1. Wash hands with soap and warm water and dry completely. The polish sticks to clean nails better.
2. If your nails are already polished, use nail polish remover to take off the old color. If they are not polished, it's still a good idea to run the remover over them anyway to make sure they are good and clean.
3. File and shape nails. You should file your nails with an emory board, moving it over the tops of your nails in one direction (if you go back and forth, then your nails are open to more breakage). Nail shapes are often rounded or square. Meeting somewhere in the middle is the best way according to carefair.com.
4. Put a small amount of cuticle cream at the base of each nail and spread it around. A good brand to use is Ahava. The cream softens the skin around the nail which makes it easier for the next step.
5. Lightly push the softened cuticles back by using an orange stick, or a variation of one that comes in most manicure kits. Do not push back too much because you can cut the skin.
6. Remove the ridges of the nail with a buffer. A manicure "stick" with one of these on it can be bought at any pharmacy or where nail supplies are sold.
7. Using the same manicure "stick" smooth the nails with the other side.
8. Apply a base coat to nails and let dry. This helps the polish last longer.
9. Apply two coats of the colored nail polish of your choice. Here are a few suggestions for the perfect nail color to match your skin tones. If you are not very good with using your opposite dominant hand, you may want to have a friend paint the nails on that hand.
10. Apply a clear top coat and let dry. The top coat prevents the nail color from chipping.
For more tips on making your manicure last visit click here.
