How to paint nails?

[chopinbabe]

Just that really.

I have been having Shellac and I really do find it drying (my nails also grow quickly so although the colour stays beautifully, the growth at the bottom is noticeable in no time)

However, paying for a normal manicure really doesn't seem worth it as I chip it within 2 or 3 days.

I would love to have my own collection of varnishes that I could choose from at any time to match an outfit or my mood and there are so many lovely colours about.

I have tried doing them, using 3 vertical strokes on very clean nails but they don't look good.

Any fool proof methods?

Base coat, two coats of colour, top coat of Seche Vite for a glossy finish.

Take your time and allow each layer to dry thoroughly before you apply the next.

I am rubbish at manicures! I even struggle with the shaping and cuticle trimming and stuff.

Base coat, then one coat of colour. Leave for ages - I leave overnight if I can. Then another coat of colour and top coat.

I have been using Sally Hansen and they last well - 5 days or so, but I don't like the colours much. Bit too bright. I want a classic dark plum colour.

Try brands with a wide brush, so they cover the nail in one stroke. Really helps avoid streaking. OPI, Essie and L'oreal colour riche all have them.

Hi Chop. What color are most of your clothes. That way I can advise you on colors.

I never do a base coat , just 2 coats and then no 7 fast dry top coat.

Rimmel and Essence from Wilkos are excellent and have fat brushes.

Start off with neutral colours then as you get better you can progress to bright/dark colours.

Some of my most worn colours that go with most things are dark red (like Nails Inc Victoria), beige/greige (like Essie Chinchilly) and coral (like Rimmel Coralicious). For more adventurous colours this time of year try a darker grey, navy or teal.

Base coat, two coats of colour and a fast drying top coat is my tried and tested routine. Start with clean nails, free of any oils etc. Don't paint too close to the cuticle - I think that's the biggest difference that makes nails look professionally done or not. There needs to be about a mm free of polish by the cuticle and on the sides to avoid the messy look. I actually prefer a slimmer brush rather than a fat one, that way I can have more control over it.

2 coats, leaving as long as possible between them, and then a top coat.

I am useless at the shaping but as I have very short nails they look ok with colour over most of the nail. I'm getting better at it but if I'm in a rush, I just put the nail and then the next morning after a hot shower you can just run your nail around the edge of the skin and any smudges of polish just come off.

Thank you everybody!

I wear all sorts of colours (I'm pale skinned with naturally very dark hair and dark blue eyes) which is why I fancied having a lovely array of bottles and I could just pick anything from Tangerine Dream to Nutter Butter and do them at home whenever I fancied.

If I go for the Shellac, I always have to pick a neutral shade that will go with anything for as long a period as the Shellac lasts.

The idea of getting a brand with a wide brush makes sense. I hadn't realised that brushes came in different widths!

Red, blue silver and pink nail varnish would be a good start..
It doesn't matter how many times you smudge your nail varnish you can clean it with a cotton wool bud. It just takes practice.
And don't be scared to experiment with color. Take an hour out where you can see what color looks best on you, and if you try say navy nail varnish on and it doesn't suit you, just take it back off. No-one's ever going to know that you put navy nail varnish on.

That would be so lovely to have that freedom!

Many is the time, I have come out with a colour that I don't like after half an hour but, because I've paid for it, unless it is really foul, I've kept it on!

Anyway, I am going to practice until I have perfectly painted nails.

My new discovery is CND Vinylux nail varnish. You don't need a base coat so that's one step out of the way. Just apply two (or sometimes three depending on the colour) coats. It dries really quickly too. Then I use a top coat (although CND say to use theirs, I use Sally Hansen and it's fine) and you will have glossy nails that last about a week. I am so impressed. I'm currently sporting Tropix which is a lovely coral.

I start with a coat of black (any old cheap nail varnish) as a base coat - it makes any dark/rich colour look better. Then two coats of whatever colour I fancy.

I re-do mine once a week, on a Sunday night - sometimes need to touch up the tips in between. Currently I'm wearing Illamasqua Veridian, a lovely deep green, which has lasted all week.

Not a fan of shellac - it always looks too 'perfect', fake & plasticky like a doll's nails.

It's all about practice! Can paint a coat on mine very neatly in a couple of minutes, but I've been doing them for years...

I never have manicures as I can do my own nails a million times better.

I push my cuticles back every day (with my nails), in the shower or bath and paint my nails (hands and feet) once a week. I have never trimmed them as pushing them back negates the need for me.

I file them to just a tiny smidge beyond my finger. They grow like weeds so I have to do this about twice a week.

I buy the cheapest, harshest nail varnish remover I can and wash it off afterwards. I hate the more expensive ones which take far longer.

I always use a base coat, 3 coats of polish, and a top coat. I use only Essie, Jessica and OPI. I use Seche Vite sometimes, but find it peels off in one big layer.