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kristarella.com

Happiness Engineer at Automattic, lover of knitting, crochet, sci-fi and more

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You are here: Home / Tutorials / A better manicure

A better manicure

29 August 2012 by kristarella

This is a bit of a deviation from my usual post topics, but it’s a bit of fun (mostly for girls)!

I’ve been painting my nails a fair bit recently and some people comment on how well they’re done. I think this has partly come about with practice, and by observing how professionals at salons do it. Here’s a few tips on a better manicure!

  • Use a base coat — I think it helps nail polish adhere better, gives you a smoother starting surface and it helps your nails not yellow from the polish
  • Do at least two coats, each not too thick and let them dry enough to touch in between — if you add the next coat before the previous is dry enough it seems to increase drying time by more than the time it would have taken if you’d just waited between coats.
  • Use your dry thumbnail to fix up messy edges before they dry — I think this might be the best thing I learned from observing the girls in salons! Truly, if you tidy the mess immediately it usually all comes right off and works much better than treating the edges with nail polish remover once it’s dry.
  • Use a top coat — your polish will last longer and will be nice and shiny (or matte if you want to use a matte top coat!).
  • Go to the toilet first — this isn’t crucial to the polish itself, but it’s almost impossible to undo and zip up your jeans without messing up still drying nails!

My polish recommendations

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails

China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat
China Glaze No-chip Top Coat

I love Rimmel nail colour! I use the shade Sky High regularly, and black sometimes. The wide brushes are very nice, the 60 seconds ones dry quickly and they are a great price.

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Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: beauty, nailpolish, nails

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