You just spent a good amount of time and money to get that perfect manicure. It looks beautiful. You are happy. Day 2 and there is a chip. You used your artistic skills to paint that perfect colour on your nails and on day 2, there is a chip. It happens to all of us. So frustrating! Here are some tips to prevent chipping and prolong the life of your nail color:
1. Wash your hands before applying the paint: Any excess oil or dirt can prevent polish from adhering to your nails, which can lead to chipping. Wash your hands thoroughly with a good hand wash.
2. Dry your nails: Post washing, make sure your hands are 100% moisture free. Water prevents polish from adhering properly. Use a high absorbent towel, tissue or even a hair dryer!
3. Apply a base coat: Base coat prevents polish from staining your nails and adheres to your nails better than regular polish, which helps extend the life of the nail color.
4. Don’t shake the bottle: The balls inside the bottle are there for a purpose – to help you. Don’t shake the bottle. Instead roll your polish in between your palms to mix it and the balls will help you with the rest. Shaking creates air bubbles which can cause an uneven clumsy application.
5. Apply thin layers: Multiple thin layers are better than one thick layer. A thick layer can leave tiny air bubbles in the application which can also cause uneven application and improper adhesion.
6. Allow nails to dry in between and after the application: You should let your nails dry for at least 2-3 minutes in between each coat of polish. And at the end, spare at least 45 minutes for all the layers to completely harden from its liquid state.
7. Apply top coat while your polish is wet: The top coat is most effective when applied to wet polish. Applying top coat to wet nail polish allows the top coat to penetrate through the polish, helping bond all the coats to the nail bed. And if you have done nail art, it helps seal in the design.
8. Dip your nails in ice cold water: This will help the nails dry and set faster.
9. Apply a top coat every day: Yes, you read that right. If you want to have your nail paint looking impeccably finished and you want to extend the life of a polish, you can apply a top coat every single day or every other day. It gives a freshly painted look to your nails.
10. Use shimmery nail paints: Have you noticed that removing glittery or shimmery polish from your nails is very very difficult? The tiny chunks of glitter tend to stick to the nail better due to the rough surface and friction they provide. Big chunks, fine glitter, umpteen colors – there is a type to suit everybody.
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great tips anjana, especially the base coat one 🙂
anjana i loved the ice cold water tip! 🙂
The ice cold water works well! I am a very impatient person and hate waiting around for the nail paint to dry so, this tip and other tips too are very helpful. Thanks Anjana 🙂