Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette.
In today's video, we discuss nails and men's manicure so you look well-groomed wherever
you go.
When I say manicure, I don't mean a girly manicure that takes one hour and has nail
polish and all that stuff.
I mean, a quick proper treatment of your nails that makes you look well-groomed and dapper
so it fits the rest of your outfit.
Sometimes, I come across tips for dates, and people say "oh, clip your nails" but actually
that's not quite enough.
And if you want a really nice looking set of nails, it just takes a few more steps that
are simple and will explain them in this video.
For example, take a look at Prince Charles, he's really well dressed, he has a great style
but if you look at his fingernails, the nice cufflinks and the watch really don't look
as nice anymore because of his cuticles, and his not so well-groomed nails.
If you have dirt underneath your nails or if you bite your nails.
They look short, they're all yellow, they're just ugly and people will judge you for it.
Honestly, you don't need to go to a nail salon, you can do it for 10 minutes or less at home
and it looks really well-groomed and you can do it repeatedly even when you travel.
So what tools do you need?
The basic set includes a nail clipper, a cuticle clipper, and a nail file.
We put all of these together in a nice little travel grooming set for you from Fort Belvedere
that even comes with a pair of tweezers.
It's TSA approved so you could travel with it in your carry-on.
It's all very convenient and it's all you really need.
Of course, like anything in Fort Belvedere, it's a quality set made of aniline dyed leather
in Germany, the tools are not just regular stainless steel ones, but they come from Solingen,
Germany, a town that's renowned for its high-end quality knives and cuttingware and nail clippers
Do you want to get an even better manicure?
Then I suggest that in a buffing block and a larger file because you can get on the angles
of your nails much better.
Another tool that's really helpful is a so-called cuticle pusher.
It has a little tip and a little pusher at the end that really helps remove all of the
dry skin around your cuticles.
Optionally, you could use some hot water that makes your cuticles softer, easier to trim.
And last but not the least, you should invest in a quality hand cream cause it really helps
give your nails a polished look and it's also good for your hands.
Alright Gentlemen, first let's discuss the basic manicure with these three tools step
by step.
Step 1.
Using the nail clipper, clip slowly and in small steps, along your nail bed so a little
edge of white remains.
Don't cut all the way down to the nail because it's not good for your nail.
Make sure you follow the natural curve of your nail.
Step 2.
Use the cuticle clipper to get rid any hangnails which are little pieces of skin or nail that
stand off in a weird way and get them flushed with your skin.
Use the same tool to cut the dry cuticles.
Be very careful and only cut the parts that are dry.
Don't cut too deep.
Otherwise, you'll bleed and it could also dry out your cuticles even more.
If you cut non-dry cuticles, they would dry out and it's a vicious cycle of cutting, drying
out and you wanna prevent that.
Normally, most men won't even know of that step, they just stop after cutting them but
filing is really essential because it smoothes out your edges.
Also, it helps prevents any nicks.
Let say in your silktie or in your suit, cause sometimes if you have very rough nails, it's
very easy to pull a thread and destroy your neckwear.
In Step 3, you use the file.
First, use the rougher side and you hold it perpendicular to your nail.
Filing off all the rough edges.
That's followed by using the finer side at a 45-degree angle to make sure you don't
have any rough edges standing on your nail.
Simply glide over with your fingertips to see if there are any rough edges and repeat until
it's all smooth.
Especially with the finer side, be gentle.
Don't be too harsh and push a lot.
Otherwise, you'll get deep grooves and you just wanna have smooth nail edges.
Last but not the least, step 4.
Use the tip of your file and remove any dirt that you may have underneath your nails.
A lot of it may have come off during clipping it but just wanna make sure that everything
was well-groomed and neat.
Alright Gentlemen, that's the basic nail grooming manicure routine.
If you wanna step up, you can get a longer nail file and a buffing block as well as a
cuticle tool or a cuticle pusher that helps you keep your cuticles intact and just create
a very nice look on your nails.
Step 1 is just like before, clip your nails, be slow, use three to four steps and make
sure you stay along the natural curve of your nail and leave some white.
An optional step here is to soak your fingers in water beforehand.
It makes your nails softer and makes the clipping much easier.
Alternatively, you can just clip your nails after you've taken a hot shower, it has the
same effect.
Step 2.
Use the cuticle pusher and push back your cuticles gently.
Make sure the angle is not too steep and not too flat.
Once you've done that, use the opposite pointy end of your cuticle pusher and remove the
dry skin or the dirt around your cuticles.
Step 3 means to use the cuticle clippers and clip off any hangnails, things that stand off
or dried cuticles.
Make sure to leave the not-so-dry cuticles intact otherwise, you'll dry them out more
and it's just a vicious cycle.
Step no. 4
is to use the file.
Usually, you have a rougher side and a finer side.
However, I suggest you start with a finer for your fingernails and the rougher one for
your toenails.
The advantage of having a long file versus a small file is that you have a better angle,
you're quicker and you can just get to that cracks better.
A larger file is really inexpensive and just easier and faster.
So it's a great investment.
To see what kind of products we recommend, please head over to our guide here.
Step no.
5 is to use a buffing block which is a very fine sand grip.
Ideally you hold it in between of your thumb and your middle finger or index finger and
hold it in at an angle about 45 degrees and gently go back and forth.
It's fantastic to smoothen out the edges of your nails without hurting them and without
creating any deep grooves.
Last but not the least, in step no. 6,
use the pointed end of the cuticle tool and remove any dirt that remains underneath
your nails or around the skin so you have a well-groomed nail by then.
Personally, at the very end, I like to give my nails a little bit of oil and I use a nice
quality hand cream.
I apply it in my fingertips and gently massage them and then rub them into my cuticles, same
thing with the thumbs and at the very end, I just rub the remainder of the lotion onto
my hands.
That way, my hands stay moisturized, my nails are well-groomed and I look very handsome.
If you want an even more detailed manicure or pedicure.
Head over to a salon but honestly, I believe that 95 or even 99% of all men are just fine with a basic
or the basic+ routine.
Now you know all the steps of a perfect men's manicure, there's some other ailments that may come in
the way of looking well-groomed.
The biggest issue is biting your nails.
Not only that it looks very immature but you also get rough edges and your nails become shorter
over time.
It just looks very odd.
The reasons why people bite nails are manyfold.
They can stem from stress or other things.
One way to remedy it is to maybe have a rubber band around your wrist so you can direct your
attention from biting your nails to pulling on the rubber band.
Alternatively there are treatments like Mavala which is basically a bitter nail polish that
just tastes so bad that everytime you try it, you stop.
Another thing I often see in men's nails that looks quite so not well-groomed are cracked
cuticles that are dry.
And just like Prince Charles, it just brings down your overall look.
A way to prevent it is to stop overclipping your nails, try to avoid hot water, and moisturize
often so your cuticles look healthy and well-groomed.
Another thing that sometimes you see in men's nails are discolored nails either from smoking
a lot they get that yellow tint.
If you noticed that your nails are discolored, it's probably best to contact your doctor
to see what the reasons are.
The same goes for lifting of nails, splitting, or excessive grooving.
That's just something you have to figure out on an individual basis.
Most importantly, every man can have well-groomed nails and all you need is a few simple tools.
Just a quick routine, it takes about 10 minutes.
If you're interested in a nice nail kit, you can check out the one we offer here in our
website.
If you enjoyed this video, please check out our guide on men's grooming mistakes and also
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