How to Prevent a Dabbed-On Nail Polish Stain

Ah, the joys of touch-ups and nail art. If you spend a lot of time at the salon, or if you happen to have a friend who does (like Kim Kardashian), there’s a chance you might get home and decide to get your own manicure. And even if you’re the boss, sometimes you’ll just want to get a quick, automatic fix. Unfortunately, you don’t want to invest in a full set of polish or multi-colored polishes that you probably won’t use that often. Instead, you need to take things a step further. “Careful now, you’re going to stain your nails,” the salon professional (who goes by the name Joshua at The Coral Springs Salon) said.

He went on to share some must-know tips to help keep your manicure looking healthy. He described his own custom manicure as “barbecued mani,” where he painted his nails with wine. “I like clean nails, cleanliness and I like attention to detail,” he said.

1. Use Different Colors on the Same Day

Nail care should be a complete, balanced job. If you see your nail technician painting your nails with colors that don’t complement each other, you may notice their entire hand gets stained.

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“Get paintballs that are oil-free,” Joshua said. He always recommends latex pens when you’re deep cleaning, as they just need “a nice, dull to medium shine.” If you do do the job yourself, use different colors on the same day so they’ll both look nice.

2. Use Neon Colors on Hands and Nails

“This is a fun trend to try,” Joshua said. “Do your nails and the tips can go neon.” If you have blue, yellow, or green nails, you can turn those nails into black neon (which is pretty darn funky).

3. Use Colored Polishes on Your Hands

If you have “softer” nails, go for a beige polish and your hands can be pink.

4. Be a Pro Yourself

As a nail technician, Joshua knows a thing or two about nail care. He used to work for someone else, but he also trained under top technicians who had experience making up their own nail art. “I would literally open up their nail file and ask them to make one of my designs on myself,” he said.

“You know the kind of care I was referring to? It’s called dipping. I will tell you in the professional world it is the most abused thing, because you’re wet, and it gives you a truly unique, artistic look,” he said.

It also makes your nails dirty, so if you make this mistake, wash your hands before you leave the salon, and do it again before you head home.

5. Don’t Wait Too Long

He recommends taking two to three minutes for every acrylic manicure. And for a hairless base coat, apply it within 20 minutes of your first visit. Avoid waiting for color after the polish has dried, because that’s the time when it’ll “dying your nails off.”