Splish Splash...

Your files need a bath.

Have you notice your crystal nail file is not filing like it used to? Or what if it starts to look like this:

Czech crystal nail file

...then, it's time to give them a little tender love and care. It's pretty easy to get a file into a "like new" state.

Step 1: Moisten the nail file.

Get wet.

Step 2: Dip an old toothbrush in some soap and lather up your file.

Lather

Step 3: Rinse.

Rinse

Step 4: Admire your handy work.

Beauuutiful!

Step 5: Pat dry with a towel OR pat file with a cotton ball soaked with acetone to completely remove colored polish residue embedded in the nail file.

Ta da!

Did I just make a really simple procedure long and drawn out? I'm a visual learner, so sue me. Follow these steps and your nail file will be rejuvenated and your nails will file/feel better!

Note: If your nail file does not file very well even after this procedure, it is possible it is of lower quality and standard, i.e. made in China. To make sure it is of the highest quality, make sure it is made in the Czech Republic. Click here for a related post on crystal nail files.

Can we love on crystal nail files?

I own several crystal nail files, some are good, some are atrocious. Most, if not all, of the terribly made crystal nail files are made in China; the best come from the Czech Republic. One terrific option is made by Mont Bleu.

Here are two size options:

Mont Bleu Crystal Nail Files

The top file is your typical standard size and the lower one is a mini file. I know they make a larger one, which I did not receive to show, but I own several and they look something like this:

No Name Brand Czech Crystal Nail File

These big boys are great for sanding the feet area.

Mont Bleu Crystal Nail Files

These two particular files are embellished with Swarovski crystals. The crystals are nice, but I was more concerned with whether the files are able to perform the job.

Durability
In terms of durability, my cardboard files are pretty heavy duty and I find myself throwing them around haphazardly. Of the crystal glass files I own, I never worry either. I have bought several Nail Tek glass files and each came in a protective, tight fitting, plastic case, while my OPI crystal file came in a plastic tube.   Unfortunately, I had to be somewhat cognizant of the Mont Bleu files because they came tucked in a simple soft felt protector. Thus initially, I did not reach for them often. I guess it was too much trouble to worry about them. To give them a fair review, I decided I had to place them in a safe yet easily accessible place. I put one file in a desk drawer I frequent several times a day and the smaller one in a random purse unprotected.  I must mention that this company carries a line of files that includes a protective case, it just wasn't the one I received.

Performance
After over a year of use, I can honestly say the Mont Bleu files are of very high quality. They rival the other decent files I own made by OPI, Nail Tek and non-branded files from the Czech Republic. I was thoroughly impressed with not only the performance I experienced, but by the crash test shown in this video:


The file is particularly impressive on the hard tile (at 0:54). Now I wouldn't go throwing my good files at hard surfaces, but I enjoyed the video none the less. 

Intent
I mainly used these Mont Bleu files to finish or touch up my nail shape, just like I would with the 400/600 grit Tropical Shine files. I still prefer a lower grit strength (like 220/320 by Tropical Shine) for taking down nail length, but it would do well for people with patience or people with nails that are weak, thin or problematic.

Mont Bleu Crystal Nail Files

How about an example of how I used, and will continue to use, these and my other crystal files? Let's say you are going for a square shape. Over the course of a week, the nail corners can get a bit rounded. This can be remedied by filing straight across until your desired shape is achieved. Sometimes this type of filing can create "nail shavings". What's that you say? See picture below:

Loodie nail shavings

nail shavings

The nail shavings can then be eliminated by dragging your nail down the length of the file. This is the exact same technique I showed in previous posts/videos.

Nail shavings eliminated! Nail sealed!

Please don't be alarmed by my excessive nail meat. I can't help it.

Longevity
I am repeating myself here, but these files are on par with my other high quality crystal nail files. They have continued to stay sharp, requiring only an occasional washing. I posted on that topic here!

In Summary
The take home message is, if you are in the market for a glass nail file, I recommend you demand they be made in the Czech Republic.  However, I can not guarantee this wont happen...

