Taking the time to create your own gift set instead of buying one that is already assembled adds a special, personal touch to a gift. It also means you can customize the gift set exactly the way you want it with the specific products that you wish to include. Almost all women appreciate gifts that allow them to pamper themselves and a manicure gift set is one that would get a lot of use.
Here is a list of basic items to include in your set:
Nail polish remover
Nail file/emery board
Cuticle softener/remover
Orange/cuticle stick
Nail brush
Cotton balls or cotton pads
Cotton swabs
Nail scissors
Bottle of base coat
Bottle of top coat
Nail polish in several colors ranging from subdued to bright
Moisturizing hand lotion
Here are a few optional items to include:
French manicure polish
A nail dryer
Nail strengthening polish
Polish thinner
Arrange all of the products you have bought in a basket or case to carry them in. You can buy an inexpensive plastic basket that would fit nicely on a closet shelf, a plastic shoe box with a lid, a cosmetic case, or a pretty wicker basket to hold the manicure items. The gift will seem a little more special if you give her something to keep all her manicure tools in as opposed to just putting them all in a paper gift bag.
Once you’ve assembled your gift set, there is one last important thing you need to do – give step by step instructions on how to give a manicure. You can copy the following instructions onto nice paper and include them with the set.
How to Give Yourself a Manicure
1. Remove any polish that is already on your nails.
2. Wash your hands and clean nails with a nail brush. Dry.
3. Apply hand lotion.
4. Apply cuticle softener and allow time for it to work.
5. Push back your cuticles with the orange stick.
6. Decide if you want the tips of your nails to be oval or square and then carefully file them. Gently file your nails with the emery board in one direction.
7. Apply the base coat starting with your dominant hand. Each nail should take three strokes to complete. Start with a stroke in the middle of the nail from the base up to the tip. Then complete with a stroke on either side. Allow to dry.
8. Apply color using the same three stroke process. Allow to dry.
9. If needed, apply a second coat of color. Allow to dry.
10. Apply the top coat with the same three stroke process. Allow at least 30 minutes to dry completely.
11. If any polish has gotten on the skin around the nail, after the polish has dried, take a cotton swab dipped in polish remover and remove the excess polish from skin.
The manicure set along with the instructions will make a great gift for birthdays or holidays, but there are other times this makes a fabulous gift. This would work for someone who is going off to college or who is moving into her first apartment. It would also be an excellent congratulatory gift for someone who has just gotten her first professional job and needs to look her best, but can’t afford regular salon manicures yet. And don’t forget someone who has just had a baby. She will need all the pampering she can get.
For about the price of one salon manicure you can put together a customized manicure gift set. The recipient will appreciate the time you put into customizing the gift for her, and she will be ready to give herself a fresh manicure any time she wishes. What a thoughtful, great gift.
