BWA’s Guide To Making Your Mani Last Longer

Do you ever feel that your mani is cheating on you? That it’s always trying to make an early exit, at a time when you need it most? Don’t you just wish that your mani would last that little bit (or a lot) longer? Yes, you read that right: ‘mani’, not ‘man’ (get your minds out of the gutter – this is BWA after all, ladies!).

Whether you are your own manicurist, or you can afford the little luxury of forking out for a professional to polish your digits, here are a few helpful tips to get your mani looking great and lasting much longer…

1. If you get your nails done professionally, choose a lighter colour (ie. nudes and pinks), which won’t look as obvious when they grow out or chip. Also, if you do feel like a colour change, when your mani starts to grow out, simply apply a darker colour over the top (usually only one coat will do the trick). Your nails will still look almost pristine and recently manicured, and it’ll space out your salon visits, which could save you upto 50% on nail expenses…

2. For those girls who like a bit of DIY, ensure to invest in a quality products: base coat, nail strengthening treatments and the like, as well as a long lasting top coat… Don’t be scared to fork out a little extra for salon brand polishes they’ll last much longer. I’ve always had an obsession for OPI, because the brand name guarantees their products are superior.

3. Another DIY tip is to do what they do in the salon… (after all, they do it for a reason!). Clean, buff, file, clean, use a nail treatment (if necessary), apply a base coat followed by two coats of colour and finish with a top coat for both protection and lustre.

4. To harden your polish faster, dip the tips of your fingers in a bowl of ice water, until your nails are hard to the touch. This makes it less likely to smudge or dent your freshly polished fingers, and allows you to get on with your day sooner…

5. Finally, there’s nothing wrong with applying another layer of top coat every few days… Not only will this maintain the shiny finish of your mani, making your fingers look freshly painted for longer. This helps further protect your handy work from chipping, peeling and anything else that may happen to your fingernails, until your next manicure (which hopefully won’t be for a while!)

Images: ummwtfmel, welcome2mydream 

39 Comments

  • Dona&Kyra
    Reply Kyraa_LM Sunday 2nd October, 2011 at 10:12 pm

    thanks!

  • Reply diamond0901 Saturday 24th September, 2011 at 9:20 pm

    I just bought some nail pens to do some nail art, can’t wait

  • Reply diamond0901 Saturday 24th September, 2011 at 9:19 pm

    what is newspaper prints?

  • Reply fifi73 Saturday 24th September, 2011 at 12:17 pm

    Wow, I love that pink colour, very fun & flirty! 😉

  • jennika
    Reply jennika Friday 23rd September, 2011 at 7:02 pm

    thank you all for your comments and support! x

  • Reply kristylee.spiteri Friday 23rd September, 2011 at 12:49 pm

    Hate being in a job where nail-polish is not permitted. Save these tips for the weekends.

  • Reply vonisntflexi Friday 23rd September, 2011 at 11:43 am

    shall try out tip 4 the nxt time i paint my nails:)

  • Reply mummo13 Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 9:45 pm

    Great tips, and I do love having fantastic looking nails that are a little different.

  • Reply dincy101 Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 9:14 pm

    I’m loving the nails in the first pic.

    A well kept manicured hand can make a world of difference.

  • Reply kittydoll Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 9:10 pm

    Great tips 🙂

  • Reply doogs Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 8:11 pm

    i likey

  • Reply blackcab Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 7:38 pm

    I want the nails in picture number 1!

  • Reply Claireo Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 6:40 pm

    I love that gold nail polish- where is that from?

  • Reply melissacicero Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 5:53 pm

    I like it

  • Fashionista8P
    Reply Fashionista8P Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 5:44 pm

    lovely colours and designs… thanks 🙂

  • hausoftina
    Reply hausoftina Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 5:41 pm

    Thanks for all of these fantastic tips! My favourite one has to be the ice water bowl one – I have to try it some time!

  • Reply lovelovelove Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 5:23 pm

    I need mine done up again

  • Myra
    Reply myra00 Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 5:10 pm

    I love wearing darker colours on my nails but end up sticking to neutral pinks because the chipping is so obvious. Great tips here though!

  • Reply mzluvinkhim Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 4:51 pm

    Thanks for the great tips

  • Reply ethereal Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 4:29 pm

    great tips! I always have trouble getting my nails to look nice for more than a day after I do them! Hopefully this will help 🙂

  • Reply dancenow13 Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 4:22 pm

    Great article! I love the leopard print nails in the bottom pic!

  • melmeko
    Reply melmeko Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 4:18 pm

    Nice tips, my nails start chipping and looking shabby within 24 hours, will try re-applying a new layer, hehe, touch-up’s it is 🙂

  • Reply jenniekellett Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 3:29 pm

    I want nails like the ones in the pictures! 🙂

  • Reply Tessa Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 3:29 pm

    My nail colour chips within 48 hours- no matter what I do or use!

  • Reply Razia108 Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 3:22 pm

    I love the ice water tip and I’m definatley going to try it out the next time I do my nails 🙂

  • Reply ECG Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 3:17 pm

    Its good to get your nails done time to time!

  • Reply armstrong Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 3:00 pm

    thanks for all the useful tips on doing your own nails. I always get impatient and end up smudging mine before they are dry

  • CamillaWhite
    Reply CamillaWhite Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 2:55 pm

    oh Perfectio! I am so horrible at making my nails last even till the end of the day!

  • Reply ang43@hotmail.com Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 2:42 pm

    Thanks.. my nail polish always chips soo fast

  • Reply thing13 Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 2:31 pm

    Thanks for the good advice not matter how hard i try i always manage to chip a nail the first day their done.

  • Reply kel63 Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 2:07 pm

    Thanks for the tip for a quicker dry, I will try the ice water next time I do my nails!

  • Reply Serena86 Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 1:47 pm

    great tips..definately going to use the ice water one

  • Reply DuckieBox Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 12:24 pm

    I cant wait til school holidays so i can restart painting my nails again~! We’re not allowed painted nails at school ):

  • sommy7
    Reply sommy7 Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 12:13 pm

    My nails never seem to grow, I do not biormation..Thankste them. I will look into purchasing some quality nail products after reading this information.Thank You BWA

  • Reply thugsy Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 12:01 pm

    i dont have fingernails but after looking at this I’m going to stop biting my nails

  • Reply bardie Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 11:57 am

    finger-licking good

  • MissBee218
    Reply MissBee218 Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 11:47 am

    great tips!

  • Reply stefaneigh Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 11:35 am

    I love doing my nails each week in something different, lately i’ve been trying crackle, marbling and newspaper prints – unforunately these can’t really be touched up though!

  • jennika
    Reply jennika Thursday 22nd September, 2011 at 11:33 am

    🙂

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