A common question I get: "how do you get your nails to look so nice?" The answer is actually kind of long and I swear I will get around to writing it out someday, but for now I'll share a little part of it: keeping your cuticles neat.
The cuticle is that annoying dead layer of tissue that sits on your nail plate near where your nail meets your finger, getting in the way of nail polish application if you don't push it back. If there's a lot of it, you might find that you get almost a "wall" of dead skin along your nail after pushing it back. That's where the
Tweezerman Professional Spiral Spring Cuticle Nipper comes in.
Note that clipping your cuticles is somewhat controversial: some argue that the cuticle should never be cut, because it can increase the risk of the cut area getting infections and other bacteria in. On the other hand, I've been cutting mine for a while now and have also had pro nail techs nip them, all with no problems. Keep in mind that I'm not a professional and this is just what works for me!
With that out of the way, let's get back to the product. Tweezerman's Cuticle Nipper is stainless steel, with a good weight to it. It comes with a sturdy plastic case to store it in, as well as a small rubbery cover to protect the nipper part when not in use.
The edges of the nipper are
super sharp and clip through the dead skin of the cuticle very easily. I think I've been using mine for at least a year and it shows no signs of dulling yet.
Once they do dull, I'll be sending them to get sharpened at Tweezerman HQ. This is a
free service Tweezerman offers for their tweezers, nippers, and scissors, though you do have to pay for the shipping to New York.
The spiral spring handle gives maximum control. This is so important because one of the problems with cutting your cuticles is that it's easy to go too far and cut into the live tissue underneath the dead skin, which then creates an open wound that can get infected. Because of the spiral spring style, I can nip my cuticles slowly and carefully by gently squeezing the handle.
I find the size just right, and it should be pretty comfortable to hold for most people. Keep in mind I have long fingers, so I could see someone with very short fingers or small hands having some difficulty though.
Overall, I'm quite happy to have this tool in my arsenal. It's a quality product and well-made. I am very careful about not nipping too close to live tissue, and I use it in conjunction with other things like cuticle removers and pushers to keep my nails looking neat and nail art-ready.
Available at
London Drugs: $31 CAD
