Nail & cuticle oils comparison

Hey you :)

Today's post will be focused on nail and cuticle oils; the ones I've tried over a 3 month period and what I consider to be their pros and cons. Nail polish addiction comes hand in hand with nail and hand care in general, and I know 99% of you are suckers for all hand care-related. The other 1% are too, but just don't know it yet ;)

Let's take a look at our contenders:

• Orly Argan Cuticle Oil 
• CND Solar Oil, Nail & Cuticle conditioner
• Namira pure Almond Oil
• Floressance pure bio Argan Oil
• The Body Shop Shea Beautifying Oil

So as you can see not all of these oils were meant specifically for nails or cuticles, for instance the almond, argan and shea oils are not sold as part of hand or nail care routine.

From my fave to my least fave, here are some notes on each and every one of our five contendants:

1. CND Solar Oil, Nail & Cuticle conditioner: all of you know about this oil, no wonder why. It smells nutty and sweet without being too strong, and works wonders. Its main ingredients are almond, jojoba and rice oils, so this stuff is packed with the perfect ingredients to battle dryness. 

I used it on my cuticles as well as on my bare nails, and it has become a part of my nail care routine ever since. What I do is I put on a thick coat of this on my bare nails and let it sit while watching TV, massage the oil into my cuticles and remove the residue before I put my next manicure on. 

It's not an instant miracle, so you got to hold on to it. After a couple of weeks the state of your nails will have greatly improved: more flexible, they will not break as easily, if they ever do.

2. Namira pure almond oil: I have been using this pure almond oil on my hands as an alternative to olive oil. Now, olive oil worked wonders but managed to make me hungry every time... You know, us Mediterraneans put olive oil into every dish, so it was a no go. 

Almond oil has to be kept at room temperature, preferably in a room with constant temp (i. e. avoid the bathroom where the temp is always up and down depending on how hot you take your shower) and never in contact with direct sunlight. Otherwise it will turn sour. 

Aside from that, it is amazing. It has a very subtle nutty smell and moisturizes skin like no other. Con: I know we're talking oils here, but this one is not a quick absorber. I've found it's perfect just before bedtime. I put around two teaspoons of this on my nails and cuticles every night, and they have become prettier than ever :) Just before turning my lights off, I combine it with some Solar Oil on my cuticle area; I just need those two in my life now!

3. Orly Argan Cuticle Oil: this cuticle oil has a lovely citric smell that does not last. Yes, I hate all lemon-related, and yet I can state this stuff has a lemon tinge that smells delicious; I won't say that twice. 

It absorbs quickly and leaves cuticles nice and ready for a whole afternoon at work. Orly qualifies it as being solely a cuticle oil, so I didn't use it directly on my nails.

I can't say this is the cuticle saver, but I will point this out to you: its main components are sunflower, argan and jojoba oils. How's that for moisture? I say we have a pretty good contender here! It now sits somewhere I can easily reach at lunchtime, when I am home.

4. Floressance pure bio Argan Oil: I was sure this would be the ultimate moisturizer beforehand, and I was wrong. It hydrates, yes. But it is by far the most greasy of all the oils I am featuring today. Although when I used it before going to bed, my hands felt dry the next morning when waking up. Like a sort of rebound effect, if that makes any sense. 

But that might not be the most annoying thing of argan oil... I will put it simple: it stinks. In fact, if you turn the bottle you will be able to read that its particular smell is a sign of quality and purity; sounds like an excusatio non petita to me. So, it is agreed: pure argan oil stinks. Which means that every product made out of it will be carrying fragrance, thus resting to its pureness. I could live with that in exchange for some nice smell... but I will surely bear it in mind if looking for a "pure" product. I will not re-purchase this.

5. The Body Shop Shea Beautyfying Oil: This is meant to be a body, hair and face oil. I thought if it worked on the hair it should work on my nails too. Maybe, or maybe not. I haven't been able to really tell if this is worth while, which is not a good sign, huh? 

It contains shea butter and almond oil among its ingredients. Being a dry oil it should absorb quickly, but it doesn't. And the greasy feeling becomes even more bothersome when handling dry oil. Not confortable at all, I just hated this stuff on my hands. The good thing is that is smells amazing.

My veredict is: pure almond oil combined with CND Solar Oil works wonders when used every day before going to bed. What is/are your favourite nail and cuticle products?

I hope this has been useful to you!

Take care,

M.

Naked nails + favourite nail treatments.

Hey there!

I thought maybe someone out there was interested in knowing which nail products I use in a regular basis, that proved to work for me and could work for you aswell. 

First off, here's a picture of my bare nails. I confess I took the picture in a moment in which I had little staining and the overall look of 'em was healthy, but I also need to say I had major staining problems in the past. The thing is I love me some blue / green colors; the big fat staining ones, you know? Added to this, I didn't use any base for several years (shame on me!), so after moving in this new flat in August, process due to which my nails sucked big time and broke repeatedly, I faced the fact that my nailies needed some heavy pampering and a healthy maintenance regime. 

I have now tried many different products and finally settled in a handful of them. From left to right, the products that I reach for every time I change my manicure are:

- Rituals Hammam Mint exfoliating body scrub. This smells deliciously fresh and exfoliates the skin of my hands while hydrating them. 

- Douglas Nail Butter. I bought in without paying much attention to what it was, and I am very pleased with its effects. It nourishes the nail and keeps it flexible and healthy and smells like a candy store. It's not meant to be quickly absorbed, so I gently rub it on my nails while watching a movie. Meanwhile my nails have also some time to breathe, and that can only do them good.

- The Body Shop Hemp Hand Cream. Amazing. This thing does miracles with dry skin and preventing skin dryness. It's unctuous, so you may want to use it before going to bed or when you have a moment for yourself. It does not smell especially good (it has a natural herbal scent to it) but is so worth it.

- Hacendado Cuticle Cream. I am afraid this is only available in Spain, it smells great and smoothes my cuticles quite well.

- Essie All in One Base. It's supposed to provide vitamins and calcium to the nail while protecting it, and it really does prevent them from staining. It dries super fast. Perfect underwear.

Do you use any of those products or have you ever tried them? If so, what is your impression? I'm also curious about what products do you personally recommend; any tips to share?

M.