When I was a young girl, my mom’s nails became manicured to an uncanny degree. At 11, I remember wondering what exactly she had in mind and began to invest in stencils, gel polish, temporary gems, and five-dollar nail care kits. Nails felt better then, and they do today, but getting perfect, manicured nails takes some serious dedication. Therefore, I’ve been determined to keep mine clean and healthy.
What’s more, here are a few tips to keep me from taking her nail game down a notch:
1. Start with a base coat: Before you hit the nail polish store, try a base coat like the one you can get at any drugstore, as it will create a barrier between your nail and what’s going on around it. If you want to paint your nails black in the coming months, a creamy base coat would prevent yourself from discoloring and would be perfect.
2. Use a high-impact base and texture: Get professional details on your nails, like a dark finish, tough, durable texture, and strong or subtle lines. Nails that are sparkly aren’t necessary for good manicures; only heavy-duty polishes with elements of color will do.
3. Use a metallic base with porous-pad or pigmented chalk: When painting nails, I like to use a flat top coat like a top coat and a complementary pigmented chalk polish. The nonpigmented chalk polish should be applied with a clean, thin nail brush and will create a dense, light base. Then, dab the final coat on clean, dry nails and, when drawing the outlines of your manicure, scatter various pigments along the line, all in a circular motion.
4. Use a chaser or finishing line: Rather than applying a polishing high-shine finish on the end of the manicure, I suggest applying a finishing line, similar to a bow tie, before applying any polish. Using a semigloss polish, I’d add about a 2/16-inch line down the center of the nail.
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