Nail Polish Hacks

Many of us love a good manicure, but the majority of us don’t have the time or patience to do it ourselves, especially if it is so easy to ruin them in the process.

A lot of us also don’t have the know-how to give ourselves a decent manicure, and going into a salon can be expensive and a schlep.

That is why we have searched high and low to find the best nail polish hacks that make the process of giving yourself a manicure quick and easy and make it look as if it was done by a professional.

What This Article Covers:

The Best Nail Polish Hacks For The Perfect Manicure

Use Vaseline For An Easy Clean Up

This hack is for those of us who don’t have the steadiest hands when painting our own nails and have trouble staying in the lines.

Before you start painting your nails, put a coat of vaseline around the skin and cuticles of your nails.

This makes a layer between your skin and the nail polish in case you mess on your skin when painting.

All you have to do is wipe the vaseline off after your nails have dried, and you will see that the nail polish you messed, doesn't stay and dry on your skin, it simply wipes off with the vaseline.

Prevent Premature Chipping With A Double Base Coat At The Tips

There’s nothing worse than having a fresh set of nails chip after doing them. And figuring out how to fix chipped gel nail polish can take a while, so it’s better to prevent it from the get-go.

To do this, start by painting a base coat on the top half of all of your nails. Allow them to dry, and once they have, paint a second base coat over the whole nail.

This should prevent the nail polish you are going to apply from prematurely chipping.

Use Household Objects For Nail Art

If you’re wanting to try something a little different, you can use household objects to create art and patterns on your nails.

Sellotape can be used to make geometrical shapes on your nails. Simply stick the sellotape on your nails in the desired pattern and paint over it. Allow it to dry and carefully remove the tape.

A straw can be used to make paint splatters on your nails.

You could also use a bobby pin to create polka dots on your nails. Paint a solid color of choice on your nails, and then dip the tip of a bobby pin into another color and use it to make polka dots on your nails.

Make Colors Pop With A White Base Coat

If your nail polish is looking a bit dim and dull, paint a coat of white on first before you put the color on.

This will make your nail color pop!

Hacks To Make Nail Polish Last Longer

The obvious way would be to use the best long-lasting nail polish that you can find.

But there are a few other hacks for making nail polish last longer:

Wipe your nails down with vinegar before painting the base coat - this will help remove any excess oil or dirt
Use a sticky basecoat
Make sure your cuticles are pressed down and that you don’t get paint on them
Paint the free edge of the nail
Apply a top coat every 2 to 3 days
Dry your nails with cool air
When your manicure starts to grow out, cover the bottom with glitter

Most of these hacks can also be used if you’re wondering how to keep gel nail polish from peeling.

Keeping White Nail Polish Clean

If you’re wondering how to keep white nail polish clean, three things could help you with this.

Firstly, try to clean it with hair spray or alcohol wipes.

You can also try soaking it in a mixture of lemon juice and baking soda to make sure that it stays white.

DIY French Manicure

Loop a rubber band around your nail, leaving the top of the nail exposed. The space of the nail exposed should be however big you want your white tip to be.

Make sure the elastic is securely in place, and then paint the tip with your French white color. Remove the band carefully and let it dry properly before applying the topcoat.

Removing Hair Dye From Nail Polish

If you are stumped on how to remove hair dye from nail polish, and you think your manicure is ruined because of it, think again.

The best way to remove dye would be to use alcohol swabs or hairspray.

Fixing Thick And Dried Nail Polish

We all have that one bottle of nail polish that we open and thick to ourselves “When is nail polish too old?"

The good thing is that nail polish can often still be used after it seems like it is too old, and we will be explaining how to fix nail polish that is going dry and tacky.

The first thing you should try is to add some nail polish remover, acetone, or nail polish thinner into the bottle and shake it around a bit.

You could also try submerging the bottle in hot water for approximately 3 minutes. Then, take it out and rub it in between the palms of your hands for a minute or so.

Giving Your Nails A Matte Finish Without The Matte Polish

You can use cornstarch to make a topcoat that gives your nails a matte finish.

All you have to do is add a few milligrams of cornstarch to a bottle of any clear topcoat. Make sure you shake the bottle thoroughly so that it doesn’t clump.

Then simply paint the new topcoat over your manicure to give it a matte finish.

Removing Bubbles From Nail Polish

A hack on how to prevent nail polish from bubbling is either to rub the bottle between the palms of your hands for a few minutes, or you can stick the bottle in the fridge for 15 minutes before you start painting.

Both should ensure your polish is bubble-free.

Hacks For Drying Nail Polish When You’re In A Rush

If you avoid doing your nails because of how long it takes to dry, then this hack is for you.

To make your nail polish dry faster, soak them in a bowl of ice-cold water for a couple of minutes after you have painted them. This will help the nail polish to set, and cause your nails to dry a lot faster.

Stop Nail Polish From Cracking

If you find yourself wondering “Why does my nail polish crack so quickly?” then you should try the following hacks:

Apply the paint in thin layers
Leave enough time for adequate drying before applying the second coat of polish
Use a bottom coat and a topcoat
Use gel nail polish

Practice Makes Perfect

Although these hacks will definitely make your life easier, and guide you to creating the perfect manicure, remember that practice makes perfect.

Keep going if you mess up, and try to have fun with the process.

Don’t forget to research and watch tutorials, especially if you’ve ever wondered “Can I cut my nails with gel polish?” or “Can you file nails with gel polish?”.

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