How To Make Your Manicure Last Longer: 11 Tips

manicure last longer

A day or two after giving yourself a manicure and those chips and imperfections bounce back like they never left – ugh! Keep reading to learn the best tips and tricks to make your manicure last longer – and they don’t require you to stop using your hand completely.

You’ve finally found time to give yourself a long-awaited manicure. No longer do you want to walk around with your hands in your pockets, nor grimace every time you look at your raggedy cuticles and unruly ridges. Suddenly life feels good! You wonder why you don’t do this more often. Then, boom – the chipping and peeling begins. Not any longer – these 11 tips will help you maintain that perfect paint job for longer.

Image: Pinterest

1. Don’t soak your nails

Although it’s tempting and part of the pampering process, when your nails soak, they absorb water which leads them to temporarily puff up. Once the water has evaporated, your nails revert to their pre-soaking size. It’s this contraction which is one of the main things that causes polish to peel, chip, or flake off.

2. Filing is very important pre polish

Nails should be rounded at the tips, but left slightly square at the sides. Nails that are too rounded at the sides weaken the overall strength of the nail. Also: use a gentle nail file and work in one direction; as opposed to the seesawing back and forth motion. The latter causes the keratin layers in your nails to separate and peel away from one another.

3. Clean your nails pre polish

Remove any traces of old polish, cuticle oil, dirt, or moisturiser as they stop the base coat & polish properly sticking to your nails. Once clean, lightly coat them with an acetone nail polish remover to ensure they are clean and dry.

4. Apply a base coat and let it dry

Base coat is really important and adheres very well to both your own nails and the polish; acting as a ‘glue’ between the two. It also stops the polish staining your nails or leaving them discoloured, and fills in ridges and uneven nail surfaces.

5. Roll the nail polish bottle you intend to use

Roll the bottle between your palms instead of shaking it. This works just as well to mix the polish, but doesn’t allow for any air bubbles to form, giving you a flawless result.

6. Consider using a Shellac nail polish

Shellac is designed to last up to 14 days. It goes on just like polish and promises no chipping, cracking, flaking, or smudging! Plus it’s hypo-allergenic and contains no formaldehyde, toluene or DBP.

7. If you’re having your nails done, stay away from older or nearly finished bottles

Or, request a fresh one or take your own colour! Nail technicians are known to add nail polish remover to the bottles in order to stop the formula from going crusty. Sounds good in theory – however – because nail polish is a thinner, it changes the original formula and can also compromise the colour of the polish.

8. Always do at least 2 coats of polish

Two coats of polish, and letting each one dry before the next application is the way to go. As you would know, this gives much more colour intensity and also builds a thicker application that is less likely to chip.

9. Apply a slow-drying top coat!

Yes – that sounds crazy as quick drying top coats are super convenient. However, quick drying kinds evaporate at such a high rate that they don’t fully penetrate all the layers of polish, even if they feel dry. A slower acting topcoat hardens all the layers, giving you longer lasting protection and shine.

10. Re-touch your top coat in the coming days

Be sure to apply it to the sides of the nails, touching the surrounding skin – not just onto the nail itself. Doing this seals the whole nail surface and protects against the sides of your manicure being chipped or lifted off.

11. Stay away from heat!

Well, for at least the first 12 hours to let your polish totally harden. Avoid soaking your hands in hot water, doing the dishes, or going to a sauna. When washing your hands with hot water, finish with a burst of cold water for about 10-15 seconds to further seal the polish.

If you’d rather skip the hassle and treat yourself to a professional, long-lasting manicure, consider https://www.luce.sg/services/home-manicure-pedicure. It’s convenient, relaxing, and gives you salon-quality results right in the comfort of your home.
Now, go ahead and show off your fabulous nails—because you deserve it!

Do you have any tips for making your manicure last longer that everyone should know about? Share them in the comments below!

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1 Comment

  • Reply BellaB Monday 22nd June, 2015 at 4:30 pm

    Thank you, early chipping is a constant problem for me.

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