How to Extend the Life of Your Manicure

We should always take care of our nails. Aside from our faces, these cute extenders are also very noticeable and can reflect your personality. Imagine you’re working in a prestigious corporate environment you’ve got it all a great outfit, check corporate hairstyle, check, shoes to die for, check but while doing a presentation you notice they are all looking at your fingers! Your nail polish has chipped and you’ve got noticeable dirt under your nails. Just as important as any beauty regimen nails also need to be regularly maintained. Nail polish could also exude a personality or a mood. You can go chic and have a French tip manicure, go get your wild side with a fiery engine red colour or be summer sally with a touch of tan manicure. So whatever colour or design you choose it’s perfectly okay, however you must be able to know how to maintain your manicure to avoid redoing your nails more than once a week. Here are some tips. Get a good base Before starting to apply your manicure you have to make sure your base is clean. This means your nail beds should be neat and your nails clean as a whistle. Even if you don’t have nail polish on your nails make sure to apply some nail polish remover to remove excess oils and dirt to make the polish adhere better. Second, apply a base coat. This step is generally skipped by many but if you want your manicure to stay longer you must invest in a good base coat. Paint your nails After creating a base, you may now apply your desired colour of nail polish. It is important to not apply polish too thin or too thick. Three to four thin coats would be able to do it, instead of two thick coats. This will lessen the drying time and avoid any unwanted bubbles with thick coats. Also make sure that the tips of the nails also have nail polish to avoid premature chipping from the tips. Choose a colour There are so many colours and designs of nail polish to choose from. However, it is recommended that to achieve a longer lasting manicure you should opt for a shimmery colour. This is because the small flecks of glitter adhere better to the nails therefore extending the life of your manicure. After making sure all your nails are painted go ahead and apply a top coat. You can also use your base coat and apply it as a topcoat (save some bucks). This coat seals the manicure if you apply some on the tips and edges of the nails. This is also a great way to avoid premature nail chipping. Be patient You have to be patient to achieve a good manicure. Wait until the polish is thoroughly dry before you handle anything. The average wait time is about 45 minutes, once done you could opt to dip you nails in cold water and then apply your favourite hand cream. This creates slippery nails until they are completely dry. Also keep a topcoat in your purse or drawer. It helps to apply a topcoat every other day to avoid premature nail chipping.