Nail Tips for the New Year!

Posted: January 19, 2012 | Author: Aileen | Filed under: Fashion, Nails | 1 Comment »

Yes, I know I’m doing that thing where I’m MIA for a long time again. But to make it up to everyone, here is a post I wrote a while back on some tips I follow for nailcare. Happy new year!

—-

Nail Polish Tips by Aileen

These are tips that I have gathered throughout the years from being a huge nail buff (haha, get it??). These are all rules and actions that I myself strictly follow for healthy, beautiful, just-out-of-the-salon-looking hands. Today, I’m going to share what I’ve learned. Give ‘em a try!

REMOVING NAIL POLISH — Instead of rubbing polish off with cotton balls, use a cotton pad. Cut up the cotton pad into little squares and saturate with nail polish. Place over each nail and press down. Wait a minute. The pad should eventually stick to your nail, and you can do other things while you wait (check email, text on phone, etc). After a minute, press down hard to remove polish in one glide. Your nail should be completely clear! Saves time, energy, and leaves the nail infinitely cleaner!
SEAL THE MANICURE – At the end of your manicure, swipe your top coat across the edge of the nail to “seal in” the nail polish. This prevents your nail from chipping at the edges.
ALWAYS USE – ALWAYS use a base coat and (when applicable) top coat. The base coat protects your nail and prevents stains on your natural nail (especially from darker polish). The top coat seals your polish and provides a protective layer to keep your manicure looking better for longer (unless you are wearing matte nail polish, then obviously don’t use a glossy topcoat!)
DRYING NAILS – When doing your own nails (or going to a salon), ALWAYS make sure you have ample time. It takes at least ten minutes for most nail polish to dry FULLY. Even though your polish may feel dry to the touch, you can tell if it is truly dry by lightly tapping one nail against the other. ONLY try this test when you are fairly certain they are dry (so they don’t stick together completely and ruin your manicure). If they are truly dry, your nails should tap against each other smoothly and feel hard. If not, they will stick slightly and feel wet.
DON’T CUT YOUR CUTICLES – For the most professional looking home manicure, pay special attention to moisturizing your hands afterwards and fixing your cuticles before applying nail polish! I can NOT stress this one enough. Smooth hands with clean cuticles really make a huuuge difference. Instead of cutting your cuticle (they will grow back thicker), PUSH your cuticle back and use cuticle oil. If you do this enough, your cuticles will diminish on their own. I have been doing this for years (never cutting cuticle, always pushing) and my cuticles are barely there now.
FILE NAILS, NOT CLIP – If you have the time, always try to file your nails instead of cutting them (with a nail clipper). Nail clippers place stress on your entire nail (when you clamp down to cut) and can break the nail and weakens it, especially the tip where the nail will be left jagged and thus will be more likely to peel and splinter. Filing will ensure a cleaner line (no breakage) and will leave the tip of your nail healthy.
CLEAN YOUR NAILS — Wash your hands with soap and water if you’ve just used nail polish remover. Make sure there is no nail polish remover or moisturizer on your nails before applying your base coat and polish. A clean, dry nail provides for a smoother, longer-lasting manicure.
MIX TEXTURES — Remember, nail art is ART! It’s not just color that matters, but texture is important too. Try mixing matte colors with glossy colors, thick glitter polishes, thin glitter polishes, and shatter polish, etc for amazing textures! A smooth nail is overrated!