Naked nails and manicure routine

I thought it was high time I'd show you my naked nails, first because I think some of you might have been wondering whether or not they were natural but also  because it would give you the opportunity to know me a bit better...

I always admired beautiful nails but I mine used to be soft, thin, peeling with short nail beds... deep down I was persuaded there was nothing I could do to go against their nature.

Newbie mistake, I tried acrylics, only to find out a few months later that they had even more damaged my poor nail condition and resigned myself.

Then, one day, out of the blue, I noticed that they had managed to all grow to the same (tiny) length without breaking so I decided to do something about it and started looking for the products that would help them harden and grow.
That was my first step into the nail world, I didn't know I'd get sucked in.

As, you can see, my nails aren't  super white, I guess that's my genetics, but I'm happy they're not stained either.

So here's my routine products :

Cuticle Care :

Blue cross cuticle remover is what works best for me because since I started using it I noticed it really helped whiten my nails and of course it works really well removing cuticles. I also use Opi Avoplex when I have nail polish on.

As for moisturizing, Lemony Flutter every night and Burt's Bees for touch ups during the day, especially in winter.

Nail care :

Nail Tek Foundation II is my favorite base coat, it helps even out small ridges and really strengthened my nails.

Seche vite works really well for me, I know a lot of you might not like it because of shrinkage, bubbling, etc but I never had these issues so I even bought the big refill bottle.

Essie Good to Go is another topcoat that I love, I don't use it on wet nail polish though but on the second day of wear, it helps revive high shine to my manicures and I remember being able to keep the same nail polish on for 4 to 6 days with this combo (that was in my early days when I didn't change it that often).

Hand Care :

Right now, I really love Burt's Bees Hand Salve, maybe because of its scent. You have to use a very small amount or you'll end up with oily hands. I also use other hand creams, I always try new ones but I didn't find perfection yet.

And now, just for the fun, here's one of my very first NOTD pics, please bear with the amateurism and blurriness, it's Essie Watermelon.

So that's it for today, I still have tons of things to say in that matter, with tips on how to grow them etc but I still have to work on it...