cleaning.  I love it!!

Well, that does it for me today - I know this was long and lengthy - but I just wanted to show you my entire routine and hope that I have encouraged something new or reinforced something old.

Unitl Next Time - Happy Polishing!!

XOXOXOXO

DONT BE A GHOST - LEAVE ME A POST!!

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