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Give Yourself a Quick, Easy, At-Home Manicure

Let’s face it: the harshness of the winter has definitely dried out every piece of skin we ever dared to expose during the last few cold months. But now that spring has officially arrived—or so our calendars say—it is time to refurbish those cracked hands and soften our look with a fresh flowery springtime nail color!

 
You want to get prepared first so gather your manicure supplies including a nail file, nail clippers, nail polish remover, and cotton balls. Clear off your desk and lay out all your necessary products. Remember to put on some relaxing music and light a scented candle to set the mood. Also don’t forget to grab your favorite hand lotion, a cuticle remover, some Vitamin E Nail and Cuticle Oil, a nail scrubber, a cuticle pusher, some paper towels, and a small hand towel to use when painting your nails, as well as a small fan or a blow dryer. 
 
Begin by removing any old nail polish and washing your hands. Then apply some regular bar soap to your nail scrubber and scrub away any dead skin and dirt.
 
Clip your nails with a nail clipper to your desired length. After clipping away, use your nail file to smooth any rough edges. Make each nail uniform in shape—whether rounded or squared.
 
Again rinse off your hands with water, dry them on your small hand towel, and then apply a cuticle remover around the cuticles. Squeeze a small strip of cuticle remover around cuticles. Wait 15 seconds before pushing back cuticles with a manicure stick or cuticle pusher.

Apply a small amount of Vitamin E Nail and Cuticle Oil. Sally Hansen Vitamin E and Cuticle Oil is perfect for a quick manicure and you can use it on your nails nightly. Massage in and around your nails to further stimulate new nail growth.

Now that your nails are nicely cleaned, shaped, and treated, it’s time to pick out your favorite nail color! This is probably the most exciting part and because it is springtime there are so many choices to choose from. Pick a neutral color if you’re not one to switch up your nail color each week or choose an electrifying color if you want to brighten up everyone’s mood with every hand you shake. (I personally like the teal blue featured above!)
 
Apply whichever nail color you want and wait for each coat to dry before applying another. You can even use your small fan or a blow dryer to speed up the process. Want some extra shine? Add a layer of clear OPI Top Coat nail polish when you’ve finished.
 
And there you go, collegiettes™! Put your money back in your purse, show off those pretty nails, and if anyone asks where you got that perfect manicure, I guess you can let them in on your little secret.

 

 

Michelle Golden is a senior Writing, Literature and Publishing major at Emerson College working towards her Bachelor of Fine Arts. A transfer from Ithaca College in upstate New York, Michelle moved to the center of the Theatre District right outside of the Boston Common at the beginning of her sophomore year. Michelle is the relationships editor for em magazine, Emerson’s only campus lifestyle publication and previously one of the features writers. She has interned at OK! Magazine and Us Weekly in New York in the beauty department. She is currently interning half the week at Her Campus and the other half at Cosmopolitan. Michelle has also been actively involved with Teen Voices magazine located in Boston, Massachusetts working with teen girls all over the world and Music Unites, a non-profit based in New York City that raises awareness and funding for music programs in inner-city schools. Email her at michellegolden@hercampus.com.