Perfectly painted nails can express your mood, match your outfit, and reflect your personality, especially now that there are so many amazing colors to choose from. You can go with classic red, happy yellow, creative green, mysterious purple, shiny blue, and much more. With all this excitement, it’s easy to forget the fact that painting your own nails (without making a mess) can be tricky. Read on to find out the best way to achieve beautifully polished nails at home, and you may never have to get a professional manicure again!
Choose a nail polish in the colorof your choice.
- Choose a nail polish that isn’t too old – older nail polishes will become thick and gloopy and you’ll find them harder to paint your nails with. nail polish If you’re not sure how long the nail polish you’re looking at has lived, flip the bottle upside down and if it seems thick and gloopy it’s old. Another way you can tell it’s old is if you open the bottle and lift the brush up and the nail polish seems like slime (slimy, goopy).
- If you really want to salvage an old nail polish that has become thick, add nail polish thinner to the old polish. [1]
- Avoid storing nail polish in direct sunlight. [2]
Pick a place to paint. When choosing a place to paint your nails, go for a clean, stable surface in a well-lit room. A study desk or the kitchen table are good options, just make sure to put some paper towel beneath your hand so you don’t get any polish on the surface. The room should also be well ventilated, as fumes from nail polish and nail polish remover are not good for your health. [3]
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Gather the necessary supplies. Gather some cotton balls or rounds or professional tissues, some q-tips, nail polish remover, nail clippers, a nail file, a cuticle stick and a bottle of clear nail polish. Having all of these items easily at hand will speed up the nail painting process and minimize the chances of you smudging a nail.
Take off any excess nail polish. Soak a cotton ball in some nail polish remover and hold it against the nail for ten seconds. Then swipe the cotton ball along the nail to remove the polish. Use a q-tip soaked in nail polish remover to get rid of any polish trapped around the edges. It is recommended to use professional tissue instead of cotton balls as the tiny cotton pieces may get onto your nail if your nails have not dried. [4]
- Even if you don’t have any nail polish on, you should still swipe some nail polish remover over your nails before you begin painting, to get rid of any natural oils on your nails. This will allow the polish to go on smoothly and help the color to last longer.
Cut and/or file your nails. It’s best to use a glass file and start from the the side to the middle. Do not do this back in forth because this makes your nail move. Go in a straight swiping motion. Do not buff your nails because this damages your nail beds and makes your nails thinning making it easier to break. Use the buffer to fix those this mistakes for shape your trying to achieve. Also try to look up what shape you want. You can give your nails a rounded or a square finish, depending on your personal preference. [5]
- When filing your nails, rub the nail file from the outside of each nail to the center, doing each side of the nail separately. Each stroke should go in the same direction – you should never use a sawing motion when filing, as these may weaken and break the nails.
Push back your cuticles. Your cuticles are the little pieces of skin at the bottom of each nail. They can make your nail polish application look messy if they are not pushed back before you paint. Cuticles are easier to push back when they have been softened, so try soaking your nails in a small bowl of warm water for a minute or two first. Dry your hands and nails thoroughly, then use a cuticle stick to push the soft skin of each cuticle back to the edge of the nail. [6]
Rub the bottle between your hands to warm the nail polish for about 25-30 seconds. This helps to mix up the contents of the bottle, stirring up any color that has settled on the bottom. Don’t shake it — rolling the bottle instead will prevent bubbles from forming in the polish and keep your nails smooth. [7]
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Apply a base coat of clear nail polish. Applying a base coat of clear polish is one of the best things you can do when painting your nails. A base coat will give your chosen polish a smooth surface to stick to, will help the color last longer and will protect your nails from becoming stained by the colored polish. Allow the base coat to become fully dry to the touch before proceeding. [8]
- You don’t need to be too careful when applying the base coat — it’s okay if some of the clear polish gets on your skin as nobody will be able to tell since there’s no color!
- There are two different types of specialized base coat polishes available – one is a ridge filler, which smooths the nails and provides an even, matte surface for painting on, the other is a strengthener, which protects the nails and helps them to grow longer and stronger. If you like, you can apply a layer of each!
Press your hand firmly on the table. Don’t just leave your hand resting on the table (as this might allow it to shake or move), actively press your hand down on the surface of the table, spreading your fingers wide apart. Start with your index finger, moving along each finger towards your pinky. Then lift your hand and rest your thumb on the edge of the table to paint your thumbnail.
- In terms of whether you paint with your good hand or bad hand first, it doesn’t really matter, do whatever you feel most comfortable with. Your bad hand is always going to be shakier to paint with than your good hand – but practice will help.
Open the bottle of colored polish and remove any excess from the brush. Having the perfect amount of nail polish on your brush is one of the keys to perfectly painted nails. To achieve this, wipe the brush on the inner rim of the bottle to remove any excess – knowing exactly how much polish should be on your brush is a skill that comes with time!
- Also take a look at the brush to see what shape it is. Most nail polish brushes used to be rounds, but more and more brands are introducing flatter style brushes, which allow for easier application and less mess.
Place a drop of paint at the bottom of the nail. Position the nail polish brush at the bottom of your nail, just above the cuticle, directly in the center. Allow a drop of paint (enough to cover your whole nail) to fall on this spot and pool slightly at the bottom of the nail. [9]
- This is a technique used by professional manicurists, so it might take some practice, but eventually it will allow for the easiest and neatest polish application.
Use the three-stripe rule. Manicurists and beauty experts agree that the three-stripe method is the easiest and most mess-free way to paint nails. To do it, dip the brush in the drop of paint at the bottom of your nail and draw the brush upwards in a straight line through the center of the nail, all the way to the tip. Return the brush to the paint at the bottom of the nail and follow the curve along the bottom of the nail to the left, before drawing a second line, all the way to the tip. Use the remaining polish to draw a third stripe on the right side of the nail. [10]
- You should have enough polish to cover the whole nail in a thin layer of color without having to dip your brush back in the bottle. If you apply too thick of a layer of polish, your nails will take much longer to dry and you will be much more likely to smudge them.
- When painting the outer stripes, don’t take the polish all the way to the sides of your nails — leave a tiny gap between the nail and your fingers. The gap will barely be noticeable and you will avoid getting polish all over your hands.