Manicures before Bedtime … and some NEWS!

Hey guys! Although I am not posting as many outfit photos as of late, after some thought, I have decided that it does not mean I have to totally neglect my blog and readers and I can still share recent purchases, updates, beauty posts and other random things (including outfit posts :p) here and there!

I feel like I should give you guys a little bit more of an explanation as to why I have not “been around” as often as I would like … I know I have told you guys so many times that life in general is busy and we have wedding to plan, work and other things…

The reason you do not see many outfit photos lately is because I have not been dressing up much … my uniform has become old jeans and a pair of Caterpillar constructions boots! J and I have finally bought our “dream” home and have been undergoing renovations for almost the past three months :) We are officially now proud new homeowners!

We are so thrilled and it is all very exciting – but it is a LOT of work. The house was in shambles when we first bought it and not in any sort of liveable condition but it is slowly coming along. Once it is all finished up and we move in, I can assure you, you will be seeing a LOT of outfit posts etc. because I will finally be living with my lovely photographer/husband :p – so again, for those of you who have stuck with me and my blog, I extend my love and appreciation to you

Anyways, on from the “news” to the nail care … I am proud to say that I am a recovering nail/cuticle biter and the best way that I have found to overcome this horrible habit is to constantly have my nails painted and groomed (even in the process of renovating, its possible! haha… rubber dipped gloves are my best friends). I found an awesome rack at Value Village for $5, I think its a spice rack but I use it as a nail polish rack – it keeps them upright and makes it easy for me to sort through my collection and choose what I want. I also picked up a container for $3.50 at Wal Mart to store my products in … as you can see, I have been into properly storing and organizing my items so that they are not all over the place!

I like to make it a ritual to do my nails before bed if and when I am not too tired (I always make sure my Bath and Body works Frosted Cupcake candle is lit as well)… I find it very relaxing to have a hand soak and paint my nails with the aroma of my vanilla scented candle filling up the room … I like to put warm water into a bowl with sea salt and lemon … I also rub whitening toothpaste (Arm and Hammer is my favourite toothpaste EVER) onto my nails and cuticles to help “whiten” them

I like the Freeman hand and cuticle renewal scrub (it has oils in it which help moisturize and the scrub is not made of a grain that is too fine – its perfect for me) – it is super affordable and about $3 and does the trick just as well as any high end scrub

Sally Hansen’s Instant Cuticle Remover is also a staple item for me (as well as their cuticle trimmer – its shaped like a pair of scissors. I found it at Winners for $8 and its usually about $20 at Shoppers Drug Mart) – I have pretty bad cuticles and after leaving this on for a minute and pushing them back/scraping them off – they look perfect! My favourite topcoat is Sally Hansen’s Diamond Shine – topped off with Revlon’s CrazyShine nail buffer – my nails are “blingin’ from a mile away!

I have been really into neutral nail colours lately and my favourite brand is Essie because I love the consistency of most of their polishes and the brush applicator is the absolute perfect size (its smaller than the average so its more precise, i find). Tonight, I will be painting my nails in the colour Sand Tropez by Essie which I picked up at Winners for $6.99. Its still pricey but worth it in my opinion – especially because a bottle will last me a very long time!

 

Let me know if you have any favourite nail products or polishes (colours, brands etc…), I have discovered many awesome products thanks to many of your recommendations :)

xox