Manicure Look For Less!

Out of all the nail polishes out there, Essie has got to be my all time favorite brand.  Every season they come out with 5 or 6 brand new colors that are fun, fresh and colorful!  When I saw Essie's summer line, I was instantly obsessed!  

If you're like me, you need to have a new manicure every week.  I do this for two reasons.  1.) It gets chipped around the edges and doesn't look too fresh anymore. 2.) I want a new color on my nails! Hey, what's wrong with variety?!

New manicures every week does get awfully expensive, so I've taken to doing my own nails once a week.  I set out to find the perfect cuticle remover, manicure set, base coat, and quick dry top coat.  After lots of trial and error, I've really come to love Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover.  It works excellently to dissolve the cuticles in about 30 seconds. Of course I use my manicure kit to scrape away any excess and push my cuticles back, but then the rest washes away.  The best part, it was only $4!  Perfecto!  

On the hunt for a great quick dry top coat, I came across Seche Vite at my local Ulta store. It was fairly pricey at $10 for the bottle, but it has been the best manicure investment I've ever made!  In about 5 minutes, my nails are dried to perfection leaving a shiny and smooth top coat.  Just beware of the top coat if you are pregnant or expecting because it contains an ingredient called Toluene, which may be harmful if you inhale too much of it.  I like to apply this top coat outside to ensure proper ventilation.  I loved Seche Vite so much, I even bought their fortified strengthener base coat, which is $15! :)  I am prone to really weak nails due to many years of acrylic nails, so I was willing to invest in a good strengthener.

Although doing my own mani every week has saved me tons of money, I still find myself buying every Essie color under the sun for these at-home manis.  At $8 a bottle, that's bound to get expensive!  Just as much as a manicure! :)

While I was browsing Target I noticed they had a display of all Essie's new colors for the season...one of them being Naughty Nautical, a favorite of mine for this season!  Being faced with the dilemma of spending another $8, I decided to browse around for a cheaper alternative to this beautiful marine blue color.  That's when I spotted Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Kiwi Bikini, a dead ringer for Naughty Nautical, but only $2.30! At this rate I can get 3 for the price of 1!

Here's how it came out!

Cabela was groomed yesterday!  Doesn't she look so fresh and clean?!

Happy Weekend To All!!

xoxo