Nail Care with Trim Salon Boards, & NailHQ Ridge Filler and Base Coat

Although I don’t grow out my nails, I prefer the short look; I do still need to take care of them. As my nails grow they get very thin and brittle, and I always have issues with splitting and peeling. It’s because of this peeling that I need to keep them short. I also need to file down the uneven parts so that I have a smooth even base to work with, because nothing looks worse than uneven polish.


In this post I am going to talk about some of my favourite products to get my nails ready for painting.


First thing I need to do is remove my old polish, and to do this I like to use an acetone nail polish remover and an exfoliating cotton round. For me the combination of acetone and the texture of the round help to remove polish quickly and effectively. From here I trim my nails and get ready to file. I used to buy my files from Dollarama, but found that they didn’t provide adequate grittiness and they only lasted for a few uses.

My go-to files now are the TRIM Salon Boards with heavy duty and medium grit. TRIM Salon Boards can be bought in a two pack at Walmart. These heavy, coarse files are perfect to smooth, reduce seams, and shape artificial nails and tips. This board works great for me because the heavy grit helps me shape false press on nails like the Impress Press On Nails, and the medium grit is perfect for use on my natural nails. The quality of these boards is quite impressive; I’ve used the same one about 12 times now and it is still going strong. To clean I just run them under water and allow to air dry.

Once my nails are filed I like to use a ridge filler to smooth out any remaining imperfections. My ridge filler of choice is the NailHQ Ridge Filler with Oxygenating Formulation. Nail HQ uses cutting edge ingredients and formulations to give you naturally beautiful nails that are nourished, strong, and healthy. The NailHQ Ridge Filler retails for $9.99 and can be purchased through FarleyCo.ca


This product is specifically formulated for weak, damaged and thin ridged nails; this smoothing ridge filler gives a subtle sheen finish that revitalizes the nails. The formulation provides hydration, moisturization, and conditioning which will help nails become more flexible, help regulate nail growth and improve the wear of the nail enamel by providing adhesion properties. 


This treatment goes on smoothly and dries quickly to a pale, milky, pink colour. It’s like your nails but better! I like to use this ridge filler when I’m giving my nails a break from polish, and below my base coat to make sure my nails are protected and all one level. Since beginning to use this I have noticed my nails pealing and splitting less. My nails are also a lot stronger; I’ve been able to grow them out a bit without any thinning, and I can go longer between trimmings. This is definitely a Holy Grail product for me now.

Finally, before I apply my favourite polish I like to apply the Nail HQ Anti Stain Rubberized Bonding Base Coat. This unique rubberized base coat retails for $7.99, and is specially formulated to assist in the adhesion of nail enamel. Its sticky, cushioned finish prepares the nail for optimum colour application and also creates a barrier that helps protect against discolouration of the nails from highly pigmented shades. 


This base coat is seriously the bomb dot com. It looks and goes on like any other base coat, but it dries to a semi matte, sticky finish that just grabs onto your polish and doesn’t let go. My nail polish looks better and lasts longer than ever since I started using this base coat. Normally, I get tip wear at 3 days and major chipping at about 5 days. With this product I get tip wear at day 4 or 5 and no major chipping before I’m sick of the colour and take it off for something new.


So there you have it! My nail care prep for gorgeously painted nails. What kind of pre-painting routine do you follow? Do you use any of the same products as me? Leave me some of your nail care tips below as I’m always on the lookout for ways to make my nails stronger and better looking.

Disclaimer: Product(s) in this post were provided for review purposes. Thoughts and opinions are 100% honest and my own.