With the hustle and bustle of today’s crazy lifestyle, it isn’t always possible to make it to the nail salon or spa to have our nails done professionally. Sometimes we find ourselves primping our nails on the go, like when we’re driving to that all-important business meeting or flying out to the annual family reunion. While you certainly shouldn’t attempt to give yourself a manicure while battling four lanes of 80 mph traffic, you can give yourself a great manicure if you know how and where to find good manicure sets.
I remember the kind that my grandmother used to have. It was a leather case and each item had its own little elastic compartment that held it in place. The case could be closed with a zipper. She always had it handy in case of an emergency hang nail or broken fingernail. It was basic, and absent of any frills, but in a pinch it did the trick.
Let’s start with the basics. What do you need to give yourself a manicure? To start with, you need a good nail polish remover, cotton balls (never use toilet paper or paper towels - you will go throw a lot more than using a couple of cotton balls.), and quality nail polish. You should also purchase a small manicure set if you don’t already have one. If you plan to go on the glamorous side, you’ll need professional manicure kits such as ones containing French manicures, or acrylic supplies if you plan to add tips to your existing nails.
These are the places that sell the exact same tools and equipment to salons and spas, and while you may pay a little more money to shop here, the quality of the product is superior. These stores sell complete manicure sets, or you can choose to customize your needs by purchasing individual tools. If you’re really looking for top-notch tools and equipment, they sell the fancy airbrush machines and electric nail buffers, too.
In addition to the old fashioned manicure sets you can purchase all kinds of kits at all different kinds of stores. Some kits will have cute little carrying cases like mine (well not as cute as mine, but cute nonetheless). There are kits aimed at the target market of teenagers and small children.
If by chance you aren’t able to locate a professional beauty retailer, then purchasing your manicure set from a department store is perfectly acceptable if you know what to look for. You’ll find a wide variety of manicure sets ranging in prices from a couple bucks all the way $20 and over.
For example, when giving yourself a manicure that involves the application of acrylic tips, you should find those items at professional beauty stores rather than your local grocery store. These products are much better quality when coming from a professional retailer, as they are usually the same products used in nail salons. You may pay more for these items, but you will find that you’ll be much happier with the result.
It is a good idea to go through your manicure set periodically and purge any old and outdated manicure supplies. You should replace the orange sticks and emery boards pretty regularly in order to avoid spreading fungus and bacteria that live under our nails. In addition, you should throw out polishes after about a year. I am guilty of adding fingernail polish remover to that last favorite bottle of discontinued perfect red. You know this particular beauty sin; the polish is real thick so you thin it out using remover. Well stop doing it, its ridiculous. Buy a new color already!
