Though I have been painting my nails for most of my life, I’ve only recently—as in, the last year or so—started to actually enjoy doing it. Uneven lines make my eyes twitch and air bubbles irritate me to the point where I just end up wiping off the polish and starting all over again.
Painting my nails seemed to bring out the worst of my perfectionist tendencies and I’d often get gel manicures just to avoid the unnecessary stress.
Well, to start, there’s the obvious. With stay-at-home orders in place earlier this year, I, like many of my cohort, found myself having to take all grooming matters into my own hands. I learned how to cut my bangs, I became adept at applying false lashes for special occasions (and by that I mean, “camera on” Zoom days) and I have finally mastered the at home manicure.
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Part of that can be attributed to practice, but far and away, the one thing that has made the biggest difference in the quality of my home mani is a flat edged brush for cleaning up edges, or a “clean up brush, ” as Olive and June calls it.
Accidentally flood your cuticles with too much polish? No problem. Just dip the clean up brush in remover and wipe away the excess. Got polish on the sides of your nails? Clean. Up. Brush.
It’s so much better than using a Q-tip (which can leave behind those infuriating fuzzies) and it picks up more misplaced polish than an orange stick or cuticle pusher in one go. In short, it takes the pressure out of painting because you know you can easily fix any mistakes afterward. (Come to think of it, I would like a clean up brush for…life.)
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Some final advice: After using your brush, make sure to wipe it clean with polish remover and then add a couple drops of cuticle oil to the bristles and gently press them between your fingers before you put it away. I’ve found that this keeps the bristles from splaying over time. And if you do find a wonky hair or two, just take your nail clippers and snip them off at the base of the brush.
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I recently ranked the top products mentioned in the /r/SkincareAddiction subreddit, and a lot of people asked me to rank the top products from the /r/AsianBeauty subreddit too. I thought this would be interesting because the list is very different in vibe. AsianBeauty is also very text-based, so there’s still a big focus on what works (no one likes to …
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There’s tons of misinformation on the dangers of sunscreen on social media, and it seems like all of the myths make the rounds each time a new platform emerges. Currently the trending platform is TikTok. Even though sunscreen safety is a topic I’ve covered many times, it repeatedly comes up in many different flavours. I’ll break down the misinformation in …
Bobby Parrish, a home cook and food influencer who goes by the name FlavCity, has made a number of viral TikTok videos recently about dangerous personal care ingredients. As you might expect, there’s quite a lot of misinformation in them. I debunked a couple of them in a recent YouTube video, along with some other TikTok videos – you can …
There’s been a recent viral TikTok video from Santa Cruz Medicinals, a CBD brand that sells skincare. In it, their founder claims CeraVe is “trash” because it contains propylparaben. Here’s what he says in the video: “Do you use this? This contains propylparaben. Propylparaben is an estrogen-like compound that is under the class of what we call parabens. Women who …
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I’ve been testing Korean skincare products I’ve seen recommended again and again by influencers. I couldn’t fit them all in one post, so here’s part 2. If you missed it, Part 1 is here! The video is here, keep scrolling for the text version… Korean skincare products are super popular, but there are so many options it can be overwhelming. …
Irritated and sensitive skin can be tricky to deal with – whether it’s because your skin is innately sensitive, or because it’s messed up from harsh products or harsh weather. I recently sat down with my friend Hannah English to talk about our favourite tips and products for irritated skin. She’s a pharmaceutical scientist and skincare content creator who shares …
I tried to put Reddit’s most discussed skincare products on /r/skincareaddiction into a (highly subjective) tier list. I thought this would be a fun, quick chatty video but it turned into a bit of a rabbit hole! (That seems to happen a lot…) The video is here, keep scrolling for a brief summary of the products… The usual disclaimer: my …
How To Clean Up Your Manicure
Hi! I'm Michelle, chemistry PhD, science educator and cosmetic chemist, and I'm here to help you figure out which beauty products are and aren't worth buying, using science.
There’s tons of misinformation on the dangers of sunscreen on social media, and it seems like all of the myths make the rounds each time a new platform emerges. Currently the trending platform is TikTok. Even though sunscreen safety is a topic I’ve covered many times, it repeatedly comes up in many different flavours. I’ll break down the misinformation in …
Bobby Parrish, a home cook and food influencer who goes by the name FlavCity, has made a number of viral TikTok videos recently about dangerous personal care ingredients. As you might expect, there’s quite a lot of misinformation in them. I debunked a couple of them in a recent YouTube video, along with some other TikTok videos – you can …
There’s been a recent viral TikTok video from Santa Cruz Medicinals, a CBD brand that sells skincare. In it, their founder claims CeraVe is “trash” because it contains propylparaben. Here’s what he says in the video: “Do you use this? This contains propylparaben. Propylparaben is an estrogen-like compound that is under the class of what we call parabens. Women who …
The 9 Best Long Lasting Nail Polishes Of 2023
I’ve been testing Korean skincare products I’ve seen recommended again and again by influencers. I couldn’t fit them all in one post, so here’s part 2. If you missed it, Part 1 is here! The video is here, keep scrolling for the text version… Korean skincare products are super popular, but there are so many options it can be overwhelming. …
Irritated and sensitive skin can be tricky to deal with – whether it’s because your skin is innately sensitive, or because it’s messed up from harsh products or harsh weather. I recently sat down with my friend Hannah English to talk about our favourite tips and products for irritated skin. She’s a pharmaceutical scientist and skincare content creator who shares …
I tried to put Reddit’s most discussed skincare products on /r/skincareaddiction into a (highly subjective) tier list. I thought this would be a fun, quick chatty video but it turned into a bit of a rabbit hole! (That seems to happen a lot…) The video is here, keep scrolling for a brief summary of the products… The usual disclaimer: my …
How To Clean Up Your Manicure
Hi! I'm Michelle, chemistry PhD, science educator and cosmetic chemist, and I'm here to help you figure out which beauty products are and aren't worth buying, using science.
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