On one hand, I consider a fresh coat of brightly colored polish the little black dress for your nails. But on the other hand… chipped nails are the enemy of dressing well.
Perfectly polished nails not only say that you are well dressed, but will get you one step closer to head-to-toe gorgeousness.
If you dread the sight of chipped polish and fading nail color, use these tips to make your nail polish last longer and dress your nails beautifully.
Use quality nail polish.
Nail polish formulations are not equal.
Up the nail polish ante and buy the 8-dollar polish instead of the one-dollar cheapo at the drugstore.
Drugstore nail polish is not off-limits, but Essie and OPI are two nail polish brands that manicure divas depend on regularly.
Apply fresh nail polish to your nails.
Nail polish expires one year from the time you first open your bottle of beauty. But if you polish your nails often or keep it sequestered in your medicine cabinet, your polish may dry out sooner.
To make your nail polish last longer, use a fresh bottle of nail paint that does not stick to the brush in thick clumps and blobs of ooey gooey polish.
Apply Remove the oils from your nail bed with white vinegar.
After a fresh wash of your nails and hands to clean your nail beds, dip your fingers in white vinegar to remove any traces of natural oils.
The nail polish will adhere to your nails when there are no traces of oil, dirt or soap. The white vinegar is a little smelly, but any oils left on your nails will prevent the nail polish from sticking…and chipping.
Apply nail polish like a professional manicurist.
Prep your nails with a base coat, before applying your color. Use a steady hand to apply your nail polish to the nail bed.
Starting in the middle of the nail, apply small thin layers of polish to the nails. Do not apply more than three coats of polish color to your nails.
Apply a top coat to your nails to seal the nail polish.
The top coat is the most important step to make your nail polish last longer. Brush the top coat at the base of the nail and extend it over the edge of the nail. Apply it slightly under the tip to prevent chipping.
Need to select the best nail color for your hands? When in doubt, choose red. In comparison to other shades, red nail polish flatters a perfect nail shape best.
Dry your nails completely.
Your nails may seem to be dry after 15 minutes, but don’t be fooled by the touch test.
Plan to keep your nails free from touching car keys, typing text messages on your Blackberry and putting on jewelry for at least one hour.
Two more tips to make your nail polish last longer:
- To speed up the drying time, after 30 minutes of air-drying, submerge your nails into a basin filled with ice-cold water for 30 seconds.
- Apply one swipe of topcoat every morning to extend the life of your manicure until your next pampering session.
You’ve now learned how to extend the life of your manicure, make your nail polish last longer and keep your fingers well-dressed and ready for a close-up.
Alex
May 27, 2009nice information and tips 🙂
Nail Tips
January 22, 2010Hey very nice blog!! Love the amazing nail tips. This blog is Beautiful .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds also…
Regina
August 9, 2010“Do not apply more than two coats of polish color to your nails.!”
What? Excuse me, but many colors require at least three coats to achieve bottle color. What kind of advice is this? A manicure will last longer with fewer coats, yes, but if you get bald spots for not applying enough coats, who would want their manicure to last? The key is knowing what kind of formula and texture each polish is and thus apply accordingly.
Women's Designer Clothing Editor
August 22, 2010Regina,
In my opinion you should not apply more than 3 or 4 coats to your nails. Period! In fact, I recommend applying three coats of nail polish: a base coat and two coats of color or two coats of polish and a clear coat.
But loading up your nails with more than three coats–regardless of the brand’s thickness or polish formulation–is foolish.
Piling on too much polish will cause your nails to chip and peel. And no woman wants to keep reapplying more polish to fix the chipped tips. If you put on too many coats of nail polish you will have to endure two-hour drying times and lumpy polish. For those polish-lovers you are using a thin polish, in my opinion, throw it out! Instead, buy a brand like OPI, Essie or even Sally Hansen Quick Dry to polish your nails.
Thanks for your comment, Regina!
Sandi
October 9, 2010Unlike many cosmetics, nail polish does NOT expire. It can thicken and get troublesome, that’s why they make thinners. It can also (very rarely) break down into it’s separate components, causing it to curdle and should then be thrown away. However, most nail polishs contains no water and are toxic to any known form of bacteria that might cause ‘spoilage’ of other cosmetic products. (This of course does not apply to the few water based polishes out there.) To throw away perfectly good nail polish just because it’s a year old is costly and foolish although I’m sure it makes the polish manufacturers exceedingly happy when people do so.
Women's Designer Clothing Editor
October 10, 2010Sandi, Thanks for your comment. I have a B.S. in biology and master’s coursework in biochemistry, so I know a lot about the science behind makeup formulations. As a professed beauty junkie, I’ve studied how compounds like nail polishes, when exposed to air, deteriorate over time. And if you add thinner repeatedly, over time the polish–no matter whether it is Chanel or Wet n Wild–will loose it effectiveness.
Nail polish does expire. In fact, Good Housekeeping reports in their article Have Your Beauty Products Gone Bad?, “Formulas are especially sensitive to temperature extremes and humidity, so avoid storing in the bathroom. When should you toss the old nail polish: One to Two Years” Can you use thinner to extend the life of your polish when it goes goopy? Sure.
But, because the average cost of a nail polish is between $5.99 to 10.99, I’d rather pony up the cash for a new bottle of polish after one to two years, than to keep adding thinner to an old bottle that will weaken the effectiveness of the product. I know, because I’ve tried to add thinner, and the polish did not adhere to my nails effectively after 2 to 3 months.
Now if you can tell me the names of nail polish brands that last past two years, and how many times you applied the thinner to keep the polish as good as new, I would love to hear your response and add it to the post. For those interested in more online links concerning nail polish expiration, visit these online links on Oprah.com and About.com. http://www.oprah.com/spirit/How-to-Save-Money-on-Beauty-Hair-Makeup-and-Nails/4 and http://beauty.about.com/od/makeuptrickstips/a/shelflife.htm
Sandi
November 15, 2010I have a Diane Von Furstenburg that is at least 30 years old and has been thinned once. It applies nicely. and the color has not changed. If you keep them tightly capped and away from heat and moisture, they basically last forever. That’s hardly the only polish I have that’s vintage.
Jade
December 11, 2010I have to agree with the other posters, I have an Elizabeth Arden ‘Red Door Red’ that’s over 15 years old, never needed thinner, still applies great and I have no intention of throwing it out because of an arbitrary (to say the least!) rule.
laperru
May 1, 2011Great article!!! The only nail polish that lasted me for a couple of years…lets say 7-8 years was Lancome. With the rest, I find out that they don’t even last a year, even opi, or Sally Hansen o similar. I noticed that lately, before they used to last longer.
I don’t want to use thinners, that is very toxic for the skin, plus, are you going to tell me you cant afford an 8 dollar bottle? Even if it was 30 dollars, for the whole year, come on it is worth it. Going to the manicure is sitll much more than that!