Five Hacks To Get Perfect Home Polished Nails
The decision as to how you want to get your nails done can be a tricky one. While some like to go the full nine-yards and get the full proper professional expensive treatment, for others who can’t afford to drop $50 every fortnight, getting the polishes out and doing them at home can be a great way to spend some you-time. The best part is, there are so many great little hacks out there that can help both the beginner get a simple result they’re happy with, and the more experienced home nail artist get creative and go beyond basic block colours. Here are five awesome easy hacks that will help you make your nails look like the real deal.
PETROLEUM JELLY (VASELINE) IS YOUR FRIEND
This one is more for the beginners just looking to get the polish on the nails and not everywhere else, but can work generally as a good clean up tool. The idea is simple; line the skin around the edges of your nails, including the cuticles, with a thin layer of petroleum jelly (commonly known as Vaseline). This will act as a sort of barrier between your skin and the polish, preventing your unsteady hand from making this a body paint job instead of a nail polish job. When you’re happy with your nails, simply carefully wipe off the excess Vaseline on the sides and you’re good to go with perfectly within-the-lines polished nails!
CLEAR TAPE FOR INTRICATE DESIGNS
Probably one that should be saved for those more proficient with the nail brush wanting to add a bit more fair to their work. Free handing any kind of intricate designs can be incredibly difficult as the margins are so fine, so when it comes to going beyond block colours, using some sort of stencil or blocker can be a massive help. Clear tape is a great example of this, as it can allow you to create perfect straight line splits, opening up the possibilities for any number of unique designs. Simply lay the tape across your nail how every you like and paint all the way up to the edge and even a little bit over the top if you need, and when you peel it off voila, beautifully split line splits.
USE ICE TO DRY
You might think that water would be problematic when combine with fresh, undried polish, potentially smudging or washing away your hard work. Well, think again! Dunking your nails in a chilly bowl of ice water for a few minutes can actual speeds up the drying process. Just make sure you’re not using hot water, as this can lead to cracking and ruin your polish before you even have a chance to show it off.
TOOTHPICK AS A FINE BRUSH
Another great way to play around with intricate patterns or designs, the end of a toothpick can make for a great free-hand tool. It would be probably only be recommended for those with a steady hand, but the fine-lines that can be created with the end of the toothpick can open up a ton of possibilities for drawing shapes or small iconography.
LAYER UP TO LAST LONGER
One for all aspiring home polishers out there. Nothing is more demoralising than seeing your lovely hard work spoiled a day later by a chip on the end. The best way to prevent this? Layer up! Some suggest applying just one base coat to the whole nail, others recommend double basing the top half of the nail (which is obviously most prone to chips). Whatever you do, adding at least one base layer gives you a much better chance of ensuring your nails look their best for as long as possible.
