Hand and Nail Care Routine Favorites

By popular request I have an updated hand and nail care routine roundup! My last one was a few years ago (time flies!) and while many of the things have stayed the same, I have stopped using a few things. I’ve been doing my own nails on my own for several years now – pretty much since we moved to Florida. I still haven’t tried gel nails, dip powders, acrylics or press ons. I usually keep things simple and use regular nail polish formulas.

Cuticle Care

I feel like a lot of the Deborah Lippmann formulas changed! I bought several replacements of the Cuticle Remover and Nail Polish Remover and they didn’t work the same. Recent reviews still seem positive but the bottles I bought had chunks of white product floating in the bottle. I decided to look for an alternative. My tools remain the same tried and true go-to’s! I did replace the cuticle trimmer recently, over time the tools become dull with a lot of use and just need to be replaced.

• Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover is my current go-to to soften and help dissolve dead skin around the cuticle.
• Tweezerman Pushy and Nail Cleaner is my favorite tool to push back cuticles so they can be trimmed. The size is perfect for my nail size and I prefer the flat tip versus the curved ones of other styles.
• Tweezerman Rockhard Cuticle Nipper ½ inch jaw is my favorite tool to trim cuticles.
• OPI ProSpa Nail and Cuticle Oil is my favorite hand oil for the cuticles. It comes in a range of sizes and formats (like a bottle or brush pen). Definitely helps dry fingers!

(I also love the Dior Huile Abricot Daily Nutritive Serum and CND SolarOil.)

Nail Polish Remover + Tools

For nail polish removers and tools, my all around favorites are from Olive and June. You can buy their items from their website and they have also expanded their line at Target! I love the nail files, nail buffer, clean up brush and their nail polish remover! I recommend shopping their website for the best selection and customizable Manicure Systems and box sets. (I use their boxes to store a lot of my essentials to keep them all in one place!)

My next favorite polish remover is Zoya. It’s one that doesn’t make my nails peel or fingers dry out. It’s effective on regular polish and doesn’t feel harsh on the skin.

My favorite clippers and on-the-go tools are also from Tweezerman. I love this Mini Nail Rescue Kit for everyday use and love that it also travel friendly.

Hand Creams

above, clear stackable box in the last photo from amazon

I’m the biggest hand cream fanatic and always love trying new formulas. My current top 5 include:

• Chanel La Crème Main Texture Riche – best packaging design and lightweight formula
• La Mer The Hand Treatment – one of the most luxurious hand creams for ultra dry skin, I also love the La Mer Rejuvenating Hand Serum but ran out of it and will be replacing it soon!
• L’Occitane Solidarity Hand Cream – is one of their new limited-edition formulas, it has a soft hibiscus sent which is really pleasant! I bought 2 but am going to order a few more backups since it’s limited-edition and I really like the scent and cause it supports. Every year they make a product where 100% of the profits help fund projects for women in Burkina Faso for education and professional development
• Molton Brown Flora Luminare Hand Cream – I love a lot of the Molton Brown hand creams but this one smells like sunshine to me, it has a bright happy kind of sent with orange blossom, mandarin, ylang-ylang, frangipani, jasmin, rose, vanilla, cedarwood and musk. The formula is nice and not too heavy, I also adore this scent in the Shower Gel and Glowing Body Oil.
• Guerlain Repairing and Youth Hand Balm is one of the best new discoveries I’ve had, the balm is pretty spendy, especially for the size, but I’ve found it to be the best for ultra dry skin, it has a balm-feel with honey concentrate and really does work to smooth and hydrate super dry hands, it’s lightly scented (not overpowering).

Base and Top Coat

For base and top coat, I stopped using Essie’s Quick Dry Speed Setter. It worked so well to dry the nails fast and create a long lasting manicure but the formula was harsh on my nails and hands. If any product came in contact with my skin (even if I removed it with remover) it caused cracking and hardening wherever it touched.

• OPI Natural Base Coat is the best product I’ve tried that doesn’t hurt my sensitive nails and prevents yellowing from the polish. I also use the OPI Top Coat to extend wear.
• Chanel Le Gel Coat is another favorite I use on Chanel polishes. Gives the nails the glossy gel effect without the gel formula.
• Smith and Cult Basis of Everything and Above it All are also great options versatile to use on a wide range of other nail polish brands.

above expandable tray from Amazon

That wraps up my hand and nail care routine favorites! I hope you found this helpful! A number of you have also asked for my favorites for feet care. I still haven’t found my favorites to replicate a salon pedicure, although I really like the Spongables Pedi-Scrub and Tweezerman Sole Smoother Stone.

Let me know your favorites in the comments!

 

 

Press samples include: OPI Cuticle Oil, Guerlain Hand Balm, Olive and June tools.