HOW TO PAINT YOUR NAILS PERFECTLY EVERYTIME

DISCLAIMER: I am a born klutz. I can't walk straight, I bump into walls/doors/beds/poles/people all the time. And I cant paint within the lines. Until a few months ago, I barely wore nail polish regularly because I was 1. bad at painting my nails, 2. it would smudge/chip pretty soon after I painted it, and 3. because of 1 and 2, I wouldn't bother. I am not perfect at painting my nails, so not claiming to be an expert. However I am comfortable and confident enough to paint my nails now, to the extent that I get compliments on them. 

Some of my recent NOTD's : 

If you are as bad as me then watch these 2 YouTube videos. They helped me so much. In fact because I watched them I was instantly better. They are that good! 

You'll need: 

A base coat

Your nail polish 

A top coat 

A cuticle oil

Hand cream 

Top Coats and Base Coats I like: Seche Vite, NYC In A New York Minute, Barry M Base Coat Top Coat and Hardener, Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil, Butter London Handbag Holiday Cuticle Oil 

Revlon Colorstay Gel Smooth Bases Coat and Maybelline Color Show in Burgundy Kiss 

Method:

(Optional; if you have an oily nail bed start by wiping your nails down with nail polish remover)

1. Apply a thin coat of the base coat on all the nails 

(The Revlon one dries really fast, by the time I've done my last finger, the first one I painted is dried) 

2. Apply a thin layer of your nail polish. Aim for 3 strokes; a middle stroke then 2 side ones. You want to start by placing the brush in the middle of the nail at the bottom. Push downwards towards your cuticle, then pull it upwards. Repeat for the sides. 

3. Allow to dry for a minute, then paint your second layer. With most polishes the second layer is the one that allows for the true colour (the one you see in the bottle) and for opacity. 

4. Allow to dry for another minute or 2, then apply your top coat. 

5. Allow to dry for a minute, apply cuticle oil 

6. Now sit down quietly for a while because even though your polish might be dried in a few minutes, it is still prone to chipping and smudging for a while. This step is the hardest. There are pins in the chair that makes you want to get up but bear with it! Watch a movie, or catch up with whatever the latest Star Plus drama that you're addicted to is; Iss pyaar ko kya naam doon 

7. Apply a hand cream/lotion/oil 

 Final Look 

Some basic tips: 

1.Thin layers are better than thick layers; they dry faster, and look better. Thick layers are just gloopy and messy looking

2. Avoid the cuticles! This is the most important step in making your manicure look more professional. You can see in my pictures that I leave a gap unpainted. That's the cuticles. Leave it alone. It looks very sloppy when they're painted. If you have trouble leaving the cuticles alone then apply a layer of Vaseline around then, then you can just wipe the nail polish on them off at the end

3. Clean up messes as you go along, it's easier and faster to clean off wet nail polish than dried nail polish 

4.  Darker nail polishes are more unforgiving, so take your time. There's no rush. It's worth the extra minute or 2 you'll spend painting it 

5. If you've accidentally smudged your polish, just re-apply your topcoat. That normally smooths the polish and will fix the smudge 

6. The cost of the nail polish doesn't matter! I know that there's the belief that cost reflects quality. But that's not the case. I paint my nails equally as well with 99 pence nail polish as I do with the OPI's and Essie's. 

7. Some people just get along with one brush design. Some people like fat brushes (me), some people prefer thin brushes. I get along with both now, but it's normal to have a preference. You don't have to love my holy grail nail polish :D 

8. Some nails are also easier to paint; I prefer painting my ring finger nail and my pinkie. They are just easier to paint for whatever reason 

9. For me I found having the base coat made the biggest difference. It made the polish go on so much smoother and easier. Invest in one. After watching these videos, both ladies used the Revlon ColorStay Gel base coat, I went and got it for myself. It's lush! An easily available product at a totally awesome price. Grab it ladies! 

10. If you don't a cuticle oil don't worry, just grab some almond oil and apply that instead. I personally don't think I'll buy another cuticle oil once these ones are over. I'll just fill them up with my own blend. Almond oil and lemon essential oil. BLISS! 

11. Some colours just look best on shorter nails, or on shaped nails. I used to leave my nails long and square (my natural shape) and lots of colours looked terrible. Now that they are shaped (currently almondish, prior to this I rounded the edges) I prefer a lot of colours that were beyond my comfort zone

12. Nail polish looks better with accessories, so throw on some rings, bangles, whatever, and Instagram away....

13. Have fun with it! It's just nail polish end of the day. If you hate it, you can take it off and start over. But give yourself a chance to experiment with colours that isn't "you". You might be surprised.