Nail Care: My Current Faves

Hey Guys!

I wanted to update you all on my current favorite nail care products. Having nails that are healthy, strong, and look good is really important to me, especially since a good portion of my blog is nail swatches! No one wants to see macro photos of stubby nails and not so pretty cuticles, so I’m always on the hunt for great nail care products to help make sure my nails look good in photos.

First and foremost, it’s really important to have strong, healthy nails. I tweeted a few weeks ago asking my followers what their favorite nail strengtheners were, because I was on the lookout for something new. Ironically, the products that have really been helping me were already in my stash!

Seche Vite Rebuild is something I bought awhile ago on one of my go-to nail sites, and never really paid much attention to it until these past few weeks. I put this on every time I take off my nail polish and I’ve found it works wonders at strengthening my nails and keeping them from peeling (which was becoming a big problem). Right now my nails are pretty long for what I’m used to, and I can put pressure on them and they dont bend against it like they have in the past. Love this product!

Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator is a product I’ve used in the past (based on Scrangie’s recommendation) and I dont remember being for or against it. I decided to try again a few weeks ago when Zoya was having a St. Patrick’s day promotion (as Zoya sells Qtica as well). I got the .5 oz bottle for $20 (they sell a bottle half the size at Ulta for around $11) and started using it about every other day. I have to say, I’m REALLY impressed with how fast my nails grew!

The other great thing about the Qtica Nail Growth Stimulator is it doesn’t leave your nails feeling brittle. I’ve used plenty of nail growth products, and the ones that actually works and had my nails grow faster than they would on their own seemed to leave them feeling really thin and weak. Qtica Nail Growth Stimulator strengthen and hydrates your nails in addition to helping them grow, so there is really no downside.

 

A big problem I have with my nails is my cuticles and the skin around my nails. I am on a constant battle to keep the skin there looking nice and keep the hangnails away, and I have tried what feels like every product on the market for this. Most of the time they tend to be either really oily and take awhile to actually sink into the skin, or a really thick salve that also takes awhile to sink in, which I’m not a big fan of. Trind’s Cuticle Balsam is the coolest product, because while it is a liquid and works to hydrate your cuticles to keep them looking great, it also sinks into the skin almost immediately. I keep this by my desk during the day and find myself applying it all the time because i love what it does to my cuticles, and I just can’t get over how quickly it sinks in to my skin!

 

Another great product from Trind is their handcream. Like the Cuticle Balsam, it sinks into the skin quickly, which I find so important with handcreams. I know that one of the first places that aging can show is on your hands, so I am really good about constantly keeping them moisturized.

(If you are interested in trying out the Trind products, they are offering a 20% off code (xsparkage) on their website until July 11, 2011!) :)

 

As always, my go-to top coat is Seche Vite. I’ve used tons and tons of top coats, but I find nothing compares to seche vite, especially in the dry time department. The one drawback is I find it does cause polishes to shrink back a bit, but that usually happens if I apply it when the polish is already pretty dry. Seche Vite is meant to be applied while the nail polish is still wet, but I always forget haha. I actually have a HUGE bottle of it in my nail product stash so that if my bottle starts running low or getting too thick, I can refill it and have it work perfectly again! This is also WAY cheaper than paying what retail stores charge for it (most retail stores sell a .5oz bottle for $9, you can find nail stores online like this one that sell a 4oz refill and the .5oz bottle for less than $19. so worth it!!)