OPI Crystal Nail File Sadness

Life lesson: Don't leave a glass nail file to hang out on the carpet, while you go get a bowl of ice cream. Your heel will be sure to make direct contact sooner rather than later.

If you are interested in Mont Bleu specific nail files, their website is: www.design-glassware.com They have many options that may suit your needs.

*Mont Bleu files sent for review*

Proof is in the pudding

I do love it when readers try things and then send me pictures. It's quite gratifying. I mean, I know the things that spew from this blog work for me, but to have someone else get something out of it is pretty terrific!

This little lady right here... Kat from Hooked on Polish started chatting me up on Twitter the other month (you can follow her too... click here.) We've been having a hilarious love affair every since. Like me, and many of you, she has to deal with a little wonky nail here and there. After my last post, "Straight and narrow", she showed me her wonk and decided to try the simple filing technique. She was happy with the results and I was ecstatic for her! She was kind enough to let me share her before and after pictures. AND WHO DOESN'T LIKE A GOOD BEFORE AND AFTER. Sorry for shouting, but I really am THAT excited.

Today, I will share with you her results.


Before: photo credit (from twitter)

Before

After: photo credit (from twitter)

 

After

It seems silly, but these minor little changes makes a difference when your wonk is getting you down. YAY!

Hugs and kisses to Kat for her testimonial. Thanks for letting me use your pictures! Now, if you will excuse us, we have to go hump. *inappropriate*

WARNING: please read the previous post and all relevant posts linked within and attempt all filing carefully and responsibly as messing with the nail side walls can be tricky.

Good Luck!

Straight and narrow

How lovely would it be if all of our nails grew evenly and straight?! This is the stuff of dreams! Well, maybe second to winning the lottery. If you weren't blessed (because I sure as hell wasn't), grab your favorite gentle nail file and join me in this tutorial! I recommend either a 220-320 grit strength for strong healthy nails or a 400-600 grit strength (or high quality crystal nail file) for weak problem nails. Here is a nail file post for reference.

I don't know about you, but my nails curve, wonk and do crazy things depending on factors such as water exposure, moisture content and whether they are polished or unpolished. I do pay special attention to filing to make them appear straight and narrow.

At this point, this filing technique is so automatic for me, it's hard to find a before picture. I would have to let my nails grow for quite a while and endure the fatness, crookedness and unevenness. And well, that is REALLY hard. The fact that I know they can look better with a few simple strokes of the file is just too much temptation to not do it all the time.

The look we are going for is very symmetrical. We are going to shoot for even nail beds, paying particular attention to the nail side wall to make it look nice and even...

Essie - Licorice

There are several factors that do not allow my nails to look like this all the time naturally.
First... there is the wonk:

WONK

I have discussed how to improve a wonky curvy nail in this post. For me, keeping the nail hydrated and at a length below a certain point makes the wonk improve. One thing I did not mention in that post is how we can also manipulate the nail side walls with filing, to create a more even appearance.

If you take a look at your nail from the side you may see this..

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

First, notice the curve. Some nails are worse than others. Second, notice the extra overhang at the tip of the nail (free edge) particularly more obvious in the second picture. I can't change that curve shape (my first concern); it is inherent, but I can play with the angles and eliminate the over hang (my second concern). If I file the nail side walls like this...

....suddenly the nail appears flatter and straighter...

 

I would advise being very careful while filing the nail side wall. I stressed that point in this and this post. Please read those posts first before attempting... don't fret, there are pictures!

This filing technique is really the key to getting my nails straight. Now, let's look at the c-curve of this nail.

Filing the sides (carefully!) allows me to straighten any imperfections in the c-curve. You may notice your nail c-curve is longer, heavier or curvier on the left vs. the right. Afterwords, my left and right side is not only balanced (I've included a white line that your eye can follow), but some of the c-curve is relaxed a bit. See if you can release/relax your c-curve by filing the sides off a bit. I think this helps trim off some of the weight. Your nail may appear more narrow.

A few small strokes of the nail file allows you to create a much straighter balanced nail. Using a gentle file and the correct technique, I strongly encourage you to play around with your nails to see what kind of shape and balance you can create.

