Whether you’re touching up your toes or painting your fingernails, you want to make sure your nails look beautiful. We have some useful tips for properly applying nail polish, so you can have salon-quality manicures and pedicures from home.
Do Your Prep Work
In order to apply polish properly, you need to prepare your nails. First, you need to thoroughly clean your hands and/or feet. Feel free to go all out and enjoy a foot soak or a spa treatment for your hands. Once you’re squeaky clean, get out the file and buffer your nails.
Pro Tip: Avoid sawing your nails back and forth with your file. This can damage the tips of your nails. Instead, file from one corner and move toward the center.
Use a Base and Topcoat
Using both a base and topcoat is one useful tip for properly applying nail polish that many of us tend to skip over. Though it’s tempting to coat your nails with a polish and be done with it, this actually isn’t the best way to paint your nails. It’s important that you start your manicure or pedicure with a base coat to protect your nails from the polish and prevent nail breakage. After you’ve applied your base coat and you’ve painted your nails with the polish of your choice, you’ll want to apply a topcoat. This will further seal your nails and prevent chipping.
Use a Quality Polish
The quality of your nail polish makes a big difference in your manicure or pedicure. Be sure to choose a quality product from a reputable brand. If you can’t decide on just one color, consider buying nail polish in bulk. A great option would be to buy wholesale OPI nail polishes. OPI is a beloved brand with many trendy colors.
Hydrate Afterwards
After applying your manicure or pedicure, treat your nails with extra moisture. You can do this by applying cuticle oil, Aquaphor, or petroleum jelly to your cuticles and the skin around your nails. Your fingers and toes will look salon-fresh!
