Make It Stick - Orly Bonder

Since I mostly paint my nails myself it's a treat to get a manicure. I think my favorite part is when the manicurist takes those cuticle nippers and snips off all the dead skin around your nail that you didn't even know was there. I bought some of those same nippers to do the same thing, and I cannot figure out what they are actually nipping? Is it on the nail? Is it part of the skin? How do they get that stuff off? Where does it come from?

THAT is one thing I did not learn in my 4 days of beauty school.

After the nipping is the massage and then the painting. I love leaving with perfect, shiny, smooth nails.

Until three days later.

Then, I start to get annoyed that my manicure is chipping, or wearing off, or cracking, or otherwise looking like it's been longer than three days since perfection.

It starts to bug me that I spent $25 and it's not lastiing.

I can easily get my own manicures, the ones I do myself, to last 8-10 days and still look great. And I owe it all to this gem.

Orly Bonder Rubberized Base Coat - $7.50

Right now I can think of four things that hit the "can't live without it list" and this is one of them. I've been using this for years.

Think of it as rubber cement for your nail polish. One coat of this underneath your color, and your manicure WILL last longer. Use it with any nail polish (it'll even make the cheapies last a little longer). I notice a dramatic difference when I don't use it. Now, I even take it with me to the nail shop. I've gotten my mom, my aunt, and several friends hooked on this.

An added bonus is that it's pretty cheap. You can get it for about $7.50 at Ulta or Sally's, but it's cheaper at Sally's. It lasts a long time and is TOTALLY worth it.

P.S. You can get this stuff for $6.50 at Sally's if you join their Beauty Club. It's only $5 to join and you get discount prices on almost everything. Even if you only shop there a few times a year, you'll most likely save $5 in just a few short trips. The fee ends up paying for itself.