TRICK TO PERFECTLY POLISHED NAILS

We don’t always have time to visit the nail salon and sometimes we are just strapped for cash and could have the money spent on pampering ourselves go towards more vital needs, such as food, gas, etc. When it comes down to this, we need some help in the do-it-yourself nail polish department since we all know that over half the time the results of our doing our own nails means chips, smudges and other such mistakes that can cost us quite a bit. We often have to remove it all and try again from scratch, from the base to the top. When these mishaps do occur though, instead of taking the longer route, you may be able to use some of these DIY manicure tips and tricks to fix up the blunder made and have your nails looking perfectly savvy when you walk out that door.

Chipped Polish

According to Michelle Saunders, manicurist for Essie, if you begin to see slight chipping at the ends of the nail, take out a buffer, smooth it out, add a ridge filling base coat, a layer of color, and then another topcoat. This will not only cover up the chips but will ensure the lacquer lasts for another week at the least.

On the other hand, if you are using sparkly nail polish, Jin Soon Choi, who is a fashion manicurist and founder of JINsoon Nails, says you can’t go wrong as the polish in itself will work as a camouflage agent, wherein you can fix the chip by also adding some nail art in the form of lines or sponge art. If you have larger nicks that you need to fix up, however, just take the color and dab it over the damaged region. Make sure you do not smooth it all over the nail, as this will only amplify the look of the chip according to Deborah Lippmann. 

Nail Breaks

Nail breaks are a terrible problem and fixing them is not so easy. You can, however, make a sort of nail Band-Aid using a small corner of a tea bag placed on the crack and then carefully dotting with glue so that it sticks back together. This will be like a cast for the nail and the texture can be smoothed down with a buffer according to Katie Jane Hughes. 

Sheet Marks

Often we don’t have time to change our polish other than before going to bed and we may wake up with sheet marks on them. To beat the damage, add ridge filler on top, another coat of the lacquer nail color and a thin topcoat to prevent any further damage and smooth out the existing look

Polish on Skin

When you have gotten polish on the skin, use a thin angled eyeliner brush that you have dipped in the remover, or even an orange wood stick, sans the cotton that is prone to leaving fuzz behind, according to Choi. This may be a problem you run into quite a few times while working on those nails. 

Smudges

Saunders believes that after every manicure, one should wipe any smudges off the cuticles by using cuticle oil, creating a slick barrier over the polish that’s still wet. Also, a touch of acetone nail polish remover should come in handy, cleaning out the smudges of color that are still wet on your fingers.

Layer Mishaps

We normally would not use acetone on the nail unless we want to remove the whole of the manicure job on the finger, but you actually can just skim through the top layer, leaving the bottom layers untouched. Just make sure you don’t put on too much pressure, says Hughes, as that would mean more problems for you. Also, do work quickly before it dries out fully.