8 Steps To Give Yourself A Perfect At-Home Manicure

The choice of your nail colour can be a great way to express your personality and mood. If you’re feeling chirpy and happy, I’d say go for a bright yellow. On days you’re feeling creative or adventurous, a neon pink can be a great choice. And if you’re feeling sad or depressed, you’re most likely to reach for the darker ones. 

In fact, the simple act of applying nail paint can actually prove to be therapeutic. No, really. Even science backs it. It makes you feel that despite the miserable circumstances you’re currently stuck in, you deserve to be happy because you are worth it. On one of your downtrodden days, a glance at your perfectly manicured hands can really help you look at the brighter side of things, doing wonders for your mental health. 

So if you’re like me and love a fresh manicure but find it weird to have a stranger hold your hands for more than two minutes or hate going to the salon, it’ll be great to learn how to do your nails at home. Not only will it help you de-stress, it’ll be extremely easy on your pocket. And, it’s super quick and easy to do as well. 

So let's get started, shall we?

Step1: Assemble Your Tools

Before you start giving yourself a manicure make sure that you have all the essential tools you need as you don't want to be running around mid manicure, with nail paint that is yet to dry, trying to look for a nail filer or cuticle stick. 

Some of the basic tools you should have set up in place before hand are:

• Nail clipper
• Nail file
• Cuticle stick
• Cleaning pick
• Nail polish remover 
• Cotton pads
• Nail polish
• Hand Cream

Investing in a good quality nail care set will be worth the money as it will last longer and will give your nails the pampering they need without causing unnecessary pain. The Leovard luxury nail care set, packaged in a sleek and elegant leather carrying case is a premium quality kit, consisting of all the tools that you might need to give yourself a fresh manicure, at home or on the go. Made with top-notch and durable materials, the tools are designed in inspiration from high precision tools of surgery, giving you a luxurious feel.

Step2: Remove Your Previous Nail Polish

It's a crucial step to remove your previously applied nail polish or else the end result will be lumpy and uneven-looking nails. Try to opt for an acetone-free nail polish remover to protect your nails from drying out. However, these are not as effective as the regular nail polish remover, so for your next manicure, use a peel-off base coat so that the nail polish pops right off like a sticker, leaving your nails healthy and free of any chemical damage.

Step3: Shape Your Nails

After removing your nail polish, clip your nails and file them in a gentle motion towards one direction. Going crazy with your nail shape might come right back at you as they can become more prone to splintering and breaking off. So it's better to play it safe and stick to a simple rounded, almond or square edge shape.

Step4: Soak Your Hands

Let's be honest, soaking your hands in warm water with your favorite bath salts or essential oils is the most awaited part of a manicure. Why skip it if you love it so much?

 Fill a bowl with warm water and add your favorite essential oil. You can also add a gentle cleanser to cleanse your nails for further steps. Soak your hands for about 3-4 minutes and pat them dry with a soft and warm towel and feel that euphoric moment.

Step5: Prep Your Cuticles

This is the step that you don't want to skip as it will determine how your entire manicure looks at the end. Untrimmed cuticles can ruin your nail polish application, making it uneven.  

 Apply a cuticle remover for a few seconds and then start trimming the thick skin around your nails. Make sure to only trim the edges and not cut it too deep. Afterward, take a cuticle stick and push your cuticles back away from your nails. But don't put too much pressure as it can cause tearing and it sure hurts real bad!

Step6: Moisturize Your Hands

There's an old saying, "If you want to guess a woman's age, look at her hands". 

 We all go to extreme lengths to keep our skin looking youthful, using the best anti-aging products and treatments, but always undermine our hands which need the same care as any other part of our body.

Apply a moisturizer that soothes out all the wrinkles and fine lines while hydrating your hands just like Leovard Multicream does. With ingredients like alligator pepper and white willow, this concoction helps your skin to rejuvenate with an ultimate soothing experience.

Step7: Apply Your Favorite Nail Polish

Start with applying a base coat. A single layer helps to prevent stained nails from brightly colored nail polishes and also prevents early chipping. Next, apply two layers of your desired nail polish and finish it up with a glossy topcoat. Make sure to allow each layer to dry in between the coats.

Use a cotton bud lightly dipped in nail polish remover to fix all the tiny mishaps in between. And don't forget to apply a layer of topcoat every other day to make your manicure last longer. 

Step8: Apply a Nail Oil

Finish off your manicure with a simple nail oil. You can also use regular cuticle oil or an all-purpose oil that you usually use for your hair and body. Applying oil to your nails helps them grow stronger breaking chipping and breaking. The Leovard Oil Fusion is a perfect blend of several hand-picked botanical oils including avocado, jojoba, coconut, and flaxseed oil to help improve your nail’s health for more at-home manicures.

Take Away

It's completely okay for you to get your nails done from a salon for a special occasion or even if you just want to treat yourself to a little something.

But it’s always a good idea to learn the basics of giving yourself an at-home manicure so that you don't have to spend a lot of your money each time you feel like a bit of pampering and care. 

And that’s made a lot easier with our luxury nail care kit. Because at Leovard we believe in providing simplified grooming solutions to help you treat yourself the way you deserve.

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