Anytime someone says “I just love getting a mani and a pedi” I literally cringe. I despise visiting the nail salon. It’s the most miserable place to me for a few reasons. One, it’s the biggest waste of money to pay to get your nails painted.
And two, a pedicure is serious torture in my opinion. I can’t stand when they push your cuticles back, or when they use that damn cheese grater on your heels. Sure my feet look and feel great after, but the process to get there is pure misery to me.
If I do go to a nail salon it’s maybe a handful of times a year to get a good pedicure, so that I don’t have to ever go back. Instead, I paint my own nails at home and do it nearly every week. In order to get a salon-worthy manicure and pedicure, I rely on a few simple tools and tricks.
Today I’m sharing them with you so you can join the at-home mani club. It’s become one of my favorite lazy day rituals. Plus, I feel weird if my nails aren’t painted. So this process happens often as soon as my nails begin to chip. And the best part of it, the Dazzle Dry system I use keeps your nails chip free for about a week, and honestly, I’ve gone almost two weeks. Plus, you can use whatever nail polish brand you want for the color. You don’t have to just use Dazzle Dry.
The Dazzle Dry System, Explained
Before we get into the steps, I want to first explain the Dazzle Dry system. There’s some confusion about this at home manicure system, is it gel, isn’t it, how long does it last and more. This is a multi-step at home manicure system, and there are 3 parts of the system I use in my routine. That includes Prep, Base Coat, and Top Coat. That’s it. You can use whatever nail polish you want for the color, and the system will still work.
Dazzle Dry allows you to do two things. Get a chip-free manicure for a full week, if not longer. And second, super fast drying. I’m talking you can paint your nails and in 5 minutes, you can go about your day and not be precious with your nails. While some people may claim their polish is “dry”, it is not fully dry. You could easily get smudges, knicks, and lines in your polish. Ever go to bed after painting your nails and wake up with texture on your polish and they’re no longer shiny and beautiful? Dazzle Dry would never. You could paint your nails, and in 5 minutes, go reach for your keys in your bag and head out for errands, with confidence.
Using Dazzle Dry as your at-home manicure system is a complete game changer, and this is the routine I do for my at home manicure system, from the tools and explanation of each step.
Must Have Tools For An At Home Manicure
1. Buffer & Nail File
I can’t imagine life without my nail buffer. It’s my favorite way to file my nails down when they just need to be cleaned up a bit after clipping them. If I need to really shape them, I sometimes use a real ebony file, but honestly, this thing is the best. Plus, I like to buff my nails a tad, I find that it gives you a bit of a better surface to paint your nails on and the polish stays on longer.
Nail Buffer →
2. Wooden Tool
When doing my toenails, this tool is key for cleaning up your toes for an at home pedicure. Under the nails, around the cuticle, it’s the best. It’s also great for cleaning up your cuticles/skin when you paint your nails and it gets a little messy.
Cuticle Sticks →
3. Dazzle Dry Prep
Now that your nails are prepped and ready, there is one more step before we apply the base coat, and that’s the Dazzle Dry Prep. This is a non-toxic primer and strengthener that helps keep your nail polish on for a week if not longer. Just apply a bit to a cotton pad and apply to each nail.
Dazzle Dry Prep →
4. Dazzle Dry Base Coat
The nail system I like to use these days is Dazzle Dry. I find this lasts the longest. Start with their base coat. The base coat should be clear before beginning. If it’s at all cloudy, run it under warm water until it turns clear. You’ll do two coats of this, and make sure to dry in-between. The base coat will turn almost matte on your nails once it’s fully dry, and that’s your cue to do your second coat. This is a crucial step to be patient with, or your nails won’t last.
Dazzle Dry Base Coat →
5. Good Polishes
Having a few good polishes on hand to rotate through makes your at home manicure feel like you’re really at the salon. A few favorite brands of mine include essie for their seasonal colors and Sally Hansen. I also love having a few fun colors on hand like bright blues, whites and classic reds.
6. Top Coat
As with my base coat, my top coat is also Dazzle Dry. I have a few others I do like but this one has been proven to make my manicure last up to two weeks!
Dazzle Dry Top Coat →
Dazzle Dry vs. Gel
You’re probably wondering: what’s the difference between Dazzle Dry and gel if they both last almost two weeks? Gel is a system you use that needs UV light to cure the polish. This is also much more difficult to remove and can take a toll on your nails. Dazzle Dry doesn’t require any UV light. It simply requires the Prep, Base Coat and Top Coat. That’s it. Plus, Dazzle Dry is a breeze to remove with acetone nail polish remover. This makes it really easy to do your own nails at home and save money at the nail salon.
A Step By Step Guide To The Perfect At Home Manicure
Step 1 – Trim & File
First, you’ll want to trim your nails down to the exact length you’d like them. If mine are getting long, I use a nail clipper and then finish with a nail file. You can also clean up any dirt with the wooden tool from under your nails. I personally leave my cuticles as is because I don’t think it’s really necessary to push them back.
Step 2 – Buff
I always buff my nails with the softer side of my nail buffer. I think this helps to prep the nails the best so that your polish stays on longer. It also helps to get out any irregular edges. My nails tend to split at the end, so this helps to even them out and keep my polish from cracking once it’s applied.
Step 3 – Prep The Nail
Now that you’ve filed and buffed your nails, we want to prep the nail itself for any polish. It’s best to do this with your acetone or non-acetone nail polish remover. This step helps to remove any dust from buffing, and any oil in your nails. When you do this your next steps of base coat and polish will stick better for a longer lasting at home manicure. You can then use the Dazzle Dry Prep primer to get your nails ready to go for polish.
Step 4 – Base Coat
A base coat could be one of two types of products. I use Dazzle Dry base coat and apply two coats. If you have brittle, unhealthy nails, you may want to try a nourishing base coat to create a barrier between your nails and the polish. Target any issues your nails are dealing with in your base coat here. If you have no issues, just use the Dazzle Dry. Dazzle Dry requires two coats, and you must wait for each coat to fully dry to a matte finish.
Step 5 – Apply Nail Polish
Your nail polish coats should not be thick, period. This is the biggest take away from painting your nails at home. It also helps to make sure they dry faster too. I always do two coats and allow them to dry just a tad in between. I polish from the middle and then work my way outwards.
This step just takes time to get good at. The more you do it, the better you’ll be at it. If you’re using Dazzle Dry base and top coat, you can use whatever nail polish color you want, it doesn’t have to be Dazzle Dry!
Step 6 – Top Coat
Apply your top coat, I use the Dazzle Dry top coat because it dries SO incredibly fast. Apply one or two coats of top coat. That’s it.
Step 7 – Reapply Top Coat
The best way to ensure a long-lasting at-home manicure is to reapply your topcoat every 3-5 days. I forget to do this almost always, but when I do remember, my nail color always lasts the longest and looks nice and shiny too.
Now you know my secrets to the perfect at home manicure. No more wasting money at the nail salon. And the freedom to change your nail color up whenever you want!
- SHOP
- PIN IT
