MAVALA Swiss nail care

Up until the age of 25 I bit my nails, and I mean really bit them, right down with some skin chewing thrown in for good measure!

One of those moments in time I remember, at work, made me stop…
I was sending a fax (it was the 90’s) when someone commented on my grubby nails and said “you’ll never be able to grow them as you have bitten them for too long“.

I didn’t flinch or react, but I did take it personally (how could I not ?)  There and then I made up my mind to stop the biting and see if she was right.

Luckily for me she was wrong as my nails grew long and strong, I should have known they would,  my Mum always had great nails.

My nail care regime started with the purchase of just one product by MAVALA  – Scientifique which is a nail hardener with formaldehyde.  A bit of a controversial ingredient for some (one of its uses is as an embalming agent) but it worked for me then and still does now.

Over the years I have stayed pretty loyal to MAVALA with the occasional flirtation with Sally Hansen   and Cutex.

New Year New Nails

Nails grow which is useful (!) for the times that you break them.  I like to usually keep my nails long (maybe too long for some) but I am also a great believer in cutting them short at least twice a year – kind of like pruning the roses.

January is always a good time to give them a cut as it should mean by April/May they will be back to the right length and in tip top health.

To help me with this years growth I picked up a MAVALA kit which contains all the essentials you need to grow them long and strong.

These products may be new to you but I have tried them all before and already have some but at £25.40 for the kit from www.sanareva.co.uk it seemed too good to miss.

Ongles Fins & Fragiles?

The name of my kit, which translates to “Thin & Fragile?” well that is not exactly my nails however I think any nail however tough it is, is going to flourish with a bit of TLC.

 

Kit contents

Scientifique

The nail hardener.

A bright blue watery liquid which contains formaldehyde as the second ingredient after water.

The kit contains a 2ml bottle, might not seem much but this stuff goes a very long way and won’t go off.

You must apply it to the nail growth only – so the dead part of your nail only, please don’t get carried away and apply it to your whole nail.

This is a penetrating liquid which you apply to clean, dry, polish free nails and you need to let it soak in.

Don’t use it more than once a week.

Nail Shield

This is a two part system, you apply it like polish.

Bottle number 1 (phase 1) is a white liquid which contains tiny nylon fibres that form a protective network over the nail to help support it.  You apply it to the whole nail.  As my nails start to grow I also apply it underneath the nail tip.

Bottle 2 is a nail shield which looks a pinky/brown colour.  This will seal in the nylon fibres and give your nail a smooth surface.

It says to apply 2 coats but I find one is enough – once done it looks very natural has a very soft sheen – not glossy almost matt.  You can apply regular polish over the top as you wish.

Comes off with nail varnish remover.

Nailactan

I can’t tell you how many pots (or tubes) I have purchased of this wonderful cream over the years.  You can apply it to bare nails (best option) but also on top of polish.

The key is to apply it regularly at least once a day and apply it first round the cuticle and really massage it in.  I am sure this helps with the blood flow and therefore nail growth.

With the pot you get a little spatula that they suggest you use to scoop it out – but I just use a finger.

Nailactan comes in a little glass jar (pictured) but you can also purchase it in a tube – exactly the same product, and it works.

Hand Cream

I am not so loyal when it comes to hand cream.  I like to find one with an SPF and some sort of nail benefit too.

This hand cream doesn’t have an SPF but it does have marine collagen?, which is something I blog about a lot as it’s just what your skin needs to keep it looking good.

The addition of collagen in this non oily hand cream is going to be great for my rather dry and tired looking hands

Nail files

Matches style packaging, six tiny nail files 10cm long.

Rough and smooth size, perfect for the glove box of the car where they live.

BeautyBoo44 – Project Nail

Below is a picture of my right hand, nails cut short, no nails varnish, no filters!

It is not pretty, the left is just as bad.

I will post again in April/May with the results of the MAVALA routine… so please follow me, subscribe to emails and watch this space.
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