We all make mistakes, even with our nails. However, there are a few that are more commonly made than others.

Staying Beautiful

Not all of us are nail techs so it’s fair to say we’ll make mistakes in our at-home manicures. Luckily it’s difficult to do too much damage to nails & much of our advice for the mistakes below is easy preventative care.

During cold winter months it’s often difficult to keep hands healthy, but most of these mistakes are easy to remedy.

1. Lazy Lacquer

Leaving polish on too long is a problem even if it doesn’t chip. Often it is the cause of nail discolouration, which isn’t going to make you sick, but is a clear warning from your body. Be sure to use a remover that is as close to nature as possible. Try Suncoat’s Biodegradable Remover or Mavala’s Mild Remover.

2. Dying of Thirst

Let’s face it, your hands have it pretty rough, they have to do absolutely everything. So it’s fair to say they deserve to be constantly moisturised & pampered. This is perhaps the simplest way to make manicures easier & keep hands healthy. Whatever kind of moisture you like is the best moisture, try Mavala’s Extreme Cream, John Masters Organic Body Milk, Golden Silk Camellia Oil or Erica-Renée’s Organic Shea Butter.

3. Obsessive Nitpicking

Healthy hands & nail require no manuel labor to keep trim, there is no reason to push or shove your cuticles. Good tools and a great cuticle oil are your best weapons against cracked cuticles. Keep your hands hydrated at all times and carefully trim them (with proper cuticle trimming tools) only when necessary. Try Green Hands Organic Cuticle Oil for moisture & Mavala’s cuticle nippers or cuticle scissors for pro-grade tools.

4. Cutting Trees

Filing in more than one direction is bad news for your nails. You are not cutting trees folks, you are filing your nails…act like it. Keep metal files well away from your nails and even those disposable wooden things aren’t doing you any favours. The best file is a glass file – they never wear out & they are the easiest on your nails. Try Green Hands Glass Files.

5. Neglect is Abuse

Neglecting hang nails can have painful consequences, most importantly being the possibility of infection. Hands encounter a variety of germs and tears in the skin allow them access to your body. Moisturising daily will help prevent cracked skin, but when necessary use the proper tools to trim down problem areas. Try Mavala’s nippers or scissors for pro-grade tools.

6. Hazardous Waste

We are always talking about the chemicals in the cosmetic world and it’s an important issue for us. We try to provide healthier, more ethical options in our store and hope people will buy responsibly. Whatever your manicure ritual, use products as free of harsh chemicals as possible. We offer both water based and vegan polish options to suit healthier lifestyles.

7. No Firm Foundation

If you are going to polish your nails you have to lay down a solid foundation. Make sure they are clean and protected by a base coat. Most base coats moisturise, provide additional UV protection and keep varnish from discolouring nails. Try Mavala’s Barrier Base or a-england’s Knight Basecoat.

Doing it Right

We can all agree that it’s not worth doing something unless you do it right. Hopefully these quick tips for common mistakes will help you up your game and give yourself the best manicures ever.

Wintertime is tough on the body, it’s too wet outside, too dry inside and finding a happy medium for your hair, skin & nails isn’t an easy task. There are a few things you can do to help prepare yourself for the short days and long nights ahead.

Helpful Tips

Team Inspirationail has learned a few tips over the years and we’re sharing them here with you today. All of these are fairly quick and easy to do and don’t require large purchases. Really it’s about keeping you living and eating healthy while avoiding exposure to the elements as much as possible. With a little advance planning, preventative care and attention to detail you and your nails can make it through the winter intact.
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Welcome to the reddish-purple week of Team Inspirationail’s Colour School, if you haven’t already be sure to check out lessons on the basics & colour combos as well as red, pink, yellow, green, grey, black, white, brown, beige, blue, orange, purple, rust, mango, lime, teal & violet and this week we are looking at the best colours to match with cozy reddish-purple.

An Educated Guess

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Welcome to the bluish-purple week of Team Inspirationail’s Colour School, if you haven’t already be sure to check out lessons on the basics & colour combos as well as red, pink, yellow, green, grey, black, white, brown, beige, blue, orange, purple, rust, mango, lime & teal and this week we are looking at the best colours to match with dusky bluish-purple.

An Educated Guess

This is the colour of the sky as night takes it over and makes Team Inspirationail daydream about of the feel of tropical night air. Dusky and deep, this colour makes a great substitute for dowdy black as it is slimming with a hint of glorious and regal purple.
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