Going to the nail salon and getting a mani/pedi was unexpectedly missed during the peak of lockdown. Lacquered polish, groomed cuticles, and glossy hands was a taken-for-granted luxury before we were forced to go without – giving an extra boost to your day when the colour caught your eye. While the humble manicure has not been lamented as much as a haircut with fresh highlights, true beauty addicts know that leaving a salon with a fresh colour and some heavy-duty hand lotion is a feeling quite like no other.

As we've adjusted to doing things for ourselves at home, the simple act of taking a moment to yourself is what matters, even when the results have varying degrees of success. Nail bars around the nation may have started opening this week, but months of unpampered hands means that appointments for the near future are hard to come by. So, whether your newfound independence means you're ready to get creative at home, or you need to tie yourself over while you wait for your next salon visit, this edit of luxury-level products will be the helping hand to achieve DIY manicures in your living room.



A crystal nail-file is an eco-friendly beautician essential that everyone must own. Unlike its cardboard counterparts, this long-lasting solution doesn't need constant replacing, and its fine gradations of crystal protects nails from cracking, chipping or peeling. We recommend these from AEOS for a further injection of colour into lockdown monotony.



Once nails are shaped, treat your hands to Margaret Dabbs’ Exfoliating Hand Scrub. Extracts of white water lily, hempseed, wild rose, and Margaret’s signature ingredient, emu oil, create a gentle treatment that is guaranteed to leave skin baby-soft, and we're obsessed with the light geranium and mandarin scent that's reminiscent of a Thai spa.



Chanel’s cult Le Vernis nail lacquer is long-wear and gives glossy results that last. We’re lusting after this limited edition shade, Melody, for its summer appropriate update on the colour of 2020, classic blue. A quick peer at this shade will instantly get you dreaming of the mediterranean sea or the far and few between opportunities of a cloud-free sky in London.



At the opposite end of the colour spectrum, but equally as divine, is the Kure Bazaar polish in Vinyle in a classically rich coral. Kure Bazaar’s new technology, cult in itself, contains Vitamin E and Bamboo to strengthen and repair the nails, and a 10-free formula that preserves and protects the natural vitality of nails.



Once nails are dry, use the Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm, which uses the most delicate botanical extracts of Mandarin Oil, Rosemary Leaf and Cedarwood to create an intoxicating scent that sinks in to leave hands beautifully smooth.



No manicure is complete without finishing with a cuticle oil, for that final layer of luxury that leaves hands and nails nourished and protected. This one from Fresh Therapies contains jojoba, apricot oils, Neroli and Frankincense, and is gentle enough to soothe skin problems on the hands.

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