Getting your nails done can be a weekly treat that no girl wants to live without. However, it is often hard to schedule the time to do this as often we’d like. Scheduling isn’t always the biggest problem though as often enough the price tag that comes along with nail maintenance can be a huge burden to bear, especially if you have children in the home. After a few consistent weeks of going to the salon you could have paid a bill or bought extra groceries for the home, which might make your splurge a little more inconvenient than you imagined. There is a few simple ways that you can take your time and money constrictions away though. With these ten tips all of your friends will be jealous of your nail style salons and wonder just how you manage the time and bill.
1. Keep them short
Although it might be very tempting to get long regal nails when you go to the salon it isn’t always practical or cost efficient. Anyone who leads a fairly active lifestyles knows that long nails just seem to get in the way at time. From typing to tying your child’s shoe laces, these nails can be one huge burden to work around. Apart from getting tired of your nails being too long, you may find that when you purchase the longer nails they tend to break a whole lot faster. This can be a painful experience for many and often enough forces you back into the salon to get the nail fixed for aesthetic reasons. When you decide to keep your nails shorter you’ll not only have more freedom, but you’ll also be able to keep the nails on longer. You won’t have to shield your hands as you live life because you’re worried the nails might chip of break, thus you’ll have better looking nails for a whole lot longer which will maximize what you get for your money’s worth.
2. Personal Touch Ups
If you’re looking for a way to cut down your visits to the salon then you may want to start doing your own touch ups. This will allow you to fix up any chips or other flaws in the nails without having to spend a small fortune at the salon. This should be exercised carefully as you will need to know more about the colors your nail salon uses in order to provide the best possible touch up. This is easily remedied by buying the nail polish straight from the salon, but usually their polish is slightly over priced. One way to make this concept work is to bring your own polish in for the manicurist to work with. This will ensure you’ll have a matching color every time. Another way is to ask about the brand and color code for the polish you choose. Then, take to the internet and order it at a cheaper price, or find a generic brand that offers the same color. Once you’ve picked a color you love you may want to stick with it though as it will help keep the price of your visits down.
3. Eat Healthy
One way to combat the cost of the salon all together is to grow your own beautiful nails. For many this might take some time, but there are ways to boost your nail growth and health. Keeping up with a healthy diet can be one of the best ways to make your nails look amazing without having to go to the salon once. There’s certain foods that will help specifically with your nails though. Avocado is one of the best foods for those looking for excellent hair and nails, so indulge in your favorite guacamole or other tasty avocado recipe. Eggs are another great food that will help strenghten your nails if they are particularly brittle. Soy beans are another great example of a food that will have you growing beautiful nails while providing lots of other health benefits. There’s a ton of other foods that will have you looking great, so make sure you do a little research to find the perfect dietary match for your nails.
4. Thin Coats
Many women who paint their own nails often use a bit too much polish, which makes their nails look unprofessional. After a few botched personal manicure jobs at home they tend to head right back to the salon, which waste more money. The easiest way to remedy your nail problem is to use a thinner coat of polish. You might not believe how good a thin coat of polish looks until you try it for yourself. Of course, if they color doesn’t look as it should then you may want to use a little more polish than you originally did. However, lighter coats allow for a more natural nail look and doesn’t make the nails look unhealthy. It also means you won’t have to worry about as many chips in your nails. Altogether, painting on a lighter coat of polish will make the polish last longer while keeping you out of the salon for good.
5. Top Coats
It doesn’t matter if you do your own nails or go to a salon as a top coat will help your nails look their best for longer. The top coat is a special clear polish that locks in your nails colors and helps protect them from chipping while you’re doing your daily tasks. At a salon it usually only cost around $1 more to get the top coat, so there’s really no reason to say no. This coat will help keep you out of the salon for a lot longer and will make your nails even more shiny and impressive. You can buy the top coat at just about any department or make up store for the same price as a bottle of nail polish, so don’t worry about spending a lot extra on the purchase. Working with a top coat at home is as simple as can be. All you have to do is paint your nails, wait for them to dry and then paint over your polish with the clear top coat.
