It’s Saturday night. The kids are in bed. It’s time for that
oh-so-rare moment of “me time.” The plan: Turn on your favorite rom-com,
munch on some chocolate, and give yourself an at-home mani-pedi.
Fast-forward to Sunday at noon, and you realize the paint on your pinky is already chipped. How did that happen?
You attempt to fix it with polish and a cotton swab. The result? You’ve
somehow removed half of the polish on three other nails.
Avoid making that manicure mistake – and others -- ever again! From
how to fix that one-nail flub to the real trick to removing polish on
the skin around your nail, we have your essential list of dos and don’ts
for DIY manicure maintenance.
1. DO prime your nails for a longer-lasting
manicure. The best tool for preventing premature chipping is something
in your kitchen cabinet. “Swipe a little vinegar across the nail before
painting,” instructs beauty expert Amy Bobeda.
“The vinegar will remove natural oils, and give your nail a slightly
grippy texture.” Love this idea, but hate the scent of vinegar? Bobeda
suggests neutralizing with a little lemon juice.
2. DON’T use a cotton swab to try to remove polish
on your skin. So, you spot an annoying strip of polish on the edge of
your nail or along the skin below your nail. Most of us grab a cotton
ball and the bottle of remover to fix it. What happens? Little cotton
strands get caught in your nail polish, causing even more woes. Next
time, ditch the cotton ball, and use a small makeup tool, like an
eyeliner brush. A little brush is easy to dip into the polish remover
and erases that stray bit of polish without creating more mess.
3. DO use thin coats of polish to prevent chipping.
The key to a long-lasting manicure is applying two thin layers of
polish, being sure that the first layer dries completely. Having less
polish on the brush prevents the goop. Avoid the
too-much-polish-on-the-brush dilemma by wiping the nail brush on the
edge of the bottle opening after each dunk.
4. DON’T remove all of the polish to fix one tiny
chip. “Buff the color around the chip slightly, and lightly dab on some
polish,” instructs Bobeda. “Lock it in with a top coat, and be sure to
extend the top coat over the end of your nail for extra protection from
impact.”
5. DO be careful when dealing with your cuticles.
“When you use the orange wood stick, or wooden pusher, gently push the
rounded end, flush with the nail, toward your cuticle,” says Bobeda. “If
something hurts, you're no longer pushing the cuticle, so give up.” She
also cautions about snipping too much of that area. “If you want to
trim the cuticle, trim only the skin that you've lifted from the nail,”
Bobeda notes. “The little bubble at the base of the cuticle, your
eponychium, is alive so don't clip it!”
6. DON’T damage your nails when you file them. Put
the kibosh on the “sawing” habit. The back-and-forth motion that many of
us use when filing damages and weakens the tip of the nail. The best
way to file a nail is to go in one direction, filing from one corner
toward the middle. Then, switch to the other corner, and repeat in the
other direction.
7. DO stabilize your hand while you paint your nails
to prevent mistakes. We all know how a shaky hand leads to a
less-than-ideal application that you have to redo. “If you have trouble
painting your non-dominant hand, try stabilizing it,” says Bobeda. “If
your painting hand is partially resting on a table, it will be much
easier to control your finger movements and much easier to perfect your
manicure.”
What’s your favorite nail color?
No comments:
Post a Comment