If you dream of being capable to afford a full-time manicure, it is undoubtedly because nail polish is a task that complicates your life. You have to let time and be good enough with your hands to use and remove your nail polish without hassle. Here are our tips to make your manicure easier!
Apply your nail polish well
Select the right varnish
If in appearance, all varnishes are alike, think again! Picking the right nail polish isn’t just around color. There are many other brands, some with a greener composition, or with a more practical brush. Above all, remember to renew your varnishes if they evolve pasty, they will absolutely be very difficult to apply. Your varnish must be fluid and equipped with a practical brush. Choose a flat or narrow brush for better maneuverability if you have trouble applying your varnish during normal times. Also remember to choose a brand that offers small formats, particularly if you like to change colors regularly, this will prevent you from throwing them away half full.
Prepare your nails well
There’s not much point in attempting to apply a nice varnish if your nails are not prepared beforehand. So remember to perform at least one express manicure before each nail polish application. Begin by pushing back your cuticles with a wooden spatula, then file your nails and polish the surface of your nails for better adhesion of the varnish.
Do not miss the base
Once your nails are prepped, apply a base coat. If this step is often neglected due to lack of time, it is a shame, because the base serves to protect your nails from the sometimes toxic components of the varnish. It also contributes to the best hold of your varnish and therefore prolongs your manicure. In the same way, remember to apply a layer of top-coat after your varnish application.
Also Read: All You Need to Know About Nail Brushes
The laying technique
The secret to varnish that does not overflow is not to touch the edges (cuticle and skin of the fingers) when applying it. In this manner, your polish doesn’t creep into the palm of your fingers and has no chance of ending up on your skin. This technique guarantees a neat and clean manicure, just like in the manicure. Start by depositing a drop of varnish in the center of your nail, towards the cuticle, and go from there to make a strip on the right edge, and a strip on the left edge always taking care not to touch your skin with your brush, finish by a last central strip if necessary. If there is a very small strip of nails without varnish on the sides, it does not matter, only you will see it, unlike a varnish that has spun everywhere…
Another secret of a successful manicure: the first coat must be thin, it does not matter if you see areas of transparency or if your varnish is not uniform. It is the second, thicker layer that will unify everything.
Don’t be stingy about drying time
Be cautious to respect the drying time for each layer of nail polish. Indeed, even if it is not always very practical, a varnish that has dried properly will last much longer. For example, if you don’t wait for the first coat to be really dry, the second coat will never hold well and you risk damaging your varnish even several hours after you have finished applying it… Heat lengthens the drying time, do not hesitate, in summer for instance, to immerse your freshly varnished nails in a bowl of ice water to speed up the process.
Take off your nail polish properly
Choose the right solvent
There are many different types of nail polish remover, each available in several forms. Prefer the one that best suits you. Prefer a nail polish remover without acetone so as not to dry out your nails too much, which could make them brittle or soft. You will find in several brands, solvents in the form of a jar in which you just have to soak your nails to remove all traces of varnish. These pots contain a sponge which makes this task much easier and faster. In particular, this will prevent you from ending up with tinted skin after rubbing your nails with a cotton pad. As for the finishes, do not hesitate to use cotton swabs soaked in solvent to remove the remains of varnish that would have gotten stuck under your cuticles.
If you are a fan of glitter polishes, you already know that they are particularly difficult to remove. Know that there are solvents adapted and specially designed to remove them gently and effectively.
Photo: Pexels/ Karolina Grabowska
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