Yes, I'm writing a post about how to polish your nails. Seems silly, I know! So why am I writing it? Because it answers the most frequent question I get asked: "What polish brand lasts the longest?" The answer: Almost all of them. In my opinion, it's all in HOW you put your polish on, not the brand. So, I've decided to show you how to polish your nails so that your polish will last the longest it can!
I can get my polish to last about seven days, though I personally like to change my polish more often. However, I don't have a job where my hands get down and dirty (other than those wily kid-germs) so that has to be taken into account, too! Another thing to consider is body chemistry. I'm not promising seven days of polish wear since we're all so different, but hopefully this will help you keep your polish on longer than usual! Here's a visual representation of a manicure the entire way through:
1. Begin with clean, naked nails. Don't wash them right before polishing, and don't put lotion on right before, either.
2. Put polish remover onto a cotton ball and wipe all of your nails with it. This will get rid of any surface oils.
3. Begin with a base coat. YES, please USE a base coat! It gives your polish a surface to stick to, it prevents staining, it lengthens the life of your manicure, and it creates a barrier between your oily nail and your polish. You need to seal the edge of your nail with each layer of polish you put on, beginning with the base coat. Swipe your brush over the edge of your nail first. This helps protect the tip of your nail, which you're more likely to bump than any other part of your nail. It also prevents water from getting under your polish. I like to use ellagee's Grip because it has a sticky quality to it and my polish really adheres to it! Even holographic polishes, which are notoriously finicky when it comes to base coats!
4. Once you've sealed your edge, polish your whole nail with the base coat.
5.When your base coat is dry, begin with your chosen polish by sealing the edge. I chose to use ellagee Snapdragon.
6. Putting on polish should take three strokes. One down the middle.
7. One down one side.
8. One down the remaining side. (Note, my first coat looks uneven. That's only because I was taking pictures between strokes and the polish had begun to dry.)
9. Continue with steps 5-8 until you are pleased with the opacity of your polish. Remember to seal the edges each time!
10. Use a small make-up brush (I swear by e.l.f. concealer brushes, available at Target for $1 each) to clean up your cuticles.
11. Simply dip the brush in remover and swipe it along your cuticle line and the edges of your nail until stray polish is gone.
12. Seal your edge again with top coat and then finish the rest of your nail off with top coat. Yes, USE a top coat! This seals in your polish, gives it a gorgeous shine, and protects it from chipping and fading. You can even reapply top coat every few days to help your nails last even longer. I use ellagee Glass because it's super shiny and dries crazy fast!
That's it! It sounds like a lot when it's all typed out, but it isn't much more work than normal and it's TOTALLY worth it! Before I became a polish addict, I liked polish, but I just hated how fast it chipped! Within 24 hours, my nails were hopelessly chipping and there went my hard work, down the drain. It was so frustrating. It took me a long time to learn the tricks of the trade and took starting a blog, talking to other polish addicts, and furthering my skills to figure them out. Luckily, you don't have to do all of that! :) I hope this has helped! Feel free to ask any questions! Happy Polishing! Enjoy! :)
The cleaning up with the brush is a good idea, thanks! I'm using a correcting pen at the moment but I hate it that I have to buy a new one too often.
ReplyI use the elf concealer brush for clean up, too. It's the perfect size.
ReplyThanks for the tips!
Thank you for this post! I am going to try wrapping the tip with color first, right now I am doing it between first and second coat of color...still working on my technique of that. Practice makes perfect..
Reply