Prep. Any manicurist will tell you the secret to a long lasting manicure is prep. Now I don't need mine to last long- since I change it daily- but if you are not a fan of slaving over your nails nightly- here's my advice:
1. After removing polish- WASH YOUR HANDS!
The oils on your hands and nail beds make a barrier between the polish and your nails- which means the polish can't attach properly. If your polish peels... this is the step for you.
2. Wipe your nails off with rubbing alcohol
You can buy nail prep at Ulta or any beauty supply store. But OPI Chip Skip and Nail Tek Step One are mainly rubbing alcohol! This again removes any oils and preps the nail for polish
3. Protein polish or protein base coat
Another way to make sure your manis last is to make sure your nails are HEALTHY! Protein polishes with keratin rebuild and fortify nails. My favorite which I layer under every mani- OPI Nail Envy
4. Sticky base coat
Base coats are what protect your nails from the polish and again are another chance to help the polish last. I use Orly Bonder and LOVE it.
5. Polish
I love my OPI and 'designer brands' but sometimes my favorite polishes are the $1.99 ones I buy at target. Buy what you love and find what works best on you. To paint, start in center then do a line on each side. Do thin quick coats to help with drying.
6. Top coat
My absolute go-to top coat is Seche Vite. It dries amazingly quick, and dries rock hard (it has polish hardeners in it!) it also puts such a gloss on top- that it looks like I have shellac on my nails! HOWEVER- unless your polish is wet you CANNOT use a fast dry top coat. If you use SV on top of a dry mani- you will get major peelage and chipage. So- when im doing a french or nail art- when the base has dried already- I use Gelous or Essie Three Way Glaze.
7. Clean-up
I use an angled make up brush and pure acetone to clean up cuticles and polish spills. Also follow with a cuticle oil! I always use CND Solar Oil.
Hope this helps!
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