Picture the scene – you’ve had your nails done, you feel glam, ready to rock that upcoming party, and you just feel geneally more ‘done up’ than you would have done otherwise. Whether you spent money at a salon for the service, or you if you did it yourself, there is nothing more crushing in the nail world, than chipping a nail. You no longer feel ‘pulled together’, and instead, you feel a mess.
With the upcoming party season looming very close on the horizon, you’ll be wanting yor nails to look as good as the outfit you’re planning on rocking. The problem with this time of year however is that you’re likely to have more than one function to attend, and unless you have time and money to throw away, constantly re-doing your nails, it’s important to find ways to prolong the life of your sparkly new manicure and paint job.
If you’re doing it yourself and saving cash, make sure you follow the steps below, to help make your manicure last the entire length of the fast-approaching party season.
Preparation is Key!
You will probably already know that you should only ever file your nails in one direction only, totally avoiding a backwards and forwards motion, but there are other things you need to pay attention to on top of this. Preparing your cuticles will give your nails a more polished look, so push back your cuticles with a hoof stick, cutting any excess bits of skin which appear. As we mentioned, file one way only, and buff over the tips of your nails to ensure there is no peeling. A peeling tip will give you a chip instantly, so eradicate this issue from the get-go.
Painting 101
When painting your nails, whether you’re going for nail art or not, you need to get the basics right. Always use a bottom coat, to prevent staining of your nails, but also to give the colour an even foundation to start on. Use one coat of this and allow it to dry completely. Next up, you need to do two coats of the colour polish, making sure the first coat is dry, before you start on the second one. Finally, when everything is totally dry, always apply a single layer of top coat, clear polish. This will help to seal your paint job against chips, and give you a more shiny appearance too.
Cheat With Glitter
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, a chip happens, and it can be devestating! If you want to really cut out the chances of any noticable defects in your manicure for a little whilst longer, glitter is your friend. The handy thing about this time of year is that you can get away with glitter quite easily, and this will certainly last longer than regular polish. The only downside is when you need to remove it, so always make sure you do this correctly, with a soak off, rather than picking it off, however tempting it may be!
If you follow these pointers, your manicure should last you well into the New Year. Rememeber to check out the new range of gel polishes which are springing up everywhere at the moment. These are designed to look more professional and also have a longer shelf life before removal and repainting is required.
