My Nail Care Regime...

Another scheduled post - damn the exams! Since I didn't have the time to swatch, I've decided to show you my nail care regime today!

A number of you have asked for some tips on hand care so I thought I would just share what I use to keep my nails the way they are. Of course, I don't claim to have expert knowledge in this area! These are just what I use regularly - well, kind of regularly, you'll see.

Needless to say, I am not big on nail care! Just look at the picture - a grand total of five items! lol! I am pretty thankful that my hands seldom give me any trouble so I don't really need a lot of products to keep them looking healthy. It also helps that we don't have very harsh winters in Singapore - it's just hot and very humid all year long! :fire

Cuticle remover
I've only recently started using a cuticle remover so this is the first I've tried. I spotted it at a Watsons outlet and decided to give it a shot. I use this when my cuticles get a little rough-looking - it's rare but it does happen every now and then. It helps to remove the occasional dead flap of cuticle that I may have. I also use the built-in pusher-tip to push back my cuticles before I wash away the gel.
On another note, it seems to be really good at removing stains on the nails near my cuticles. I'm kind of tempted to smear this over my entire nail to remove all the staining! xD I don't really dare to try it though. Has anyone tried it before?

Clipper and Glass Nail File
I shorten my nails at least once a week because they often get in the way when I type on the computer.
I know some people don't recommend nail clipping but it works fine for me - no chipping or peeling. I am not that patient to use the file to take down length! :p The only thing that I have to be careful with is over-shortening my nails. Unfortunately, that happens quite often so I sport really short nubbins sometimes. :||
After clipping, I will use the glass nail file to shape my nails and get a smooth edge.

Hand & Nail Creams
Before I go any further, I have a confession to make - I am not religious with my moisturizing routine (or any beauty routine for that matter). Rather, I routinely skip the moisturizers and only pull them out when my hands are getting a little too dry. >.< This is definitely not recommended so... let's try to moisturize regularly, shall we? *pinky promise*
I use Lush's Lemony Flutter on my cuticles at night as it is rather oily. I will dab a small amount on each of my cuticles, climb into bed and slowly massage my cuticles until I get really sleepy. In the morning, I will wake up to nice and soft cuticles! :L
I use the Vaseline in the daytime as it gets absorbed really quickly. I've once smeared them all over my nails and fingertips before getting distracted by a clip online. By the time I got around to rubbing them in five minutes later, they are more or less absorbed. Impressive! Of course, it is not as moisturizing as Lemony Flutter but it does a pretty good job when I'm on the go.

Base & Top Coats
I didn't add them into the picture because I've recently changed my base coat and it doesn't seem to be working well on me. I've previously used NailTek Foundation II and I find that it significantly strengthened my nails. I hardly experienced any peeling even after intensive swatching sessions. I didn't have that much luck with Poshe Nail-Strengthening base coat so I'm probably going to switch back to NailTek after I finish this bottle of Poshe.
I also use Seche Vite as my top-coat. I know that NailTek and Seche Vite are not B3F but it doesn't really bother me that much for now... I think. :/

So... that's basically all the nail care products I use! They've worked pretty well for me so far :i
But remember, what works for me may not work for everyone!
Let us know if you have any other good hand and/or nail care products that you want to recommend!

xoxo,
mich