How to - My Steps to the Perfect Pedicure!

I've had this blog post in the works for quite a while because I haven't gotten around to finishing it, so finally, here are my tips to really pampering your feet!

1.) Take off any nail polish! I've been trying out butter London's Powder Room nail polish remover and am thinking about doing a review on it. Use whatever nail polish remover you prefer!

2.) Moisturize. Give your feet some TLC - I like to use Principessa beauty's Pretty Piede foot balm and massage the arches of my feet really well. Not only is it relaxing, but it feels great and makes your feet and hands smell lovely.

3.) Cuticle oil. This is an extra step I like to take for a little bit more moisture. This is the Q.Tickles Scented Botanical Cuticle Oil in the rose scent. You can see the bottle actually contains rose petals - part of what makes it feel so luxurious.

4.) Anything else you might want to do before polish - filing, clipping, anything. I would do that sort of grooming now.

5.) Start with a separator. I know these look and feel pretty stupid, but toe separators are actually very useful. If you find you have a hard time getting every toenail properly painted, this is a tool that will make everything a whole lot easier.

6.) Base coat. I always use a base coat to protect my nails from yellowing, and this one (Sally Hansen's Insta-Brite) is great because not only is it a base coat, but it actually is supposed to whiten the nails as well.

7.) Polish. I like to pick a nice natural colour that doesn't attract a lot of attention, because then I don't have to take it off as early on. (I'm not sure if that makes sense.... but if you have a bright neon pink on your nails and it chips, it's going to be more noticeable than a nude). I used butter London's Yummy Mummy, a nude with subtle shimmer.

So that's it! What is your top tip for tip top toenails? ;)

Review/Nail of the Day - 04/09/12

I wanted to rave about a lovely product I've had on my nails for over a week - the Sally Hansen Real Nail Polish Strips in the shade 530 Aflorable. When I went to Victoria over spring break, I saw these and thought the print was adorable. Sunday of last week, I applied one of these to each of my nails.

Per package, you receive 16 strips (each good for one to two nails, depending on your nail length and width), a small wooden stick, and a nail file. 

The first thing I wanted to say was that the selection is absolutely phenomenal. The amount of shades that are available, ranging from animal prints to solids to florals to glitters, is amazing. No matter who you are, if you like nail polish, there will be a shade for you in this line of products.

These applied well - no bubbles, and were easy to file down and shape to fit the nail. I used a base coat underneath, and I think that made the strips stick to my nails better. Afterwards, I actually put on 3 layers of my favorite top coat - Konad's top coat. I know this seems like overkill, but it's actually worked out quite well for me.

For staying power, the box claims that these should last up to ten days. Though I can't say anything about that claim yet, it has been eight, and none of my nails have chipped. My only issue is not related to the product - there is a space between where my nail begins and where the polish begins, because my nails have grown during the time I've had these strips on. 

The verdict? Amazing. The selection is amazing, the staying power is amazing, the application is amazing, and I've gotten tons of comments on how cool my nail polish is. Best of all, I have 7 strips left over, so I'm going to paint all of my nails except my ring fingers one colour, and wear a strip as a sort of "colour pop". I might even do a NOTD post on that :)

The last thing I do want to mention is the price. Now, in Canada, these retail for around $12 - the same price as a full-sized OPI polish. Though the staying power is great, I don't think these are worth that much of a splurge. However, for a one-time thing, I whole-heartedly recommend them!

Would you try these?