That Glamorous But Frazzled Mom: My At Home Manicure Tips

I've been getting a lot of compliments on my nail polish since forever. I've even been asked if I go get them done at the salon or if they're gel. That's hilarious to me because I really do hope to be a fancy lady who goes to the nail shop and languidly picks out the perfect shade and sneaks in a little bit of gossip with the nail tech as I sip champagne while my kids are with some nanny or another learning Mandarin. What I'm saying is that I rarely have the time and quite frankly the money to spend on getting my nails did every week. On top of that, I change my mind a lot. I may be feeling a neutral nude one day and then need a deep goth purple the next. Over the years I've learned some tips and tricks to keep my at home manicure looking on point.

The most important thing, at least for my nails, is vitamins. I still take my prenatal vitamins. They are just as good, if not better than any "Hair Skin & Nails" pill you'll find, and cheaper too. And if your a mommy, you'll remember just how long and strong your nails were when you were pregnant. Nine times out of ten, as a mom you're probably not eating your best and getting all your nutrients since the kids take over at least 100% of your attention. Take your vitamins, your mom would be so happy.

Just like makeup, you have to prime your nails before you apply polish. File them to the shape that works best for you. Clean then with nail polish remover even if you don't have any nail polish on. Dirt of leftover lotion can cause bubbles and your polish won't set properly. And of course, use a base coat. Whenever I skip this step, I get so mad at myself. My favorite base coat is OPI Natural Nail Base Coat. I've been using it for a few years now, and it provided a smooth start to my manicure.

I'm extremely biased as far as what nail polish brands I'll use on my nails. Most of my collection is OPI and Zoya. These have been by far the most long lasting and chip free polishes. Except for my Chanel nail polish(you won't catch me paying $25 for a nail polish regularly). China Glaze is ok. OPI and Zoya both have amazingly large selections of colors and textures and come out with new colors every season. So on top of their staying power, they stay on trend and always have something new and fun to try, just like a nail salon would do.

After you choose your color, apply 2 coats. One coat may look streaky, three will be clumpy. The only exception to this rule is the dreaded yellow polish. Yellow nail polish is tricky but I've hacked it. For yellow nail polish or any color that's supposed to be neon, apply a white nail polish first as your base coat. It's truly the only way to get non streaky bright polish. Apply the polish all the way to the tip of your nail and brush some directly on the tip, over to the inside if the nail. This helps a little bit with chipping as well as shrinkage as your nails grow.

Top coats are the difference between a lovely long-lasting manicure and chips, bubbles, and smudges which are likely to send you into a tizzy. The only top coat you'll ever need is Seche Vite. One coat of this stuff and your manicure will dry shiny, fast and hard. I do love my OPI Top Coat, but it's just not the same. Seche Vite is the same top coat that most salons use. There's no need to look any further, seriously.

Another quick dry superstar I've found is Julep's TA DA Quick Dry Drops. One drop from this bottle upon each nail cuts the drying time down to seconds. Plus it's very moisturizing for the cuticles, which I desperately need.

Almost time to get some more TA DA by Julep

My final step when finishing up my manicure is cleaning up the edges. I'm a mess, you know that. So I found these amazing Q-tips Precision Tips, and they have changes my manicure for the better. I just dip one in some nail polish remover and clean up the edges of my fingers were polish has escaped to(alright, I'm sloppy). They can cost a little more than regular Q-tips, but that little point is so worth it!