Monday, November 22, 2010 at 10:26 AM
By Vesta Vamps
As those of you who follow me on Twitter know, I love getting my nails done. When I can, I send out my nail polish picks for my manicures and pedicures, especially when they’re fun new choices. I’ve always felt like my life is more ordered and under control when they’re done.
But manicures are not always the most practical thing, especially when you do a lot of work around the house with your hands. So here are some tips to maximize your mani. There’s no reason a good manicure shouldn’t last 6-7 days.
- Start with a good manicure. A good manicure smoothes all rough edges of your nails so they’re less likely to catch on something and break. Your nails should be shaped the way they naturally go—for me, that’s round, but for my college roommate, it was square. They shouldn’t be too long or they can catch more easily. A good manicure pushes back your cuticles so your nails won’t look like they’ve out grown the polish in a day. A good manicure removes not only old nail polish before polishing, but also any oil from moisturizer, etc.
- Use a good polish. A good polish is not only by a reputable brand (I like Essie and OPI), but is also fresh. If it’s too old, it might be thick, streaky, or otherwise just gross. Likewise, be sure to use a good base coat (the “special” ones at nail salons tend to be worth it) and top coat (like a quick dry).
- Make sure it dries completely. This means 10 minutes under fans before you leave the salon and overnight before you do anything serious with your hands. So make dinner ahead of time or take something out of the freezer, leave the dishes for the morning (or ask your husband/partner/roommate/etc to do them), and avoid your computer and BlackBerry keys as much as possible.
- Always wear gloves. This goes for dishes, cleaning, gardening, and anything else where your hands might be exposed to a lot of water or chemicals.
- Always use moisturizer. Apply it after you wash your hands every time to keep your nails from getting dry and chipping.
And if they do chip . . . well, hopefully it’s temporary and you can get back to the salon for another manicure the following week. If not, remove the polish with nail polish remover (not by peeling it off) and be sure to moisturize your nails well.
