Ever wonder why your nail polish stays so much longer when you get it done at a salon rather than doing it yourself at home? It’s because nail salons (most of them) take their time filing, priming, and applying base coat, polish and top coat, with sufficient amount of time to dry in between.  All of these things are important, but the most important are the application of the base and top coat. What the difference between the two? The base coat is a clear, sort of adhesive product that is brushed onto nails before the application of nail polish, its purpose is to hold the nail polish to the nail. The top coat, on the other hand, is typically applied on top of the polished nail as a way of sealing in the color, giving it shine and strengthening the nail.

Why not give yourself a manicure at home that will last more than 2 days? If you implement a base coat and top coat into your routine your polish can last up to 7 days! Below are the simple steps required to get a long lasting manicure:

1. File your nails to desired shape and buff the nail bed to give them a more smooth finished look.

2. Once you have filed and (cut cuticles if needed), wipe each nail with a cotton ball soaked with nail polish remover.  This will remove any excess oils and dust from the bed of your nails and help the polish stick to your nail bed.

3. Apply base coat – base coats should dry quickly with a matted, dull look.  Most good quality base coats contain protein, aloe Vera, vitamin e, and/or calcium. These nutrients replenish brittle, dry nails and  prevents breakage, splitting and peeling.  Base coats also prevent nail polish from staining the nails and create a sticky adhesive base for the nail polish to “hold” onto.

4. Apply 2 coats of desired color nail polish.  Allow each polish coat to dry sufficiently.  If you see bubbles in your polish then that is a sign that you did not allow enough time to dry. After applying a second coat of nail polish, skim the brush across the top of your nail tip to prevent chipping.

5. Apply top coat – top coats should dry shiny and smooth and take longer to dry.  Top coats act as a protective barrier, they prevent nail polish from fading and chipping and give you a long lasting shine. To make your nail polish last longer, apply a layer of top coat every day.

If a few days go by and you see the nails start to chip, place some nail polish remover on your finger tip and gentle rub over the nail polish chip to make smooth. Then reapply polish.

Check out Stockn’Go.com to see our selection of top and base coats and great summer polish colors as well.  Stockn’Go.com has UNBEATABLE Prices!

Alternative Uses For Household Products: A Series.

We all know that Dawn is the “grease getter” when it comes to washing dishes, but did you know that there are over 20 other uses that Dawn dish soap can be used for? The more research I did, the more I was amazed at how many household chores can be cleaned up using Dawn.  Needless to say, Dawn dish soap has just been added to MY grocery list!

What DAWN can do for you…

Kill Fleas – did you also know that just one female flea will produce 20,000 eggs in a period of only three months? Gross! Give your dog a bath with Blue Dawn Dish soap and the fleas will wash away.  The best part is that since fleas can still linger around the house you can wash sheet with Dawn, the woodwork, counter tops, floors, pretty much the whole house can be flea-liminated with Dawn!

Kill Ticks – ticks are notorious for being the varmint that never dies.  But apparently Dawn will bring them down.  Either bathe your dog in Dawn water, apply a drop of Dawn directly on the tick if it is attached or down the Tick in Dawn once you have removed from your pet.

Kill Lice – here is a recipe I found that can be applied to kids or pets infested with lice: 6 oz of Dawn dish detergent, 2 oz white vinegar, and 2 tablespoons tea tree oil.  Mix the ingredients together, put on hair ten minutes, comb through with metal lice comb, rinse and condition.

Use as an Ice Pack – fill a strong zip-lock sandwich bag with Dawn dishwashing liquid, close and freeze. The liquid soap stays cold much longer and it can be re-frozen many times.

Relieve Poison Ivy – poison ivy spreads through the spread of the oil within the blisters. Washing the affected area with Dawn helps dry up the fluid and keep it from spreading.

Manicure – soak your fingers in a dish of pure Dawn and it will soften your cuticles and remove the natural oils (so polish will stick) from your nail beds at the same time!

Degrease Hair – no matter what the cause of greasy hair; if you haven’t showered in a few days, have shampoo buildup, or your kids smeared butter, lotion or petroleum jelly in their hair, a shampoo using Dawn can be used to lift that grease right out.

Pre-treat Laundry – maybe Dawn should be called the “stain lifter”?! Apply a drop of Dawn on any oil based stain such as lipstick, grease, butter or cooking oil and the stain will lift right out.

SPRAY BOTTLE METHOD: Combine a drop or two of Dawn in a spray bottle with water and you can use this solution for all of the following tasks: repel ants (spray countertops/cupboards), houseplant insects, cleans windows, clean bathroom and kitchen counters and sinks, remove pet stains from carpets, clean grease from appliances, patio furniture, blinds, glass and painted surfaces.

To clean your tub and/or shower using the spray bottle method add white vinegar to a spray bottle, heat in the microwave and then fill the rest of the way with Blue Dawn. Mix well, then spray on your tub and shower walls. Allow to sit for a few minutes and rinse away. It will melt all the gunk, slime, sludge and other stuff that builds up including a bathtub ring.

BUCKET METHOD – this is for bigger tougher jobs, where Dawn is typically combined with other ingredients and followed by a bucket of water.  The Bucket Method can be used for the following:

Wash Driveway – To remove gasoline or motor oil stains on your driveway, use a kitty litter such as Worlds Best Cat Litter to soak up excess oil and then pour the mixture of Dawn and a bucket of warm water followed by a scrub broom to remove excess motor oil from the pavement.

Un-clog Toilet - A cup of Dawn detergent poured into a clogged toilet allowed to sit for 15 minutes and then followed with a bucket of hot water poured from waist height will clear out the toilet.

