From L to R clockwise:

Nail Love - CUCCIO Colour Nail Lacquer in Java Va Voom and Cream & Sugar from the Café Cuccio Winter Colour Collection - $8.50 @ hbbeautybar.com - a really great quality nude is seasonless and this Java Va Voom one is the perfect shade of coffee with 2 creams in it and when you need a little extra zhoosh on tips or toes, Cream & Sugar is a darker nude with tiny flecks of multi-colored sparkle.

Cheek Love - BENEFIT Majorette - $28 @ benefitcosmetics.com – and blush that gives you that sexy flush is never out(it) of season and this pinky-peach, cream-to-powder one will give you an instant boost. Wear it alone of under other blushes. And I love the slight tangerine scent to it!

Primer Love - NYX 'Honey Dew Me Up' Primer - $17 @ ulta.com – it’s certainly no secret that I love honey and seek products out that contain it, this one that uses it in a primer surprised me. First it’s in the gel form and it has tiny gold flecks that help with overall radiance. Ok I guess! What really impressed me is the way it felt while applying it and after applying it. Unlike most face primers, this one didn’t instantly disappear into my skin and actually did make it feel a tad dewy until it set. My skin really felt soft, smoothed out and “prepped” for the next step, which is an overall first. Big recommendation.  

Face Love - PACIFICA ‘Perfect Lotus’ Universal Powder - $16 @ smallflower.com – this buildable pressed mineral powder really brightened up my complexion and I was really surprised how universal the Light shade was! It blended in nicely and didn’t sit on top of any lines in my face.

Fragrance Love - CARVEN L’eau de Toilette - $79/1.7, $104/3.3oz only @ carven-perfumes.com – I’ve become quite the eau de parfum snob in that I feel I’m sort of wasting my time by choosing an eau de toilette as that scent is not as concentrated as a parfum version. Well this one may change my mind.
Aside from the lovely fresh, grassy, and totally feminine fragrance this one imparts, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say it’s the more concentrated version as it certainly wears like one! This release is considered the “younger sister” of the Le Parfum that came out in 2013 as they share the same bottle design and some of the same composition like sweet pea, freesia, white hyacinth and white woods, among others, this one is considered the “sweeter,” of the two.

Zit Love - COVER FX Blemish Treatment Concealer - $38/2.5g @ sephora.com – I’m always so hesitant to put any makeup on a blemish for fear of making it worse but thanks to CFX, they want to take that fear away. The formula contains 10% Salicylic Acid to treat and Babchi Seed Extract to increase cell renewal. Check out the other new products in the blemish treatment collection.

More Nail Love - MILANI Color Statement Nail Lacquer in Mauving Forward - $3.99 @   walgreens.com – I’m finding myself not quite ready to jump into the fall just yet but am inching my way towards it with this shade of purply-mauve. 

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.

Clockwise:

WATER JEL Burn Jel Plus ($9.99/4oz @ burnjel.com) – yup I burned myself with my curling iron. And just last week I was scoffing at this product that protects against burns on the ears! Well mine was on my neck so I’m glad I had this on hand to not only to soothe it right after it happened but to help it heal.

CUCCIO Sugar Scrub in Vanilla Bean & Sugar ($29.98/19.5oz @ amazon.com) – Maybe it’s my sweet tooth but I seem to gravitate towards sugar scrubs over salt scrubs. And this Vanilla Bean & Sugar smells like a cupcake. Yum!

B-LEVE b impeccable Foundation Brush ($7.49 @ b-leve.com) – I just picked up Armani’s Maestro Foundation to try out and have been using it with this great foundation brush. It’s just the right width and fits comfortably in my hand. And the best part? The price!

DERMORGANIC Daily Conditioning Shampoo ($5.99/3oz, $16/12oz @ walgreens.com) – this one is sulfate-free and safe for color-treated hair (it’s not a color support(it) shampoo though), and it contains nutrients both hair and skin depend on, it can be used from head to toe. Yup, the hair and then on the skin. Now that’s a first!

LOLITA LEMPICKA Elle L’Aime EDP ($100/2.5oz @ kohls.com) – this scent, meaning “She Loves” en Francois, is certainly not a one note kinda scent. It’s multi-dimentional with top notes of Bergamot, Neroli, and lime, coconut, ylang-ylang and jasmine as the middle notes, all on a base of Myrrh,  vanilla and sandalwood. Very unique.

SEBASTIAN SIGNS Purusa Dream Extract ($28/1oz @ sebastiansigns.com) – what a great way to help you fall asleep. This luxury pillow spray combines sandalwood, organic clary sage and bergamot to make drifting off into lala land enjoyable and soothing. This smells so good, I would wear it as an everyday fragrance.

SEPHORA + Pantone Universe Jumbo Waterproof Eye Pencil – Elemental Energy in Earth – Shark (shimmering shark gray) ($17 @ sephora.com) – this collection was inspired by the four elements (quick, name them!!) and this shimmery gray is wonderful by itself or when used to blend two colors together. 

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided for review purposes. Some I bought.

I often wonder what percentage of women goes to the salon for their mani/pedi vs. those that do it at home. Since I fall mostly in the latter category, I still want mine to last as long as the ones I’ve gotten in the salon. And what’s their secret to the longevity? The prep! So the last time I went I observed and observed and came to a few conclusions.

So I have to ask ... 

What Makes for a Good Mani/Pedi?

A few things seem to make a mani/pedi last and skipping just one in the process can make all the difference in it lasting a few extra days.

1. Don’t soak your nails after taking off polish. It can diminish nail polish adhesion.

2. Apply a nail dehydrator the nail bed like this CUCCIO Dehydrator ($8 @ hbbeautybar.com). It will remove any traces of any product left on nails to help the polish adhere better.

3. A good base coat – this is so key! A base coat will also prevent nails from turning yellow, especially if you are wearing a dark color.

4. Make sure you keep nail beds and hands moisturized while wearing polish. For cuticles, I apply CUCCIO Conditioning Butter Stick in my favorite scent they make, Milk & Honey ($7 @ amazon.com) and for hands I slather on FRESH Brown Sugar Hand Cream ($18.50/2.5oz @ fresh.com). Afterward, if my hands aren’t too slippery, I gently push back my cuticles with a cuticle pusher like the one shown in the picture that you can find on amazon. The curved end makes it super easy to push cuticles back. 

5. And when I’m doing a pedi, I follow the above, however, I do give my tootsies a good sugar scrub down with Moisturizing Body Truffles ($3.75/1oz @ bonblissity.com) from the BON BLISS line. I know, it says “body” in the name but these are the perfect size to use on both feet and you can really target certain areas of the feet. And these smell so amazing! This Sweet Satsuma smells of mandarin orange.

Do you have any suggestions for getting the best at-home mani/pedi?

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided for review purposes. Some I bought.