Wash, sanitise, wipe and repeat. Our hands are bearing a substantial load in these times of clinical grade hygiene. They deserve some love. And just because visits to the nail salon are off the cards, we at INPRINT urge you to take up the rewarding ritual of an at-home manicure. So we asked nail expert and official manicurist for CHANEL, Jocelyn Petroni, how exactly to go about this with the help of some at-home aids.
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND PREPPING HANDS AND NAILS FOR AN AT HOME MANICURE?
Firstly, set yourself up using tools and ingredients from around your home, then:
1. Cut nails and file into shape, keep them short and neat for durability and longevity.
2. Squeeze some fresh lemon into your warm hand soak to clean and brighten the nail plate, soak for 3 minutes.
3. Scrub the nail plate and cuticles with a clean toothbrush to exfoliate and clean the nails and cuticles.
4. Gently push back the cuticles using your own finger nail, the thumb works best.
5. Wipe the nail plate with polish remover or thoroughly wash with warm soapy water.
6. Paint a nude colour to avoid using a base coat, two coats for best coverage and a smooth finish. Top coat if available.
WHAT’S YOUR TECHNIQUE WHEN PAINTING ONES’S OWN NAILS?
For perfectly painted nails follow these three tips:
1. Swipe the nail plate with polish remover before painting. This will clean away surface oil from the nail plate that would otherwise prevent the lacquer adhering best. Polish will ‘anchor’ to the nail plate when prepared in this way.
2. Start with a swipe down the center of your nail and then paint either side of this center line, You’ll find this makes painting much neater and easier to apply.
3. Apply two coats of colour for an even consistency and application. The second coat helps to conceal brush strokes, smooth bumps and imperfections.
ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR TOOLS YOU RECOMMEND INVESTING IN?
In honour of our renowned salon treatment ‘The Naked Manicure’ we have put together a beautiful ‘At Home Naked Manicure Kit’ which we are shipping around Australia. These kits include:
1. Professional Nail File 180 gritt suitable for all nail types and easy to use.
2. Professional Nail buffer 220/ 280 gritt perfectly buffs the nail plate clean of cuticle skin and for best polish application.
3. CND Rescu RX keratin nail treatment. Applied each day to a clean nail plate this serum-like oil repairs all types of nail damage and seriously strengthens the nail plate. The perfect treatment to repair nails whilst in isolation.
4. Chanel La Crème Main the ultimate hand and nail cream. Hand wash and sanitizing gels are drying and dehydrating for the skin and nails, it’s important to replenish with a nourishing hand cream. This cream contains may rose wax, exclusively grown by Chanel in Grasse, which forms a protective layer that locks in moisture.
WHAT’S YOUR GO TO COLOUR AT THE MOMENT?
Chanel Le Vernis in ‘Ballerina’ is my favourite everyday, every-event nail polish – it’s classic, sexy and sophisticated. I can wear it from business meetings to black tie events. The soft pink compliments all skin tones and enhances the natural colour of a healthy nail plate.