Clean Automotive Tools – Remove grease from your automotive tools by soaking them in a bucket filled with warm water and Dawn mixture.

Mop Floors -Use only a drop or two of Dawn in a warm bucket of water to clean ceramic tile and no-wax/linoleum floors

Last but not least… DAWN SAVES WILDLIFE! Dawn dish soap is used by Wildlife Rescue organizations to clean up animals effected by oil spills.  According to the International Bird Rescue Research Center, Dawn effectively removes grease but does not cause harm to the skin of the birds and the solution is gentle enough to not harm the sensitive areas around animals’ eyes and feathers.. It’s also biodegradable and contains no phosphates.

And because Dawn has so many uses… Stockn’Go has decided to sell it by the case! Keep some for yourself, give some to your friends and family… they will love you for it and think you’re really smart when you tell them all the things you can do with it!!

CLICK HERE TO BUY ME NOW!!!

I manicure my nails at home. How about you? At first, I wasn’t very good at it and it took me a long time. Now, my nails look great, and I can whip through a manicure in no time. It was a trial and error process for me. Here are some tips and tricks to help you with your own manicure.

Sally Hansen’s Teflon Tuff Extra Strength nail protector makes my nails long, strong, and chip free. It’s a 10 day protective shield for weak, soft nails. Once I even slammed my hand in the car door – and the nail didn’t break!

Eat plenty of calcium.

Don’t forget to moisturize your hands. And rub a moisturizer into the nail bed and cuticles, as well. Nailtiques Oil Cuticle Therapy is a good one that helps keep nails strong. It seals in moisture and keeps them healthy.

Massage your nail beds. (Not the cuticle, the nail itself.) It increases blood flow and stimulates nail growth.

Groom your nails weekly. File them and give them some shape. Then either put a clear coat of polish on them, or put on colored nail polish. It will keep your nails stronger, and they’ll look fabulous.

Keep your cuticles pushed back, but only push them back when they’re wet. Otherwise, it’s going to hurt, and you’re going to get tearing. After a bath or shower is a great time to push back cuticles. Alternatively, you can soak your hands in warm water with a little olive oil thrown in. It will soften your cuticles and your hands at the same time.

Don’t bite your nails.

If you’re a nail biter:

Have any home manicure tips of your own? Hit me up on twitter, Facebook, or let me know here on the blog.

I always change up my nail polish colors and do things a little differently in the summer months. I feel that I want to go with brighter, lighter colors for my summer manicure. I shorten my nails the tiniest bit, make sure I add a top coat for plenty of shine, and use a shiny nail polish that pops. When I’m out in the bright summer sun, I find myself admiring my nails more; do you think that’s because the summer days are longer and brighter, or because I change up the color? I don’t know – and it really doesn’t matter – but I do enjoy choosing new summer nail polish.

My first new one is Rio nail polish by Nailtiques. I love this bubble gum pink color. If I want to be subtle (and I never do!) I go with one coat, and if I want to wow ‘em, (which I do!) I go with two. It’s a fun color with a lot of shimmery shine, and the top coat makes it really glossy. You can practically start fires with the gleam that comes from this color. And as a bonus, it’s a two in one treatment and color that makes your nails stronger and healthier. How great is that? Beautiful color and cover, and it’s good for your nails, too.

I also love Shanghai nail polish by Nailtiques. It’s the same two in one treatment and color that adds protein to your nails and makes them stronger. It’s a beautiful, bright peachy-pink color. Lovely. This is a really vivid color, so I sometime use only one coat. It covers completely, and still gives you that glistening summer color you want.

Do you use different colors on your summer manicure? Do you change it up a little bit and do something different? Let me know on twitter, facebook, or leave me a comment here.

Nothing is more beautiful on a woman than beautifully manicured nails, in my opinion. They do, however, require some care and maintenance. The current shape trend is nails that are straight across the top with a rounded edge, but any nail that is well manicured looks good, so don’t let trends keep you from wearing what you think looks best on you. I have short, square-tipped fingers so I let mine grow out past the tip and then round them gently. I do my own nail care, and here are some tips for you:

Filing Your Nails:
File your nails when the white part of the nail tip has grown out at least a quarter inch from the pink part of the nail. If you file too soon, it can weaken the nail. Filing from side to side weakens your nails, so make sure you don’t do that. When you’re filing, go from the corner to the center in one direction. Then start on the other corner and go to the center from there.

Buffing Your Nails:
Buff your nails for a shinier finish. Start at the cuticle and work your way down to the tip, but don’t press too hard. Just use a light to medium pressure. Buff in one direction; don’t use a back and forth movement as heat will build up and damage your nails. Buff lightly until all the ridges on the nail surface have disappeared.

Base Coat:
Always use a Base Coat when polishing your nails, and let it dry for at least one minute. The Base Coat helps keep your nail polish from chipping and makes your polish last longer.

Applying Nail Polish:
Always apply two coats of nail polish when you’re doing your own manicure. Cover your nail with polish in three strokes, one on each side and then one in the middle. I usually apply one coat to each hand and then apply the second coat on the hand I started with. One caveat, however: The darker the polish, the longer the drying time it requires. You might have to wait a few minutes in between if you’re putting a dark red nail polish on as opposed to a light pink.

Top Coat:
Once your nail polish has dried completely, apply a clear Top Coat to seal it. If you put a new layer of Top Coat on every day, your manicure will stay fresh and beautiful for much longer.

Do you do your own manicure or nail care? Have any tips for me? Tell me on twitter, facebook,or just leave a comment here on the blog.