::: Tipsy Tuesday :::
Tough as Nails: How to Winter Proof And Grow Your Nails Long When Its Cold Outside
Is winter being a basic bish? Give it the finger. Albeit, a perfectly manicured one using my tried and true tips to grow longer, stronger nails. As many of you already know, I’m a fan of Julep nail polish. It is undeniable that my nails tend to grow longer, harder and faster when I use their polish in combination with my go-to gel nail polish, Gelous (which I’ve raved about at length here).
So, when the opportunity came to try Julep’s Oxygen Nail Treatment I was all over it. I used my extra Julep points I’d accumulated over the past several months to do two add-ons to my regular monthly order. The oxygen treatments are available are the original light pinkish hue and ivory, so of course I had to get both. There was a time when I almost always solely used very pale nudes, whites and translucent pinks, so these options for a barely there look were right up my ally.
{My February Julep Maven Box}
The first go-round was pre-Valentine’s day week when I’d carelessly broken several nails in one week. I decided to follow the directions which stated that the polish was best used alone. As far as staying power went, the polish lasted, but I didn’t notice any significant difference in the strength of my nails, which was disappointing. I went back to polishing and designing my nails as usual for two weeks, then decided to give the Oxygen Treatment another try, this time using my gel method. And hot damn, my nails were winning once again.
Some of the reviews I’d read previously complained that the Oxygen Treatment never seemed to dry, but that was not an issue in either case for me. With and without my gel polish and fast-drying top coat my nails set and dried just fine. The difference the gel polish made was that my nails were as hard as ever and growing rapidly.
I was so happy with the results that I decided to do a basic design using the negative space concept of white-lined half-moons with my barely-there pink Oxygen Treatment polish on my tips. This nude look gives the feel of having bare nails with just a subtle hint of a design aesthetic.
So if you’re trying to grow out your nails like I am, here are my top 4 tips:
Tip #1
Find a shape that works best with your lifestyle. For me that shape is oval– especially in the grow out stage. Once they get to a desirable length, I file them to a nice almond shape. (refer to the chart below).
Tip #2
Gently push back and moisturize your cuticles regularly– at least once a day. I’m not a huge fan of clipping my cuticles. I will if I have to just to keep them from growing too long. But for the most part, cuticle clipping is only done out of necessity for me. Hang nails, on the other hand are another story. I search, clip and destroy hang nails on the regular without hesitation.
Tip #3
Buff nails before polishing. This not only ensures a smooth surface for polish application, but ideally keeps nail polish from lifting and flaking off.
Tip #4
Invest in a good nail hardener to use as a base and top coat. Sally Hansen’s Diamond Strength Nails was my number one until I caught onto the proper way to use gel polish (the kind without the harmful UV light, of course.)
So, that’s it. Let me know if you’ve tried Oxygenating your nails (that’s what I like to call it– I’m fancy, I know. ;)) and how you grow out your nails.
