DIY: Salon Quality Home Manicure/Pedicure

Do you love your fingers and toes to feel pampered but don't always love the price it takes for them to feel that way? Don't waste your money at a nail salon. Here is a step-by-step guide for an at-home salon quality manicure or pedicure without the price!

You will need:

- Nail clipper or trimmer

- Nail file

- Nail buffer

- Nail polish

- Nail polish remover

- Cuticle trimmer

Start by removing any nail polish from your nails with nail polish remover. I have found that using cotton balls to do this is much more effective than using napkins or paper towels because they do not dissolve as easily.

Next, use cuticle oil or lotion to soften the skin around your nails. This makes the process of pushing back your cuticles easier. Cuticles are the hardened skin at the base of your nails. Pushing them back or removing them makes nails look cleaner and well-groomed. You may either decide to just push them back and leave them there or to remove the excess parts of them with a cuticle trimmer.

Now, trim the ends of your nails with the nail clipper to your desired shape and length. Rounded and squared ends are simple and look nice. Use the nail file to smooth the ends of your nails. Nails that have not been filed sometimes tend to snag on fabric.

Nails are naturally slightly bumpy and imperfect on the surface. Use a nail buffer to smooth the surface of your nails. Nail buffers usually have about three levels of coarseness. Start with a medium level of coarseness and work your way to the smoothest. Go easy with the nail buffer and be careful not to file right through your nails!

To polish your nails, begin with a clear coat to protect your nails from being stained by colorful polish. If your nails are naturally thin, use a clear nail polish that has a nail strengthening ingredient. After the first coat has dried, apply one of two coats of your main nail polish color. Allow time for each coat to dry before applying the next. Finish off by applying a top coat of clear polish in order to allow the manicure or pedicure to last longer.

When you are finished, you may want to use a cotton swab dipped in nail polish remover to touch up the edges of your nails depending on how messy you were.