If one of your 2011 resolutions was to save some serious coin, we’ve got excellent news for you! We all love gloriously shiny, beautifully-painted nails, but with the average session at your local nail bar costing approximately $20.00 per visit, there’s never been a more perfect time to learn how to master your own manicure! Achieving a professional ”well goodness, who did your nails?!” look is as simple as following these four fabulously easy steps, and even more brilliantly, you can accomplish them all in under fifteen minutes!
Step One: Prepare
In order to create the best possible blank canvas for your nail polish, firstly, you need to prepare your nails. Do this by cutting them to your preferred length with a pair of nail scissors, and shaping and smoothing them over with a buffer kit, before softening your cuticles with a vitamin-E rich, moisture-packed cuticle oil and gently pushing them back with the rounded side of a birchwood stick.
Step Two: Cleanse
Ensuring that your nails are completely dry, apply nail polish remover to a cotton ball and rub it over each nail and their side walls, to remove trapped oils and traces of any old varnishes.
Step Three: Polish
But before you pop on a coat of your selected color, swipe your nails with a base coat. Base coat creates a barrier that stops nails from absorbing pigment and gives your polish something to cling to, helping your manicure to last longer. Next, apply two coats of your color of choice, ensuring to go over the tip and sides of each nail to minimize chipping, and seal with a top coat for another layer of protection.
Step Four: Play The Waiting Game
You’ve prepared, cleansed and polished your nails to primping perfection, and now it’s time to play the almighty waiting game! If you don’t have an express-dry nail polish, don’t worry: simply place your hands under cold running water to seal the polish and trap air, helping your nails to dry faster!