InstaChristmas

If you don't follow me on Instagram, you should. 😄 especially right now because I do not have internet! So to say that posting has been a challenge would be an understatement.  I have been uploading a lot of pictures of my Christmas decor and crafts on Instagram from my camera on my iPhone. I wish I could upload some from my Canon, but until I get "reconnected" again, that's not possible.  I hope you all enjoy these few pics of my Christmas decor this year, and if you don't follow me on Instagram, DO IT! @sweetsouthernandsophisticated

**love**

Tessa

Mini Christmas Decor Preview

For about a week now I have been working on getting all of the Christmas decor out at the house.  We are participating in a Christmas Tour of Homes next weekend, so everything has to be perfect!  I have a "to-do" list that I'm crossing off as I go, hopefully that will help me to remember everything.  Stay tuned for a post in the future with the completed Christmas look!

Mani Monday!

From left to right:  INM Out The Door Topcoat ; CND Stickey Base Coat ; CND Solar Oil ; Sally Hansen Gold Roses ; Essie Mink Muffs ; Julep Top Coat (this is a sample size from Sephora) ; Essie Disappearing Trick ; Cuticle Pusher; Revlon Nail File

Hello Everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I know I did.. I ate way too much!  I decided to take last week to think about what I wanted to post, when I wanted to post it and most of all if it would interesting to the people reading this.  As you can tell, this post is going to be about what all I use for my manicure routine. 

I used to go to a nail salon and get a manicure every week.  I was convinced that I was terrible at doing my own nails, (which really wasn't true) and so I would go every single week, and pay $12-$15 every week for my nails.  If you haven't already done the math, that's between $624 and $780 per year!  I decided this summer, that this was crazy and that I would figure out a way to do my own nails at home.  And to be honest, I like my manicures better! 

First, I start off by caring for my cuticles.  I have cuticles that grow fast, and I am bad to pick them sometimes.  I apply "Essie's Disappearing Trick" to the base of my nails and let it sit for 5 minutes.  This product is a holy grail product for me.  It literally erases your cuticles in 5 minutes.  

After 5 minutes have passed, I push the cuticles back with my cuticle pusher and I clip any stray cuticles that are still hanging on to the nail bed.  It's very important for a long lasting manicure to have pushed back and well groomed cuticles.  This is going to ensure you're polish stays longer, and your nails will also look longer as a result.  

Then I file my nails.  I RARELY trim them.  I file them down, just because I don't want to have cracks in my nails that can tend to occur when you use clippers to cut them.  After they are filed I will use my buffing block on sides 1 and 2 just to even out and smooth the nail before painting them.  

Then I wash my hands, dry each nail really well, and paint my nails.  One key that I have found to painting my nails and to help the manicure last the longest, is to let your nails dry a bit between coats.  This means, let your base coat dry a little, let your first coat dry a little, so on and so forth.  This will mean less chips post manicure, and your color will turn out better.  Also, small strokes when applying the color to your nail is important.  

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw the picture I posted of my nails painted in the Gold Roses color.  I am OBSESSED with this color for fall.  I think it's a limited edition, I found mine at target, but as always, if you can't find something in store, there's always Amazon. :)

I hope you enjoyed this post.  I will be posting again on Wednesday of this week.  Have an awesome week!