Recessionista Survival 1

Hello and welcome to Recessionista Survival :
This blog has been created to help you remain fabulous throughout the recession, and to save money even when you're flush with cash.

Many girls (and some guys) enjoy having well manicured nails. To save on professional manicures so that you're not constantly running back to the salon for a chipped nail:
1. When cleaning, doing dishes always always always wear rubber gloves (marigolds). This protects the nail polish from harsh chemicals which will either dissolve or weaken the polish so it chips.
2. Put some olive oil in your gloves while you clean. The olive oil will soften your hands, keep cuticles moisturized, and prolong the freshness of your manicures.
3. When getting a professional manicure choose light or pale colors (if you're able and have nice enough nails you can even try just with clear or buffed nails), when it chips it will be less noticeable.
4. Keep a nail file on hand, nail files are cheap (you can buy them at the 99 cent store) if you snag a nail you can fix it quickly and before it causes enough damage to demand a trip to your manicurist.

Thank you for reading, and remember:

It's manners, not fashion or money that make you fabulous.

xoxo
Bethany


If you're doing your nails at home:
You can use sugar as an exfoliant (wet your hands, rub with soap, put some sugar in your hand and scrub the same way you would a scrub). To save on lotion either use vaseline, olive oil, or just a dab of moisturizer. Remember with lotion its not quantity that makes your skin soft, so there's no need to slather it on.
If you want the same feeling as a salon you can consider adding a couple drops of aromatherapy oil to the warm water you soak your hands in.

If you have trouble painting your non dominant hand, ask a friend to help--you can even make an afternoon of it. You get your girly gossip and in the privacy of your own home--no fear of estheticians hearing what you talk about! ;)

Instead of getting pricey brushes to clean up nail polish that gets on your skin, dip a q-tip/cotton bud in nail polish remover and carefully remove the offending polish, taking care not to smudge your beautifully painted nails.