At the rate which nail polish chips off, even a routine coat of colour becomes cumbersome. Here`s a guide to make your mani last long; right from the way you should apply polish to fixing chips.

Use vinegar

If you are painting your talons at home, get that bottle of vinegar from the kitchen. Dip a Q-tip in it and run it across your nail bed. Paint your nails like you usually will, add a top coat to seal it and you are set for a few weeks at least.

Banish oil

First, prepare your nails for polish. The massage oils or creams used in manicures (and pedicure) coat your nails as well. Applying varnish directly on the nails without cleaning the nail bed is going to end in disaster, as the oil coating will not let the polish set well. Dip a fibre-free cotton pad (you don`t want fibres sticking to the sides of your nail and spoiling your polish) in acetone and swipe over the nail bed to remove oil.

Ensure that the nail technician does this every time she does your nails.

Overload alert

You might be impatient and want to get done with your nails quickly, but loading your nails with polish ain`t gonna help. The under layers of thick polish do not dry at all. Piling on more coats means loading colour on a shaky base. It is going to smudge and ruin your entire look. The correct way is to hold the brush parallel to your nail bed and start application about a millimetre away from the cuticle.

Apply thin coats and leave enough time to let each coat dry.

The touch-up

You must touch up your nails every three days with a fresh coat of top coat. It will freshen up your nails while adding a shine. Lighter shades of polish tend to last longer since mistakes are not obvious and chips too can be easily covered. Glittery nail varnishes are a pain to take off, which also means they last longer and do not chip as much. Neutrals and nude colours are durable and also trendy now.

Fixing chips

While all the above tips are helpful in making your manicure last longer than it usually does, chips are unavoidable. However, it`s nothing to fret over. While doing your mani, add an extra layer of colour only around the tips (make this a really thin coat) before sealing with a top coat. If you chip your nails later, buff out nicks by gently using a buffer over the nail.

Apply a thin coat of the same polish and seal it with a top coat.

Get artsy

You can only do so much to freshen up your look. If removing every bit of nail paint and starting all over again does not seem enticing, try doing some fun nail art instead. You can use guiding strips (used in French manicures) and paint the chipped nail tips with a nail polish in a contrasting colour. Same mani, different look! Go for the gradient or ombre look , which involves using a makeup sponge to blend two colours together. Use nail art like sequins and floral bits to take attention away from old polish. The world is indeed your oyster!

BDST: 1529 HRS, Sep-09, 2013
SIS/Jck