GROWING LONG, HEALTHY NAILS!

When I tell you I was an terrible nail-biter for well over a decade I'm not lying and its a common misconception that these years of biting can do damage to future nail growth (from my experience anyway). I really wish I had a "before" photo to show you but I doubt I ever would even think to take a photo of them when they were so badly bitten.

The hardest part is giving up the habit of biting them which isn't actually that hard once you start to see an actual nail tip growing after what feels like a lifetime. Then comes the task of maintaining this without your nail falling to pieces - chipping and cracking and flaking every time you touch something. So here's a couple of tips that come in handy!

1. USE A CUTICLE OILS AND HANDCREAMS!
A very easily forgotten part of looking after your nails is to revitalise them with hand creams and oils as this will help to prevent flaking. This is extremely important after drying out your nail with nail polish remover, water etc. The cuticle oil and handcream I use regularly are from the BODYSHOP's Almond Hand Care Range and they smell absolutely delicious, an added bonus!

2. KEEP THEM PAINTED!
Another common phrase I hear is "Oh no! You need to let your nails BREATHE" and I honestly don't think my nails need to do that when they are technically dead the moment they appear from my nail bed. So, ignoring this comment, my nails are so much stronger when painted - even if this is just a clear layer or two of base coat and top coat. When doing this its also very helpful to "wrap" the nail polish around and under the tip to prevent it peeling!

Revlon Colourstay Gel-Envy Nail Polish.

3. CHOOSING A NAIL POLISH!
Although any type of polish on your nails can help to keep them stronger, I've definitely found using a "gel" type nail polish is a lot better. My definite favourite "gel" polish is the Revlon ColourStay Gel-Envy nail polish which you can read about here.

4. CUTTING AND FILING.
Another tip I'd give to someone trying to grow bitten nails is to keep them short at first. For one, it takes some getting use to having longer nails which means you may break them easier and, secondly, the nail may be a little weak at first to withstand being longer. Also, make sure to file in one direction rather than back and fourth as this is more likely to cause cracks and splits in the nail. For someone prone to nail biting, having a nail file on hand can prevent this if a nail does happen to break!

5. REMOVING NAIL POLISH!
To make nail polish removal easier, you can prep for this by using a peel-off base coat which could reduce the use of nail polish removers altogether. However, if you do use a nail polish remover, make sure this is acetone free as to reduce dehydration and flaking! If you tend to switch up your nail polish regularly, a peel-off base coat would definitely be your best option!

There are plenty more things I'm sure you can do, especially nutritional wise, to grow strong, healthy nails but these five tips I find help me out massively!
Thank you for reading as always,

Holly Amber X

REVLON COLOURSTAY GEL-ENVY NAIL POLISHES!

REVLON ColourStay Gel-Envy
Nail Polishes.

Happy Monday! Being somebody who was an aggressive nail biter since they were very little, over the past year I have eradicated the bad habit and grown my nails out - this also means that I can very rarely go without having my nails painted one colour or another.

I've tried many nail polishes in this very short year where my nails are long enough to actually paint but very recently, I have found my favourites...

The Revlon COLOURSTAY GEL-ENVY Nail Polishes.

After being introduced to these by a friend, these are the only nail polishes I have been wearing for a long time now, none of my other nail polishes compare. These can be purchased for £6.99 each at BOOTS which (for me anyway) is quite a lot to pay for one nail polish and I don't think I would usually pay that price for one.

However, I would much rather spend that price for one of these nail polishes than getting more for a cheaper price which don't compare. I currently have three shades: Checkmate (540) , Perfect Pair (535) & Hold 'Em (460).

The first shade I purchased was "Perfect Pair (535)" which is a beautiful pinky-nude - the perfect pinky-nude for me. Some nudes I find to be more of a purple-tone which I'm not really a fan of, I much prefer this pink undertone. I think I've already used about half of these nail varnish I've worn it so much. I would say it's my favourite but after trying out my next two shades I don't think I could choose a favourite.

The next shade I have is "Checkmate (540)" which is a very cool-toned stone shade (a grey nude). I've never had a nail polish which is this colour before and I was quite hesitant to purchase it but I really like it! It looks like a very classy, subtle shade on your nails - I really like it!

The last shade I own is "Hold 'Em (460) which is a beautiful plum-purple shade - absolutely gorgeous. Sometimes I really struggle to apply darker nail polishes as they can be quite messy but the formula of these makes them really easy to apply. This shade is the perfect plum - not too dark. 

The formula of the nail polishes is quite thin but has a very great coverage - the darker shades seem to be fine with one coat and I only tend to need two thin coats of the lighter shades just to be sure it fully covers my nail. The brush is a paddle-style brush which means it very easy to use and apply the polish with. They also dry quite quickly (as long as you don't apply too much for each coat). They have that gel-like finish which is really pretty and shiny and it also claims to act as a base coat (which is a bonus since you don't have to use a base coat layer). The more layers of nail polish I apply, the messier it seems to get because of how impatient I am but I find these don't need a top coat as the finish is nice (although they do look extra nice with a top coat).

I can't recommend these enough, I absolutely love them and definitely look forward to purchasing more shades.

Thank you for reading! 

Holly Amber X

 Note: I have just saw on the BOOTS website that they are offering select Gel-Envy nail polishes on a 3 for £12 offer so if you are interested I'd definitely have a look at purchasing some on this offer, great value for money!