049. Nail Care, Best of HBO Documentaries
Sharing the ultimate treat-yourself moment and the best of HBO Documentary Films.
Hi! I’m Maggie, and welcome to Tender Forms Off-Camera: a weekly newsletter about slow beauty and slow living. Links in this newsletter may include affiliate links or discount referrals. If you enjoy and would like to support this newsletter, click the button below or shop through my links! No pressure but thank you if you do.
You know that I’m a big proponent of setting aside time for self-care. Currently, that’s my Sunday early evenings. You’ve seen my Instagram stories of past Sunday skincare pamper routines, along with any mid-week sessions I can sneak in during a slower week. You’d think these would be my ultimate self-care routines, but there’s one that I consider the ultimate “treat yo self” moment, and that’s nail care.
At this point, I must confess, I am not one who ever enjoyed getting their nails done because of two things:
My nail type
My aversion to having strangers so closely yet aggressively go at my nails when even I can hardly do that myself
So what’s changed in the last 32 years? Well, I have two brands to thank for helping me accept, care, and learn to love my nails. First, let’s talk about the one who taught me how to care for them.
Bare Hands The Dry Gloss Manicure Kit ($39, Unscented or Citrine)
Sometime last year, Suzanne (founder and creator) of Bare Hands followed me on Instagram. We instantly connected, chatting over our mutual love and respect for each other’s feed, and the weather in our home cities. Naturally, I did a deep dive into her brand and instantly fell in love. Here was a brand telling me I didn’t need to use nail polish to make my nails shine. The clincher was that they had a tool that let me achieve a high gloss finish on my nails without nail polish. What was this magic?! A month or two later, when I saw one of my favorite online retailers, Ayla, carry them, I went and purchased their unscented kit.
The Dry Gloss Manicure Kit comes with their signature polisher, cuticle oil (in an unscented or citrine option), and chamois cloth, all beautifully packaged in a vegan leather case. The kit also comes with two wooden cuticle pushers and instructions. But during the holiday season, Suzanne came out with their gift set, and I purchased that one to split with my mom.
Bare Hands Gift Set ($48, Unscented or Citrine)
The Gift Set comes with everything in their original kit, in addition to their Czech crystal nail file, and a limited edition Forêt oil. (I gave the new dry gloss kit with the Citrine oil to my mom.) She and I both love this kit.
Before I dive into the kit and my thoughts, I want to talk about my nail type and general lack of proper care. I am not blessed with good nails. Mine is thin, soft, and tends to break and tear easily. I also have vertical ridging across almost all my nails though this can often be mitigated with proper moisturizing and hydration. Aside from the genetics portion of it, it doesn’t help that I have a terribly bad, nervous habit of tearing them when I get a chip. I know this is unpleasant to hear, and I promise it’s not as bad as it sounds because my nails are so soft. But it is what it is, my bad nervous habits and all. I am also an avid hand washer. You know I hate feeling any type of texture on my hands, so I am constantly washing my hands with soap, meaning it further dries out my hands and nails.
Because my nails are so brittle, filing them makes my skin crawl. This is why I avoid it at almost all costs. Only in the past year, when I’ve really started taking better care of my hands and body, have my nails been in better shape too. But it wasn’t until I purchased the Dry Gloss kit that I finally had a routine to follow that would truly take care of my nails.
Here’s my current treat-yo-self nail care routine:
Either soften my nails a bit in some warm water or do the rest after taking a shower.
Sugar oil scrub! There’s a great little “recipe” for making your own included in the kit. This helps to soften and remove any dry skin around the nail.
Wipe off polish, and don’t wash your hands. You want to retain all the good oil from the scrub.
Shape nails with the nail file.
One of these two: A. use the polisher to achieve high gloss effect, B. paint nails with the color I’m drawn to that day.
Apply cuticle oil.
Let’s talk about scenario A first. You know that beautiful, healthy, and glossy look you can get from proper nail care and, say, a transparent topcoat? That’s what you can achieve with the polisher sans any nail polish. The Bare Hands polisher is a delightful half-moon in a base of glass with a blend of minerals fused to the surface. This gives its buffing, polishing ability. If you’re a beginner when it comes to nail care, this step will take a few times to master. And especially if you have ridging (vertical or horizontal), you want to be extra careful with how much deep you’re going. Be extra gentle, and here’s why.
The idea and video tutorials from both Bare Hands and Ayla make it simple. Use the polisher in a horizontal back and forth motion across the nail. Make sure to wipe the polisher with the included cloth whenever you see build-up. Then go back and continue across the rest. I tried my darnedest to get the gloss effect evenly across the nail the first time I did it. This was difficult and near impossible with my ridging. I produced uneven patches of gloss across all nails. I guess it also doesn’t help that I have small hands, fingers, and, therefore, nails. Aside from the patchiness, I loved the look of them from far away. For the first time, whenever my eyes caught my nails in their view, they looked healthy and vibrant. Unfortunately, I knew I had gone too far with some of them. My nails already thin on their own, felt thinner, and extremely sensitive. Keep in mind, when you’re using the polisher, you’re removing layers of the nail. It grows back, but it takes some time.
The following few times, I knew not to go too far. The patchiness continued though it really depended on the state of my nails that day. If they were less moisturized and hydrated, the patchiness was more apparent. Otherwise, if my nails were doing well, I could achieve the gloss finish with limited patchiness, and boy, do I love the look of it.
