At home nail necessities (revisited) and tracking down a dupe for Essie's Mint Candy Apple

Recently I've gotten myself in bit of a financial pickle by dropping a small fortune at the dentist. To halt teeth grinding I now wear an eye-poppingly expensive night guard (sans Swarovski crystals, and platinum). To help recoup my fun fund I've nixed frivolous expenses for the next few months -- salon manis/pedis are now done at home, eyebrow threading and tinting will have to wait, and the ends of my hair must keep their crap together a few weeks longer than usual. Please?

The struggle is real. 

Snaggle nail is non-negotiable, so I'm putting my French Pink mental notes to the test by dusting off the nail artillery for battle. 

If you're ever in a pinch and need to get polished nails fast, CND's Vinylux fully sets in eight minutes (curing lamp not required), evenly covers nails in two coats, and can last up to ten days. I realise I sound like a broken record here, but this nail polish is too legit to quit.

Time to serve up the best nail polish sandwich out there. While I do love Essie's protein base coat, and Seche Vite's top coat, Orly has dropped the ultimate Blimpie. Bonder leaves behind a slightly tacky base to keep polish on the nail, while Polished gives any hue a high shine, finally Flash Dry speeds up the drying process. *Ding* Order's up!

Keep things hydrated with Essie's Apricot Cuticle Oil, and Provence Sante's Hand Cream -- two decadent treats I always keep on hand in order to relive the French Pink experience. Shea Butter, calendula, sweet almond oil, and apricot send me to my happy place, and even quells the noxious scent of acetone.

Yesterday I went hunting for a cheaper dupe of Essie's Mint Candy Apple thanks in part to my pastel nail obsession of late. When most of the options on hand at Priceline just wouldn't do (too dark, shimmery, or not minty enough), my gaze locked on a lone bottle of L'Oreal's Perle de Jade.

L'Oreal's Perle de Jade

Slight gripe, dipping the brush in for second, and third helpings grew awkward whenever errant bristles lagged behind.  Despite this L'Oreal still gets props for the low price point, colour selection, and contoured brush head.

You can take it home with you: the nail lady

Sporting Illamasqua's Marquise over OPI's Where Did Suzi's Man-go? (nails by me)

I l-o-v-e getting manicures, it's probably my biggest treat. In order to reign in my spending I cut back on weekly manicures, thankfully I took loads of mental notes and pictures and I think I'm now well equipped to paint my own talons every now and again.

My one takeaway tip from watching the pros do what they do is properly wiping off excess polish on the rim of the bottle before bringing the brush to the nail. A giant glob of polish is far more difficult and messier to deal with and takes entirely too long to dry.

Essie's Apricot Cuticle Oil

To keep my cuticles in fighting form (especially in winter) I invested in a bottle of Essie's Apricot Cuticle Oil. Simply dab a small drop where the nail meets the cuticle and gently massage in. I find that if I keep the bottle near the sink it serves as a gentle reminder for me to apply it before hitting the pillow.

Another favourite product of mine is OPI's Avoplex Exfoliating Cuticle Treatment. This mighty tube of goodness helps to prevent hangnails by keeping my cuticles properly hydrated.

Elemis' Pro-Radiance Hand and Nail Cream

For those times when I don't have cuticle oil in close proximity, I count on moisturiser (the workhorse kind) to keep my hands soft.

These are my go-to hand moisturisers:

• Elemis' Pro-Radiance Hand and Nail Cream* - I keep this baby at my desk. The lotion melts into my skin and nails without leaving behind a greasy residue.
• Provence Sante's Hand Cream - merely purchased to keep the French Pink memories alive. This stuff is the cat's pajamas.
• The Body Shop's Spa Wisdom Africa Honey & Beeswax Hand and Foot Butter - Personally, I really hate the jar it's packaged in, but I'm willing to deal because the scent and texture is pure magic.
• The Body Shop's Almond & Nail Cream - Why Body Shop, why did you have to break something which didn't need to be fixed? The texture and overall performance is still the same, but the scent! Why?!?!

Hand lotion is my BFFL, can't you tell?

Also, be sure to invest in a really good pair of cuticle trimmers and remember to be super careful when nipping off dry bits of skin around your nail. Here's a helpful video from Cute Polish which showcases her nail care techniques.

Finally, I take one Flaxseed Oil supplement every day which helps to keep joint soreness in my knees at bay (yes I'm getting older) and the other added benefit is my nails have become noticeably stronger.

Healthy hands and nails make for happy hands and nails.

*PR sample provided  –  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

What's in my bag

Each week the girls over at Purseblog.com feature a different female designer's handbag and also ask them a series of questions. A woman's purse is very personal, because it carries their life and also represents a snippet of how one feels about fashion vs. function. I think most girls my age and older would agree that the show Sex and the City put fashion accessories on a different level; the education I've received is endless and has shaped my thought process and approach to what I purchase.  Shoes, purses, tights and other miscellaneous accessories are my personal drugs of choice; I can be any size and the aforementioned will always fit.

I've lifted some of the questions asked by Purseblog and created some of my own…

Name: Nicole

Occupation: Estimating Coordinator - some day I hope to see something of mine in the skyline.  How very Ted Mosby of me.

Your bag today is:Prada - my logo is on the side.

What made you choose this bag: I stumbled upon this purse during our first day in Milan; we were walking down Via Montenapoleone.  I just had to check out their wares and well, it was love at first sight.  The saleswoman, however, delivered some bad news when she returned from the stockroom; the bag I had chosen was the last one in the store and well that wasn't going to cut it.  I was assured it hadn't been out on the floor for very long - a few days at most.  If you're spending an insane amout of money on a bag, the floor model just won't do.  Eventually a few more were tracked down - another mission was about to be accomplished.

What's in your bag:

Sunglasses by D&G (I love the floral pattern), glasses by Banana Republic, Prada wallet and business card holder, iPod, Vera Bradley Zip ID, assorted gel pens (I'm a pen snob), Chapstick, 2 MAC lipsticks in Hot Gossip and Positively Dashing, NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in New Lover, hand lotion by Provence Sante, a brush, Dove deodorant, lip salve (a gift from my Italian personal shopper), my work key card and random paper work.