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Being a blogger, I find myself constantly using my hands on camera and always thought it looked much cleaner to have polished nails. In all photos and videos you could see my perfectly polished nails thanks to Gel and Dip nail polish from my local salon (Angels, if you’re in Santa Barbara). I loved seeing the nail artists every two to three weeks and even had my favorite girls giving me the best manis and pedis! They knew me by name and always knew I was the girl who choose white (or a random crazy neon color). Fast forward to today, and I’m now painting my own nails after 4+ years of getting a bi-monthly manicure and here’s why…
I started painting my own nails and giving myself a manicure for two main reasons:
- The cost – Oh my gosh, after calculating how much I was spending annually on nails I couldn’t believe it. That’s money I could be putting in my savings account, saving up for a house, spending on groceries, going on a vacay, etc. This was a big one for me. I would rather save that money for something else other than my nails. Totally not worth it.
- Skin health – After my melanoma diagnosis 5 years ago, I’ve taken serious precautions when it comes to my lifestyle. I’m sure you can imagine now I wear sunscreen every day, all day, try to stay out of the sun, and am constantly looking for shade and covering up my body. But more importantly, did you know that the UV light from the gel machines are terrible for your skin also!? You can actually get skin cancer and even melanoma from all of the light exposure. I immediately switched to “dip” nail polish and all was right in the world.
Those are the two main points WHY I switched to giving myself manicures at home! I honestly love it- we’ll watch a show at night, and it brings me peace to calmly sit and paint my nails at the coffee table- therapeutic almost! The best brands of nail polish I’ve found that not only look amazing but last for awhile are: Olive and June polishes (plus they’re cruelty free and vegan)! Here are a few tips I learned from painting my own nails that’ll give you a safe and affordable at-home manicure to last around 7ish days:
- Trim/cut/file your nails to the perfect length first
- Paint your nails with 2-3 coats of regular polish
- Paint one layer of this Olive and June super glossy top coat
- Must finish with the these Dry Drops to help it dry quicker + also last longer
Of course if I have a special event or a vacation I’ll probably get a dip manicure in the future, but for now I’m perfectly content with painting my own nails for a safe and affordable at-home manicure/pedicure!
Do you paint your nails or do you prefer to get them done!? What is your go-to nail color for fall? Would love your feedback in the comments below. XO