I’m also now not so averse to filing my nails because I’ve finally found the perfect tool. The Bare Hands nail file works incredibly well with my soft nails. I can shape them easily, the tool is reusable, and it looks beautiful no matter where it sits in the home. Both the polisher and nail file are simple to clean too. Just rinse with warm water and soap! *But don’t use alcohol on them!
And last but not least, let’s talk about perhaps my favorite item in the kit: the cuticle oil. First, it’s in a refillable pen.* Genius. You turn the base of it, and it clicks the oil upwards through its brush tip. I adore the brush. It glides along the cuticle and nails beautifully, and I don’t get any of it on the rest of my hands. Precision cuticle oiling? Yes, please. *I haven’t gone through mine just yet, but I love that it’s a refillable design. Refills aren’t available yet.
Now let’s talk scenario B. You already know my love for J. Hannah nail polishes. They’ve been featured in Newsletters, Instagram posts, and stories, and here they are again. By far, they’re my favorite nail polish not for lasting power (we’ll get to that) but for their unique and sophisticated range of color. I haven’t come across a shade I don’t love; they’re all exquisite.
J. Hannah Mini Polish Set ($54, 3.75ml ea. in shades Akoya, Dune, Fauna, Ghost Ranch, Miso)
The only nail polishes I currently own are these five in their mini polish set. First, by mini, they mean it. These are the definition of miniature, and they’re adorable and fit my tiny hands perfectly. The color story of this set is also extraordinary. I love them all, and it includes one of my all-time favorites, Ghost Ranch. You can read more and see it here in Newsletter 022.
My new favorites after trying them in this set are Akoya and Dune. Akoya is a long-time bestselling shade of theirs, and I can see why. It’s like a luminous highlighter for your nails: a beautifully refined golden lustre in a colorless base. It catches the light perfectly in any space or lighting situation. It’s also a great topper for any shade if you’re craving a shinier effect. And then there’s Dune, one of their newer releases: a desert flesh tone I never thought could be harnessed and bottled. Both give my nails a well-cared-for, manicured look. The attention to detail in creating these colors is what makes achieving such a look so effortless. One layer of any will elevate your nails, but another layer will surprise you even more.
Do they have the best-lasting power? No. But most polishes don’t last on me. My nails just don’t seem to hold onto color well, and all my hand washing and moisturizing with oils certainly doesn’t help. I don’t mind because it gives me a chance to wear more colors, and in a way, makes me feel I’m not harming my nails as much, even if the formula is one of the cleanest I’ve ever seen in nail polish. Nail polish also has a fascinating quality of making my nails grow! I have no idea why, but they always grow faster when I use a polish, not to mention it gives my nails an extra layer of strength which means less chipping.
Together, these two brands have helped build my relationship with my nails so much. Now I look forward to taking care of my nails. I keep the Bare Hands cuticle oil on my desk and love applying it throughout the workday. And I have to say my mom nails (had to use this pun somewhere) the dry gloss! I’ll share a photo of hers and mine on Instagram sometime.
And if you’re looking to learn more about nails in general, this article from Ayla helped me tremendously.
Please note the following mentions documentaries covering a wide range of topics, including sexual assault, grooming, drug addiction, self-harm, suicide, and murder.
HBO Documentary Films is a longstanding in-house production studio and distributor since 1979. But in the last couple of years, they’ve produced some of the best documentary films and limited series Husband and I have watched.
They recently released ‘Allen v. Farrow,’ a four-part docuseries centered on the allegations of sexual abuse against Woody Allen. As with many of the following documentaries I’ll be mentioning, to say the subject matter is heavy is wildly an understatement. Though these documentaries can feel profoundly devastating as they cover disturbing and challenging content that aren’t for the faint of heart, I’ve come to see them as almost mandatory viewing. To pretend these matters don’t exist helps no one. Seeing these documentaries not only get made but released soothes and assures me. Someone sees you.
Below is just a small list of some mighty ones (listed chronologically):
‘The Hunting Ground’ (2015) Film about sexual assault across U.S. university campuses and the failure of institutions to report and prosecute
‘The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst’ (2015) 6-part miniseries about Robert Durst. *This remains one of my all-time favorite docuseries
‘Leaving Neverland’ (2019) 2-part film on Wade Robson and James Safechuck and their sexual abuse by Michael Jackson
‘At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal’ (2019) Film about sexual abuse by team doctor Larry Nassar
‘Tiger’ (2021) 2-part miniseries on Tiger Woods
‘Allen v. Farrow’ (2021) 4-part miniseries on the allegations of sexual abuse against Woody Allen (by the same team of ‘The Hunting Ground’)
‘Q: Into the Storm’ (2021) 6-part series exploring QAnon. *We’re currently watching this, but the first two episodes seem very promising. Two new episodes released weekly
Thanks so much for reading! I’m sorry if I seem all over the place. Work has been so busy, but this coming week is the last of this current job booking. Excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel. There’s much to be done and always exciting things on the horizon. Remember, you can always leave a comment or reply directly to this email to chat one-on-one!
As always, I hope you have a great start to your week. See you next Sunday!
i bought the j.hannah in marzipan on a whim (it was on sale) and it's turned out to be an unexpected favorite. would never have gotten a yellow-tinted polish.