How to do a natural manicure at home: A slow Sunday ritual

There's a particular kind of Sunday afternoon when nothing else is planned. The washing is hanging out to dry, the kettle is on, and the light is soft through the window. It's the hour we keep for a manicure at home, with a glass file, a drop of cuticle oil and a colour chosen for the week ahead. Take it slowly. It's a small kindness to yourself before Monday comes.

This is our Sunday ritual, step by step. It takes about as long as a pot of tea, and we love making it a pot of the herbal nail tonic Erin Lovell Verinder shared with us. All you need is natural nail polish and a handful of tools you'll keep for a long time.

What you'll need

• Strengthening Nail Polish Remover, which is acetone-free
  
• A reusable cotton round
• A glass nail file
  
• A soft cloth
  
• Base Coat, or Nail Strengthener if your nails need some care
  
• Your colour
  
• Glossy Top Coat
  
• Natural Cuticle Oil

1. Take off what's there

Hold a cotton round soaked in remover on each nail for a few seconds, then wipe towards the tip. Acetone strips the nail of its natural oils, so we use an acetone-free remover instead. Ours has no harsh smell, so you can do this at the kitchen table.

2. Shape with a glass file

File in one direction, from the side of the nail towards the centre, rather than sawing back and forth. A glass file leaves a smooth edge that's less likely to catch and tear.

3. Start with a base

One thin coat of Base Coat helps your colour hold and protects the nail beneath it. If your nails are feeling soft or brittle, use Nail Strengthener as your base instead. We explain how it works in our tips for strong, beautiful nails.

4. Two thin coats of colour

Paint each nail in three strokes: one down the centre, then one on either side. Keep the first coat thin, let it settle for a minute or two, then add the second. Two thin coats settle more evenly than one thick one.

Every bottle of Sienna is filled by hand, and our plant-based formula is made with ingredients derived from sugar cane, cassava, cotton and corn.

5. Seal it, then sit still

Finish with a coat of Glossy Top Coat, running the brush along the tip of each nail to seal the edge. Then comes the best part. Sit back, finish your tea and let your nails dry. There's nowhere to be.

6. Finish with cuticle oil

Once your nails are completely dry, massage a drop of cuticle oil into each cuticle and ease the skin back gently with a soft cloth. There's no need to cut it. We always leave the oil until last: on a bare nail it stops your polish from sticking, but over dry colour it softens and nourishes.

Keep the bottle by your bed. A drop each night keeps your cuticles soft until your next Sunday.

Choosing your colour

Choose whatever suits the week you're having. For something soft, Amour and Posy are two of our gentle pinks, and Hope is a sheer nude that's barely there. Magic is a cherry blossom shimmer for a little light. For warmth, try Endearment, our new warm ochre, or Florence, a deep magenta red crème.

If your nails need more care than colour this week, the Ultimate Nail Strengthening Kit brings the strengthener, cuticle oil, glass file and remover together. You'll find everything else in our nail care range.