You’re probably doing a lot of hand washing right now (and you should!). However, since that might dry out your skin, you can use a moisturizer afterward. Footlogix’s is not only great for you feet but also your hands. Footlogix DD Cream mouse or very dry formulae which is a favorite with some All My Nails staffers.
De-Stress With a Manicure
With all that extra time spent on your hands, don’t forget about your nails. There is no shortage of prepackaged manicure tool kits, but you probably don’t need them. They often include a bunch of products you likely won’t use. Instead, get yourself the basic tools:
Nail clippers: These are sharp, durable, and long-lasting. Look for one that has a built-in tool for cleaning under your nails, or a basic nail brush will suffice.
Tropical Shine and Beauty Secrets nail files: These are two emery boards that aren’t too costly. Crystal or metal files are easier to wipe, according to skilled nail technicians. Like this ASP file, I prefer crystal.
Tropical Shine buffers: Buffers smooth and shine your nails, but don’t use them more than once a month or you might accidentally wear them down.
I understand how tempting it is to cut and push those cuticles, but you should avoid doing so because you risk introducing bacteria and infecting yourself. To stop cracking, use cuticle oil and keep your hands moisturized.
If you’re looking for a manicure in a package, Olive and June Mani Kits have all the polishes and equipment you’ll need without the extras.
You’ll get a nail clipper, file, buffer, nail polish remover, thin nail brush, cuticle serum, polish, and a universal polish bottle handle, depending on which choice you choose. As nice as it is to have a freshly painted manicure, nail polish chips. Nail stickers don’t.
We use Dashing Diva; they’re easy to put on—just use the included file at the edge of your nail to remove and smooth out the excess—and they come in a lot of fun prints. You won’t have to worry about chipping or waiting for your nails to dry with this sticker manicure, which should last for at least a week. Most importantly, they don’t look like stickers.
Try Nail Art
If your polish collection is lacking, you don’t have to go out and buy every Essie color there is (at $9 a pop, it adds up quickly). As long as you’ve got one or two base colors, look for design polishes with a long, fine brush like these. They make it easy to do line designs or to add a pop of color to otherwise basic nails.
If you’ve already got a solid collection of colors, opt for thin nail polish brushes instead. Just be sure to clean the polish off the brush immediately so the bristles don’t dry up. Dotting pens make it easy to draw flowers and polka dots. If you want to go all-in, you can get a nail art set that includes brushes, dotting pens, glitter, sequins, and anything else you could possibly want to put on your nails. We haven’t tried this one, but it has great reviews.
When it comes to nail art, you have to be willing to try and try again, no matter how many times you mess up (and you will mess up). If there ever was a time to learn, it’s right now, as no one will see them.
