Fabulous Fingernails

It’s no secret that I love, love, love nail polish. I have been Tweeting and Facebooking about the latest colors and trends, which resulted in a few of my Twitter pals asking about nail polish application tips. I figured I would turn to my source for all things sparkly (or wolfy), my friend, Lana.

She was nice enough to type up a quick guest blog to cover the basics of nail polish application, and how best to extend the life of your manicure.

I’ll also leave you with a few of our favorite sites to see all the newest colors and swatches, so you can decide how deep is your love. Plus find comps that might save you a few bucks at the register. 🙂

All Lacquered Up

Swatch and Learn

Body and Soul

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Hi all!  Hailey has asked me to write about my process for applying nail polish.  First I figured I’d tell you a little about me.  I am a self-proclaimed nail polish junkie.  I admit it, if I see a gorgeous new nail polish color, I have to have it!  Regardless of the fact that I may already have several similar colors at home.  Drugstore, beauty store, department store, it’s all good to me.  Although I try to draw the line at $10 there are times that I just have to have a color that goes above my budget.  So, without further adieu, my process:

• First, I file my nails while I still have my old polish on.  I just do a light filing to smooth out any rough edges or snags.  I then remove the old polish, making sure to get it all off.
• Apply base coat.  I know a lot of people like to skip this step, but it can help protect your nails from yellowing, especially if you like those darker colors and it gives the polish a smooth base for application.  There are all kinds of base coats on the market in all different price ranges and everyone has their favorite.  After trying just about every base coat in every price range I have found that Sally Hansen Hard As Nails gets the best results for me.  And you can pick it up at just about any drugstore for under $5.
• Apply your color.  Depending on the color, I usually apply 2–3 coats.  Try not to apply to thick of a coat as this can cause nail polish to peel or chip easier.  I usually wait a minute or two between coats.  Also, one of the best hints to help your manicure last longer is to “wrap” your nails.  This means to polish the tips of your nails, you’ll end up with a little polish on the undersides of your nails, but no one will notice.
• Finally, apply top coat.  This is an essential step because it seals the color in and will make your manicure last longer.  I usually wait between 10-20 minutes after applying color to apply my top coat.  And, again there are a whole lot of top coats on the market, but my favorite is the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails.

So that’s it!  I find that my manicures usually last between 5-7 days before I start getting any major chipping.  I also apply cuticle cream daily, although you don’t want to do this right before a manicure because any moisture on your nails can cause your manicure to chip or peel.  Hope this helps!