15 Ways You’re Doing Your Nails Wrong
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So the festive season is here and we are sure all you ladies are gearing to put your best fashionably-dressed foot forward. While you might be all set with your outfit ideas, and accessories, we thought you might need some help with your manicure. And we are here to do just that. If you’re like us who does their own nails at home then these are some tips that you should keep in mind to make sure your nails look as impeccable as the rest of you.
1. Forgetting To Wash Your Hands Before Applying the Nail-paint
Don’t worry we are not accusing you of bad hygiene. By washing hands, before putting on a nail paint you can remove the natural oils that might have collected over your nails. This allows the nail paint to go over smoothly.
2. Filing Your Nails The Wrong Way
This is important because if you do not file your nails properly they are more likely to incur damage such as peeling and breakage. Also note that rather than using your filer as a saw, be gentle with it. Especially if you have thin nails.
3. Don’t Forget To Buff
Buffing your nails removes the excess build-up of oils on your nails which would ruin your otherwise perfect manicure. It is also an excellent way of removing ridges in the nails.
4. Forgetting To Exfoliate Your Cuticles
As with your skin, your cuticles need exfoliation too to remove the dead cells. It also pushes the cuticles off the nail plate. Therefore, exfoliate!
5. Not Putting On A Base Coat
Now, this one is the most obvious one. But despite this obviousness, a lot of us forgo this step in our hurry to change nail colors more often. If you want your nails to remain in the pink of their health and your manicure to last longer, then skipping the base coat is a strict no-no.
6. Skipping A Special Base For Sparkle Paint
Glitter polish on your nails screams party and what better time to put it on than during the festivals. However, as pretty as it looks, it is also impossible to take off. Therefore, do put on the special peel-off base coats while applying glitter nail paint, it is specially made for this purpose.
7. Going Ham With The Polish
Another common mistake – using too much polish creates clumps which take an impossibly long time to dry. So try using the polish as sparingly as possible.
8. Not Waiting To Cool Off
If you are a manicure pro, then you are already aware of this. Yet, consider this a friendly reminder. Give your coats enough time to dry. Putting one coat after another without a gap can be disastrous for your manicure. Now, we wouldn’t want that, would we?
9. Forgoing The Topcoat
The topcoat is the thing that makes your manicure last longer. Even though you are hard-pressed for time, always ensure that you put on the topcoat. It’s either that or putting on a new nail paint every 3 days.
10. Not Being Careful With Your Topcoat Application
Just as it is important to put on a topcoat, it is also important to apply it correctly. I know you might be thinking how does it matter since it is basically clear paint. But it is because if not done properly, it creates ridges on the nails on drying.
11. Not Cleaning The Cuticles
You want your DIY manicure to be as good as the one you get in the salon? Remember to clean the polish specks on your cuticles after you are done with painting your nails. That’s all there is to the fancy salon manicure!
12. Forgetting To Seal The Edges
In order to avoid nicks and chips, pay attention to the edges of your nails. These are the areas which are more susceptible to damage. You can do this by sealing the bottom edge of the nail by putting some extra topcoat on it.
13. Using The Cold Water Hack To Dry Nails
No matter where you got the cold water hack from, we are here to tell you it doesn’t work. All it manages to do is mess with the consistency of the nail paint and make it more clumpy. Instead, you could use a fast-drying topcoat which would provide you with better results.
14. Not Moisturizing Regularly
Just as you moisturize your body and face religiously, you should do that to your hands and nails as well. This would prevent the nails from chipping and keep them healthy as well.
15. Plucking Off Gel Polish
Ever paid attention to how a gel manicure works? Well, in a gel manicure your nails get bonded with the gel under the UV light. So when you are plucking off that gel polish, you are actually removing a layer of your nail. It is better that you get it removed professionally.
Now, that you have all these handy tips (pun intended), give yourself a bomb manicure and bring in the festivals in style. If you have any more tips or suggestions, do share them in the comments.