6. Nail Pens
Nail designs are a huge trend that many people love to indulge in. For a lot of women, the idea of creating cool designs seems almost impossible, especially on your own nails. However, nail pens actually allow you to do some pretty amazing things without every stepping foot in a salon. You can get nail pens almost anywhere now and they aren’t any more expensive than a bottle of polish which is a huge bonus to the nail art fan. Once you get the pen you will understand just how easy it is to make these amazing themed nails that all your friends are sporting. With your nails looking amazing thanks to your cool DIY skills you may never want to spend the money at the salon again. After all, with the pens on your side you can even create your own fan artwork for any movie, book, band or show you may follow. Your friends might even come to you to help them make their nails as cool as your!
7. Create Nail Polish
Chances are you have a whole lot of eye shadow in your makeup bag that you’ll probably never use again. From strange holiday gifts to fads that you just gave up on, there’s probably an assortment of strange eyeshadow in your collection. Instead of letting it go to waste you can easily use it to make your own nail polish. To begin empty a little of the eyeshadow color of your choice onto an easy to clean surface. Then, take a bottle of clear nail polish and add some to the eye shadow. You can use a cu-tip or the polish’s brush to mix the two together. After they are thoroughly mixed all you have to do is apply and you’re set to go. Make sure you clean the polish brush off well, or use a different brush so you won’t ruin the bottle. This easy trick will help you save so much money and may even allow you to get rid of some of the clutter you have in your makeup and nail polish area.
8. Shop Off Brand
Many of the reasons why we end up spending so much money on nail care is we tend to gravitate towards name brand goods. It doesn’t matter if you’re shopping for nail polish or a manicure set, as there are plenty of generic name brands that will help you get the same effect for only a fraction of the price. If you have fallen in love with a particular brand then you may want to do a little online research. Often other fans of the brand will have tried out different generics brands, thus offering you an idea of a cheaper brand that is similar to the one you love. Of course, if you just can’t break away from certain looks than try to buy your other supplies in a generic brand. This is especially true when it comes to nail care kits and items like clear polish or polish remover. Usually there is no significant difference between the brands, so you will be able to enjoy the same amount of care without spending near as much money.
9. Bulk Nails
If you adore wearing fake nails then you may want to consider purchasing these items in bulk. We all know how easy it is to lose a fake nail and how frustrating it is not to have any left over from the package you just purchased. Instead of constantly wasting the time and money shopping for your nails you may want to consider just buying a bulk package. This will allow you to always have just what you need when it comes to nail work, so you won’t have to make extra trips out just to keep your nails up to your standards. Also, when buying nails in bulk you’ll often get a whole lot more of the product for a whole less of the price. Where average size nail packages will give you enough for one manicure, a bulk box of nails will help keep you for a few months. However, when you average out the price you’ll spend a lot less per nail in the bulk package as you did for the smaller package.
10. Utilize Coupons
Coupons are one of the best ways to save money when it comes to keeping your nails looking fashionable. The best thing is you can use coupons in the store as well as your salon which will make spending on both fronts a lot less. Coupons for items like nail sets and polish are fairly easy to find. Usually you will get them in your local ad paper, but you might also look online to see if theres a manufacturer’s coupon that can save you even more. If you can find a coupon that partners well with a sale then you’ll be really set for the savings. Finding a coupon for local salons can be a little bit tricky though. You might try looking in the local penny saver to see who is having a deal, or follow your favorite salon on their website or social media page. Keeping up with coupons in this regard might mean visiting different salons each time you get your nails done, but it will save you money and help you find a great permanent salon.
Your nails don’t have to be a sacrifice when it comes to keeping a tight budget. With these simple tips you can easily find the best ways to save without losing your amazing nails. Now, you can be a pro at creating your own looks while keeping your saving account happy.
