Help a ham fisted nail painter

[Primotomb]

I really want to be able to paint my own nails but an never seem to get a good finish and end up just taking it all off. What are your top tips and what brands are the easiest to get a good finish with?

Was advised 3 strokes only - and a decent brand of polish!!

Liquid latex and a clean up brush is your friend.
Plus taking your time, multiple thin coats and practice.

That's all it is really.

I find OPI goes on really well and lasts better than some cheaper polishes. It also seems a bit less 'thin' and watery so you get good coverage, IMO.

One stroke down the middle of each nail, let it dry.

One stroke on each side of each nail, let it dry.

Repeat each step only if necessary.

Use a good quality top coat once completely dry, maybe even the next day.

I like opi, probably the best polish I've used. In my experience allow twice as long as you think you need, make sure nails are clean and shaped, use a thin layer base coat, very thin layers of the colour (2 or 3 layers), three strokes per nail if you can, and then a top coat. Give it plenty of time to dry. Have cotton wool buds and nail varnish remover on hand to clean up any over spill.

Go get your nails done and watch closely how the manicurist does it. That's how I learned.

A few things I find that help - paint with your bad hand first. Wipe the brush gently on both sides to get some of polish off before you paint , place the brush on your nail about a mm away from your cuticle then push it down gently towards your cuticle before you swipe up to cover your nail. Try to cover your nail in 3 decisive strokes.

After a while you might find a brand that has the right brush for you. Maybelline brushes are wide and curved to fit your cuticle well. Zoya brushes are really thin and make the job more difficult imo. OPI are somewhere in the middle. Try a few brands for yourself.

Finally, as an pp has said , get a thin make up brush and a little glass jar , fill the jar with acetone and do a clean up around your cuticle and skin if you go over.

Practice lots and you'll get good at it quickly.

If you use YouTube, cute polish have a good basic nail painting video.

Get some of the drying drops to help speed up the drying time. Less likely to smudge them.

I have few skills but I am an expert at painting my own nails. People always ask me if they are gels or where I get them done.

Make sure they are completely clean and your cuticles are pushed back.

Always use a base coat. I use Sally Hansen hard as nails - better than any expensive one I have tried.

I apply 3 coats of varnish, letting them dry between each coat. I apply each layer in 3 strokes - middle first. I use only Essie, Jessica or OPI.

Then a top coat - again I use the Sally Hansen.

This stays perfect for over a week. I only remove because of the regrowth at the base of my nails; the varnish never chips.

Also for a good finish I recommend cuccio base coat before using your colour polish , and nails inc 45 second top coat after.

If you're truly bad at painting your nails after lots of practice I find that a good coat of a holographic top coat hides many sins! The sparkle takes the eye away from smudges and faults.

Don't paint nail polish right up to your cuticle and the edges of the nail. Instead, leave a small gap. This makes for a much tidier finish.

I find a wide brush is best. Leaving that little gap at the cuticle & sides, start by painting down the centre of your nail, then use 1 stroke down each side to finish off, painting over the bottom of the free edge, too, if you can. 3 strokes is ideal for each nail, or as few strokes as possible; this gives a better finish. Allow this first coat to dry then repeat for the second coat. Once this is dry, add your clear top coat, again painting over the free edge of the nail; this will help to stop chipping.

Always moisturise around the cuticle area and, as my manicure tutor always used to say, treat your nails like jewels, not like tools!

Thanks all, some great tips to try there x

Wide brush is important- if you have to do lots of little strokes to cover the width of the nail it’s much harder to get them all to end neatly. A coat of seche vite on top stops that thing where you think they’ve dried and then hours later you get an imprint from a stray hair or the bed covers. And shimmery or glittery polishes are more forgiving than glossy, and allow you to get away with patching up chips.

I'd get cuticle remover too or better still get a manicure at the nail salon including cuticle work. Then polish applied at home after that will look a lot better

I agree with the 3 strokes technique - first one up the middle and then one on each side.

My tips are: use cuticle remover first, so there is no stray cuticle in the way to mess the finish up. Wash your hands make sure the nails are completely dry. The best polishes I've found are Dior, Revlon, No 7 and Rimmel (some Rimmel - not the one-coat ones). Do you like a metallic look, OP? If so, the easiest and quickest way to nice nails is to use a metallic gold or silver polish. I don't know why it is, but metallic gold or silver looks good with only one coat, always seems to dry really fast and will last for few days - metallics seem to last without chipping better than non-metallics.

But my absolute top tip is - don't bother with faffing about taking polish off your skin. Paint your nails before a long hot bath, and the extra polish will come off with a bit of a rub from a towel, or just lift it off with an orange stick. Sometimes it floats off without your having to do anything.

If all else fails, use Dior Nail Glow for a super simple to apply French manicure effect...