Applying a hand cream to the hands, especially the areas around each nail, may minimize this risk.;
, Soak a cotton pad or cotton ball in nail polish remover. Press the cotton onto each nail for 10 seconds, before sliding it off each nail.









Go back over your nails with a new remover-soaked cotton pad or cotton ball to remove any excess nail polish your initial removal missed.
Limit the amount of nail polish remover you use.
A thick hand cream or oil is recommended before polishing since it moisturizes and rehydrates the nail. After moisturizing, remove the surface oil with isopropyl alcohol. Oils can prevent newly applied nail polish from sticking to the skin.Excessive amounts of acetone can dry out and damage the nail. As a general rule, nail polish remover should be used no more often than once a week. If you use it more than once a month, you should also opt for an acetone-free formula.
 Dark nail polishes can stain the nail beneath, thereby distorting the color of the new polish you plan to apply. You can whiten nails with a mixture of hot water, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda.


Combine 1 Tbsp (15 ml) hydrogen peroxide with 2 Tbsp (30 ml) baking soda in a bowl containing at least 8 oz (250 ml) of warm to hot water. Soak stained nails in this solution for one minute.
Alternatively, you could scrub the stains off using whitening toothpaste and an old toothbrush.
But be aware these methods of removing stains may weaken the nails. Avoid them if you do not plan to "go bare"; they are not necessary if you are going to polish your nails afterward.
 Use a nail file to round away any square or sharp edges. The shape of the nail should roughly match the shape of the cuticle.









Make sure that the nails are completely dry before you file them. Filing wet nails can result in splitting and breakage.Try to file the nails so that they extend just over the edge of the fingertip.
, Use an orange stick, rather than a metal pusher, to gently push back the cuticles. In doing so, you can expose more of the nail and prevent nail polish from getting on the skin.









Never cut the cuticles. Cutting a cuticle leaves a gap open in between the nail and the skin, which could result in nail infections or other problems that will affect the appearance and health of the nail., This may keep your finger tips clean but may interfere with the polish if it gets on the nail bed. This is an optional step, but by carefully applying a thin coat of petroleum jelly onto the cuticles surrounding each nail, you can more effectively prevent nail polish from accidentally getting on and sticking to the skin., If you are painting your own nails, paint your dominant hand first, before your non-dominant hand has any polish on it. You will be able to more easily manipulate your dominant hand with wet polish than you can manipulate your non-dominant hand with wet polish.
 Base coat can protect the nail, create a smoother manicure, and help the polish to last longer.









Paint the base coat over the entire nail to fill in any ridges.
Let the base coat dry before applying polish.
A rubberized base coat is one of your best options, even though there are plenty of other options available. Rubberized base coats are thought to help the polish adhere better and last longer, however.
 Professional manicurists use a specific procedure when applying polish. This procedure involves drawing a line of polish down the center of the nail, followed by one to side and a final line down the other side.









Place a drop of nail polish at the center of the nail just above the lower cuticle.
Slowly push the drop down toward the cuticle using the nail polish brush.
Drag the brush up in a straight line to the tip of the nail.
Return to the base of the nail and swipe the polish out along one curved side of the nail. Drag it up and toward the tip to cover that entire side.
Return to the base of the nail once more and repeat with the remaining side.
 Instead of applying a single thick layer of nail polish, apply two or more thin coats of polish to each nail for a smoother, more even look. Wait for the nails to dry in between coats.









Thick coats of nail polish only end up drying on the surface. As a result, the polish lying below the surface remains somewhat moist, causing the color to smudge more easily.
You should also avoid shaking the bottle of nail polish before you apply it. Shaking the polish will cause air bubbles to form inside, and those bubbles can get transferred onto the nail as you paint it. Instead, mix the polish by rolling the bottle in between your hands., Once the main color has been applied and left to dry, you can apply any designs or patterns you want using other polishes.


Several ideas are provided in the “Specific Manicure Ideas” section of this article.
 If the nail polish gets smudged while you work, you might be able to smooth it out using a little saliva.









This must be done while the nail polish is still somewhat moist and sticky.
Lick your fingertip and use it to carefully push the polish back in place. It may not be perfectly smooth afterward, but the smudge will be gone.
Saliva reacts with wet polish, allowing you to soften and blend the surface. It will not have the same effect with dry polish, though. Sometimes, a small amount of acetone applied with a fingertip will soften a smudge and allow the next layer to be smoother.
 A small eyeshadow brush, small paintbrush, or cotton swab dipped in nail polish remover can be used to remove any nail polish that found its way onto the surrounding skin.









The brush tip must be clean, and it should be as small as possible so that you have better control over the areas it touches.
 If you want the color to dry faster, you can speed the drying process up by dipping the nails in ice water or by spraying the nails with cooking spray.









If using ice water to dry nails, let the nails air dry for a few minutes until they no longer feel wet but still feel sticky. At that point, dunk the nails in a bowl of ice water for three minutes. The cold temperature hastens the drying process.
For the cooking spray fix, wait until the nails are no longer wet, but still remain sticky. Spray a light coating of vegetable cooking spray onto the nails to set the polish and prevent smudges.
Do not try drying the nails by blowing on them or by sitting next to a fan. While this will cause the polish to dry faster, it can also create bubbles in the polish.
Note that it will take about twice as long for nail polish to dry during days of high humidity.
 Once the color has been applied and dried, you can apply a top coat that will smooth out the overall appearance and prolong the nail color.









Brush the top coat over the top surface of the nail, where the color has been applied.
Run the top coat brush along the top edge of each nail, as well. Doing so will seal the "raw edge" of the polish, thereby preventing it from chipping. Many experts recommend doing this for each layer of polish from base coat to top coat.
Note that if you apply top coat to the nails before the layer of color beneath it finishes drying, that polish can still move around and create bubbles or ripples in the color., Use a sponge to blend together two different colors of nail polish, creating a gradient from the top of the nail to the bottom.
 A French manicure can be easy to do at home. All you need to do is paint the nail one color and paint a strip of another color over the tip.
 A nail art flower is a fairly simply shape to create. The petals and center of the flower are drawn as dots.
 Sponge on blue and white nail polish to create the appearance of bubbles.
 You can blend multiple shades of nail polish into a swirled, marble design by mixing them in water.
 Sponge galaxy-inspired hues onto a black base and add glitter for stars.
 You can use a brush with a thin tip to write letters on the nail. You can even use this technique to create the wikiHow logo on your nails.
 Carefully apply stripes of black nail polish over a white base.
 Start with a light green base and add brown, dark green, and black dots to create a camouflage design.
Apply hand cream before removing polish.dark nail polish can result in stains.
Use nail polish remover to cleanly remove the polish.
Whiten the nails after removing a dark polish.
File the nails down.
Clean under the nails with a soft brush.








,
Push back the cuticles.
Apply petroleum jelly around the cuticles.
Paint your dominant hand first.
Apply a base coat.
Paint each nail using even strokes.
Brush on multiple thin coats of color.
Create any desired designs.
Smooth smudges.
Clean up stray strokes.
Dry the nails faster.
Apply a top coat.
Create an ombre effect.
Try a classic French manicure.
Draw a flower on the nail.
Create a bubble effect.
Marbelize the nail polish.
Do galaxy nail art.
Write on the nails.
Draw zebra stripes.
Go for a camouflage print.
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