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Nails After 40
21
items These are the nail systems, treatments and at-home tools I reach for when I want polished nails without living at the salon. I use CND, Manucurist, Olive & June and Dazzle Dry myself, and I included the practical extras that make manicures, trave...
Sections
5
The Polish Systems I Use
Classy Nails and Better Nail Care
French Tips and Easy Nail Inspo
Manicure Tools and Travel
Hands, Feet and At-Home Pedicures
The Polish Systems I Use
If I'm going to do my nails at home, I want a system that earns the time it takes. These are the brands I actually use, from classic long-wear polish to lamp-cured options.
I use Manucurist, and this is the way I'd start rather than buying the pieces one at a time. You get the lamp, base, colors, top coat, remover and clips, so you're actually ready to do a manicure when the box arrives.
Xtrem Flash™ Gel Nail Polish Routine Set - Manucurist
CND is the one I come back to when longevity matters because nothing lasts longer on me. Vinylux gives me that polished, grown-up manicure without committing to a lamp-cured gel system.
CND Vinylux Nail Polish - 334 Powerful Hematite, 0.5 oz Nail Polish
I use Olive & June too, and I like that this is a true start-here kit with the lamp, base, top coat, color and prep tools together. Much easier than discovering halfway through your manicure that you're missing something important.
Gel Mani System - Olive & June | Ulta Beauty
A classic red belongs in a grown-up nail wardrobe just as much as a good nude does. When the cute nail inspo starts getting too cute, red brings us right back to polished.
CND CND Vinylux Weekly Polish - # 139 Red Baroness 0.5 oz Nail Polish
I swear by Dazzle Dry for the easiest on AND OFF nails. I love the minis for travel because if you are gone more than 10 days you will need a touchup.
Dazzle Dry Starter Mini Kit + Ready, Set, Dry
Classy Nails and Better Nail Care
This is the less glamorous part that makes the pretty polish look better: smoothing ridges, caring for cuticles and giving natural nails a little help before color ever goes on.
This is such a good 40+ nail product because it isn't trying to cover every little ridge with a heavy opaque color. It smooths and blurs while leaving that sheer beige, elegant-nails look that works with everything.
01 Active Smooth Nail Concealer, Nail Strengthener and Growth for a Natural Sheer effect - Manucurist | Ulta Beauty
For days when I want my natural nails to look healthier and shinier without doing a whole manicure, this is the lane. One or two coats gives that clean, glossy nail look and it air-dries without a lamp.
Active Glow Nail Polish for a Gloss finish, Nail Strengthener and Growth - Manucurist | Ulta Beauty
Peeling, splitting and cracking can make even the prettiest polish look rough. I like having an actual treatment in this list because sometimes the answer isn't another coat of color.
RescueRXx Daily Keratin Treatment - CND | Ulta Beauty
Good cuticles do more for a manicure than people give them credit for. This is the kind of small daily step that makes bare nails and polished nails both look more cared for.
0.5 oz Solar Oil Nail and Cuticle Conditioner - CND | Ulta Beauty
The pen-style applicator is what makes this useful: controlled, portable and not an oil slick waiting to happen in your purse. Keep it where you'll actually use it and your cuticles have a fighting chance.
Olive & June Cuticle Serum - 0.14 fl oz
This is for the woman who wants the pretty natural-nail look more than nail art. It combines prep, glow and hydration in one routine, which is much closer to my idea of useful nail care.
Glow Manicure Set, Nail Kit with Nail File - Manucurist | Ulta Beauty
French Tips and Easy Nail Inspo
A classic French tip is trending for a reason: it looks polished without trying too hard. These give you a few ways to get that clean look or add color when you're in the mood for something more fun.
If you want French tip nails without painting French tip nails, I fully support taking the shortcut. The sheer pink base and almond shape keep these classic instead of costume-y.
Instant Mani Press-On Nails Iconic French - Olive & June | Ulta Beauty
This little set gives you three wearable colors plus the glossy top coat, and the bottles are travel size. Good for vacation, good for trying colors, and good for the person who will never finish twelve full-size bottles.
Olive & June Nail Polish Kit - Greatest Hit - 4ct
Manicure Tools and Travel
These are the things that keep an at-home manicure from turning into a hunt through three bathroom drawers. I included both serious tools and the little travel fixes that are useful when a nail misbehaves away from home.
This is the inexpensive little kit I'd throw in a suitcase so one broken nail doesn't become the main character of the trip. Clippers, file, cuticle tools and tweezers all stay together in the case.
Trim Travel Manicure Kit - 9pc
For regular polish, this is so much cleaner than traveling with cotton balls and a bottle of remover. Dip, twist, done. Just remember this one is for regular polish, not cured gel.
Olive & June Nourishing Remover Pot
Gel removal deserves its own setup because regular remover isn't going to do the job. This gives you the acetone, caps, sponges and file so you're less tempted to pick gel off and regret it later.
Olive & June Gel Removal System
For someone who likes doing the whole manicure at home, this gives you a rechargeable tool with multiple attachments and speed settings. It's especially useful when basic clipping and filing aren't quite enough.
PureNails Luxe Rechargeable Manicure Set
Hands, Feet and At-Home Pedicures
Nails don't stop at the polish bottle. These are for the hand-and-foot part of the routine, including one hand massager I've actually filmed because sometimes the best manicure accessory is five minutes of doing absolutely nothing.
I have this hand massager and I even have a video on it. This is the part of nail night where we admit the hands carrying our phones, groceries and entire lives around all day deserve a little attention too.
KingPavonini Hand Massager HM01 Black
A foot soak before a pedicure makes the whole process feel less like maintenance and more like an actual break. The heat and vibration are a nice bonus while you're softening everything up for the pedi.
Conair Foot Spa With Vibration & Heat Fb3
This is the buy-it-once end of manicure tools: scissors, cuticle tools, file and tweezers in a proper case. A very different proposition from the mystery nail clipper rattling around at the bottom of a makeup bag.
Beauty Twinox 5 Piece Frame Cast Beauty Tool Set
This is where I want the extra attachments: shaping nails, tidying cuticles and dealing with rougher areas on feet. It turns the at-home pedicure into more than polish on toes and calling it a day.
PurePedi Deluxe 8-in-1 Manicure/Pedicure Set