And now for one of my favorite sexy polishes shown above....

Essie - Urban Express

*DEAD*

Barnacles off a hull

On this random night I decided to push back my cuticles. But the usual method was not good enough. For whatever reason I felt compelled to break out the metallic instruments. I was reminded why I rarely use them and in general recommend them only under adult supervision, or never.

My usual method:
There are two parts to the cuticle area, the live skin (eponychium) and the dead skin (true cuticle). I have discussed them in great detail in this post and many others. I push back my live cuticle everyday; I have a problem, I know this. The reason is well documented in this post. In short, I apply moisture and massage and push them back. It's glorious and gives me longer nail beds. Now, the dead skin is a bit more difficult to remove. Here, I resort to chemicals; they are my friends and there is no reason why they should not be yours. They rarely disappoint. Take it from a chemist ;) ... I'm slightly biased, clearly. I showed how I remove my true cuticle in this video and post. To summarize, I like to be really gentle and use a q-tip to apply the product and remove the true cuticle. I think a wooden stick is also safe, but personally don't use if very often.

My regrettable method:
The following got me into some trouble...

The perpetrators:

Ignore the innocent bystander (wooden stick). He's an okay chap, but if you use him, be careful nonetheless.

It's true some metal scrapers are sharper than others. I thought I was safe. These felt pretty smooth to me.













I still used Blue Cross cuticle remover, but decided to use the metal scrapers instead of my usual q-tip. Here was the result...

WOOPS!

Ugh. PANIC! NAIL DAMAGE!

IDIOT.

Of course this needs fixing PRONTO!
DON'T PULL IT!! It may pull off more nail deeper down.

Instead...

Grab a semi rough nail file or buffing block, somewhere in the 220/320 or 400/600 range. I like the files from Tropical Shine for these types of jobs.

The first order of business was to remove that large flap. My nails are fairly healthy. I used the blue 220/320 file from Tropical Shine.

Next, I evened out the rest of the nail plate with a buffing block.

I am still in love with this sponge board. I used the 240 grit strength.

TA DA! Beautiful!

right?

NO. The following week I saw what those metal implements did to me...

OMG! Yes, my nails are yellow from Sinful - San Francisco. Don't judge me. Instead see the full story here.

The red circle shows the trauma the implements inflicted.

With time the damage will grow out.








 

 
As the damage grows out, the white spot appears and disappears depending on how moisturized my nail plate happens to be.

Here my nail was moist, the spot appeared to dissipate.

**Side note** 
Isn't MOIST the best yet worst word ever?!

Here my nail was more dry, the spot appears more solid.

















Moral of the story? I prefer to leave long hard metal objects for self defense purposes OR scraping barnacles of a hull, not cuticle removal.

How do you remove your cuticles?

Don't be a square ...

Then again, why not?!  Go grab your favorite nail file for shaping and try it!  I have a long series on nail filing and shaping and am starting to do the video versions.  Here are the posts from the past:

X-Files Post and Video
Nail Shape and Balance Post
Taking Down Nail Length Post
Shaping the Free Edge - Square and Video
Shaping the Free Edge - Oval and Video
Shaping the Free Edge - Squoval and Video
Sealing the Nail Plate
Buffing out a peel

Video: How to file your nails into a square shape: 



My YouTube Channel


Hugs to Arlyn ... it's a start ;)

Which one is not like the other?

I have been waiting to "unyellow" my nails.  I'm going to continue to be secretive about why, but I want to show you why I prefer to buff versus other options, such as lemon juice, backing soda, peroxide, etc. 

First let us take a look at the horror that is my yellow nail bed ... you might want to get a waste basket just in case you start to regurgitate at the sight.

There are uglier pictures here.


Ewwww ... there are no words.

DUDE ... I love my buffer.  The transformation is just wowza!

I personally love my square buffer that I showed here and here.

As I have discussed in previous posts, buffing should be done in moderation.  If your nails are thin you may want to just skip it altogether or be very light handed and use a very high grit strength buffer. 

