Mini Mani Kit

Hi fellow nomads,

I have a miniature manicure kit which I've created for when I need to do my nails away from home. You may think this is a pretty niche requirement but I've actually used this in a variety of scenarios, for example: 

• At a work conference as an evening activity (what else are you going to do with the half an hour free time you get in the evening when the wifi is dodgy?!)
• Taken in my handbag round to a friend's house for the evening so I can redo my nails while we catch up on each others' lives  
• On holiday when I know my polish won't last the entire trip

So without further ado, let me show you the contents of my pretty comprehensive yet surprisingly compact kit:

Sephora Instant Nail Polish Remover

This is to take off my existing polish quickly and easily; no mess, no fuss. It’s even the correct size to be taken on a plane, if necessary.

If you can’t get hold of the Sephora one, Bourjois sell an extremely similar product available in Boots and Superdrug which is also decent, although I find the formula leaves behind a greasy residue which I'm not so keen on. 

Essie Nourish Me base coat

I'm not sure if this base coat does nourish my nails to be completely honest, but it at least makes me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile. I got mine from Fragrance Direct for £2.99 which I'm quite happy to pay for an Essie polish, but I think full price this is pretty expensive.

If I'm going for the natural look I’ll just put on a coat or two of this and leave it at that.

Colour of my choice

Today I've gone for the L'Oreal Color Riche nail varnish in Majestic Green but I would substitute this for whatever colour I feel like wearing. I don’t put too much thought into this, I just go with what I feel like at the time - bearing in mind work-appropriateness where relevant. I don't tend to try to match to my outfits because firstly I'm not that organised, and secondly I don’t like the matchy-matchy look too much. Happy accidents do happen sometimes but on the whole my nails just march to the beat of their own drum.

Essie Good To Go top coat

This top coat is speedy to dry and makes nails wear a lot longer than normal. I think this is a brilliant polish and I would pay full price for it, even though I got mine for a bargain £3.99 at TK Maxx. However, for my next top coat I think I may try something different, just to ring the changes.

Nail varnish corrector pen, Rituals

Normally I don’t bother with this as I'm fairly neat when doing my nails, and when I am not, I usually just let it come off in the shower the next morning (such a lazy girl thing to do, I know). But sometimes I do need the use of this pen (for touching up awkward cuticle smudges for example, or if I need to go somewhere right after I've painted my nails). I think this does a good job and is so much more precise than using a cotton bud soaked in acetone.

Nail cuticle treatment pen, Rituals

This pen is wonderful. It really helps my cuticles come back from the brink of utter raggedy disgustingness. I love putting this on and seeing the instant difference in the condition of my cuticles. This was a little pricey but has lasted me for ages so I think I will keep on buying this. It’s also perfect for on the go as you’re not faffing round with oils or tricky applicators.

Nail file

I actually really hate nail files, they give me the shivers. Is that totally weird? Still, they do have their uses so I carry one in the back of the pouch for emergencies. This one is looking pretty tatty now but originally it looked very pretty. It's from Paperchase and it was gift from a lovely friend, so that makes using it a bit more bearable.

Hand cream

And finally, of course, some hand cream. This is from L’Occitaine and it is nourishing and conveniently sized. I don’t love the smell but I do love the results it has on my hands so I will keep carrying it round until the tube is used up. Not long to go! Then I've got to decide what to move on to….

So that’s what I take in my Mini Mani Kit. Here it is all packaged neatly into this little pouch from Ecotools which came with a brush set, which holds it nicely and lets me see at a glance what I've got going on.

Do you carry any mini kits with you? What's in yours?

-Rachel