the right stuff...

If you didn’t already know this, I’m nail obsessed. It’s a thing. I paint my nails almost weekly and have been on a regular basis since 2003. Yes friends, that means my nails have been polished for over 10 years. I have a firm NO NAKED NAILS policy. I don’t make other people adhere to my harsh and regimented standards, but I almost freak out when I see my natural nails - it just looks so strange! Because I have been painting for SO long, I have developed some techniques and definitely know which products to buy. I recently got a text from a friend asking for advice - she said she spent almost 10 minutes perusing the aisles of Target for nail supplies and came out with NOTHING because she couldn’t decide what was best and didn’t want to spend $50 on the wrong stuff. SO here it is - my recommended nail products + a little bit more post! EEK! Aren’t you SO excited?

The right products are ESSENTIAL - most of my products can be found at Target, but there are a few that must be purchased at the beauty supply. My very favorite beauty supply is at Grossmont Center in San Diego, CA so that’s probably a stretch for most of you - but I will include links to products on Amazon so you can easy order if you’d like!

BASE COAT
I’m a huge STICKEY fan - I buy the ridiculously large size and it lasts for years. Totally worth the investment even though it is a bit of a splurge.

TOP COAT
There is NONE OTHER than Seche Vite. Literally it’s my favorite nail product on earth. You can get it at your local target (though they do sell out from time to time) it’s approximately $10 and it will revolutionize your nail painting life. It’s super shiny and dries quickly so you can go to bed almost right away! It’s AMAZING.

POLISH
I personally believe brand matters. However, different people like different things in their polishes. I am a fan of a wide brush - it’s for THAT reason that I own almost every Rimmel London color as well as the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure line. Essie is a good product and their color line is exceptional, but it’s a bit thin for my personal taste. OPI is also good quality but I don’t buy it often anymore. I don’t go to the beauty supply to get polish very often so with Rimmel and Sally Hansen at Target I’m usually sold (because you know I’m there WAY too often). I am still in search of the perfect pale pink that is sheer but has enough saturation that I don’t look like a dead person. I’ll keep you posted on progress but so far this has NOT been successful. Sephora has a new line that my friend Anna swears by and I adore BUTTER London polish but it’s crazy expensive so unless it’s on HauteLook, that’s a no-go for me.

SUBSCRIPTIONS
If you’re a nail polish addict like me, you might want to think about a subscription. I am a Julep Maven and basically that means I get nail polish on my doorstep once a month IF I so desire. I can choose to skip the month or send my polish to a friend if I’d like - it’s a great program and the product is fantastic and let’s be honest - WHO DOESN’T LOVE GETTING PACKAGES!

TOOLS
Ok so I need to take just a moment for a confession. I paint my nails weekly and have a strict no naked nails policy. That does NOT mean that I am the queen of cuticle care. I will OFTEN prioritize getting a fresh color on my fingers over having trimmed and pushed back cuticles. That said, when I do take the time to give myself the COMPLETE treatment, I like VANISH by Julep for cuticle maintenance and the OPI emery boards are exceptional - I will never go back to Target nail files - they’re just not the same.

Here are some links and some pics of my favorite products so you have a visual of what you’re looking for! Feel free to ask questions and I’ll do my best to answer. And check out my insta (typically on #manimonday) if you wanna see my latest “do”.

Stickey
Seche Vite
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure
Julep