My favorite buffer has a grit strength of 400 - 600.  There are even higher grit strengths out there and should be used for thinner/weaker nails.

The results are amazing.  

Look at that ring finger!

I can never achieve results like this with lemon juice, peroxide, etc.

My hubby said, "Oh look, now your nails don't look like you've been smoking for 20 years"

... jerk ... then I scratched him across the face with my newly stain-free nails. 

Bonus picture: OPI - Bubble Bath (2 coats)

Buff this mother out

Ugh, got a peeling problem?  Let's nip it in the bud ... without sacrificing nail length.

Here is a before shot of the peel. Click to enlarge.  You may not even be able to see this, but this is the best I could do in the evening.  I just couldn't wait till day time to fix it ... ya know how panic mode goes.

Here is a day time shot after buffing out the peel.  As you can see the peel is gone, but the buffing does create a weak area.  Polish will not adhere in this area as well and I will show proof of concept at the end.










Before the how to ...

First a disclaimer: 
Prevention is really key.  Your nails should not be peeling on a regular basis. If they are you need to evaluate either your health or your day to day nail activities.  Consider your moisture routine, filing techniques, do you use your nails as tools or inflict other physical trauma, and are you using the right treatment?

Before you run for the buffing block you should understand some people with very thin nails should just avoid it all together.  Buffing will only make your thin, weak nails worse.   Perhaps it would be best to take down the nail length instead.

As always, you need the right tools for the job. If you are NOT familiar with nail files and their corresponding grit strength you may want to check out ...
X-Files

A few other less relevant posts, but still helpful:
Taking down nail length
Shaping the free edge - Square
Shaping the free edge - Oval
Shaping the free edge - Squoval
Sealing the Nail Plate 

Now for the tutorial ... in video form! :D
Again ... buffing is not evil.  You just have to evaluate whether your nail is a good candidate and then be gentle.



http://www.youtube.com/user/loodieloodieloodie

Files used:
220/320 grit (blue)
400/600 grit (pink)
~320 yellow buffing block
~600/4000 grey/white

Proof of concept.  The buffed area has chipped first (and a very large chip at that !lol)

Revlon - Tropical Temptation

If you want to see more proof like this see my wear test for Sally Hansen Sweet Tulip

Skid Marks

Don't you hate it when you take off polish only to discover your polish has been working on an art project on your nail bed.  Here is what my polish has been working for the last couple of days ....

A masterpiece no doubt, but my nail beds are never this pink/red.  My nail beds are naturally pretty grey.  My mom is always asking me if I'm ill LOL.  Um, no mom sheeeesh.

I guess if I'm wearing darker colors no big deal, but eventually I need to straighten this business out, because every time I take off polish I frighten myself a little bit.

A few more pictures if your interested ...

 ....
 










Now what?  How do you deal with the stain-age?  I have a very standard way of dealing with these kinds of stains ...
Buff that Motha Out!!



First I need to preface buffing:
Buffing is NOT for everyone AND like all wonderful things, must be done in moderation.  Occasional buffing can be done on generally healthy nails.  I buff because I am a good candidate.  First, my nails are not super thin and are fairly healthy.  Second, I don't use a rough file nor do I use it manically.  Everything in moderation is okay (except high fructose corn syryp lol)!  Third, I have ridges that only buffing can eliminate.  Polish looks way better when I get rid of them.  In my personal experience, ridge fillers are not as good as light buffing.  Ridge filler instead gives me more problems than solutions (bubbling, crap dry time, extra steps with each mani, etc).  Lastly, I have found light buffing is more effective vs. other chemical treatments.

With that said, if you have thin problematic nails you can avoid buffing altogether.

What I do and use:
I love my buffing blocks and this is the baby I used to fix my stain-age problem.  The grit strength is about 400.

If you are interested in my Nail File Series, that can be found here.

Here is the before and after picture of the buffing and as you can see the pinky is no longer stained.

The technique:
Lightly run the block vertically from cuticle to tip.

What is your method of choice for skid marks? :P