By Patricia Uyeh
Soft and well manicured finger nails are a pride to the owner. Good manicure tells you about the personality of the person, someone who takes pride in their looks. Do you crave for delightful looking fingers nails, you can do a perfect manicure at home and save money, especially in this economy by following these steps:

Step 1: Make sure you have ready these essential tools:

Nail-polish remover and cotton swabs or pads
Nail clippers
Emery board and nail buffer
Cuticle pusher and nippers
Cuticle remover
Hand/nail moisturizer
Base coat
Nail polish
Clear topcoat

Step 2: Remove any previously applied nail polish.

Step 3: Shape nails. Clip your nails, if necessary, then gently file them into shape. A slightly rounded nail shape or square-rounded edge is generally the best way to go but you can be as creative as you want.

Step 4: Place your hands in a bowl of warm water and add a bit of your gentle face cleanser or shampoo to the water before trimming. Do not over-soak as it damages the skin and nails.

Step 5: Apply cuticle remover.

Step 6: Remove excess cuticle and callouses around the nail.

Step 7: Moisturize. Massage a rich cream or silky oil into the cuticles and all over the hands to hydrate and replenish skin.

Step 8: Prep for polish. Moisturizing ingredients left on the nail will prevent polish from adhering properly. Using a cotton swab or pad, apply nail-polish remover over the nail’s surface to remove any residue.

Step 9: Paint nails in layers. If you have weak or brittle nails, use a base coat of ridge-filling nail polish to shore up the nail. A base coat also protects nails from staining (especially important if you prefer red nail polish) and prevents chipping. Next, apply your color polish in layers, allowing each layer to dry between coats. Two coats of color polish followed by a top coat to add gloss should do the trick. If you are a newbie on manicure, use a lighter shade of polish so that your flaws would not be so noticeable.

Step 10: Reapply moisturizer! Keeping your hands and the nail area healthy-looking requires moisturizer.

Try it and let’s know how it went.

Photo credit:  www.makeupandbeauty.com