5 Nail Kit Must Haves

When I went away to college my mom sent me off with a relatively large, lime green and orange stripped travel bag. The bag housed everything I would need to do my nails in my dorm room. This bag has traveled with me from dorm rooms to my sorority house to our present day city apartment. While it’s collected a variety of colors (mostly pinks), the essential tools never changed.

5 Nail Kit Must haves

Nail File

A GOOD nail file. Get one with some grit that can really file your nails. I’m not one to clip my nails and prefer to shape them with a file. I’m really loving these lately and they come in a pack of three so you can refresh when the file wears down.

Cuticle Nippers

This is not one to skimp out on. You want one that can offer precision and sharpness so you aren’t injuring yourself or causing tears. While you can use this tool to clean up cuticles with the proper method, I really rely on these to tackle pesky and painful hang nails. This is an absolute must in my kit. You can find these pretty much anywhere nail care and/or beauty items are sold.

Cuticle Pusher/Nail Cleaner

This little tool is great for pushing back overgrown cuticles, but what I really love is the cleaner portion of it. Dirt under the fingers nails isn’t a thing with this in your kit.

Nail Polish Remover

Ok. Obviously this is a given, but be stocked! It’s also important to know what works best for your nails. Personally, I have to go non-acetone as acetone strips my nail and causes peeling. Acetone nail polish remover is good for removing no-chip manis at home, any heavy duty type polish, or polishes with glitter.

Q-Tips

This is one I’ve just recently started including when I do negative space designs. While I use nail sticker guides, paint inevitably makes its way to the parts of the nail I want to remain untouched. Dipping the end of a Q-Tip in nail polish remover does just the trick. You can clean up any areas that may need a sharper or cleaner line. You can always use it around the nail if you get paint on your actual finger.

If you need a little nail inspo, check out Trendy + Easy At-Home Manis (trust me, easy) or The Brunette Blend’s on Pinterest.