what are the steps you take to make your polish last and look great on your finger nails?
I rarely do my nails because I wash my hands a lot, and sometimes do house chores without gloves. So my polish dosen't last long and I hate the chipped look!
I always had problems w/the nail polish on my fingers chipping, until recently. I bought Orly's Rubberized Base Coat (it has a purple top) and it's amazing! My polish doesn't chip at all anymore. My manicures last 8-10 days now, which is great for me. I apply the Orly basecoat, 2 coats of nailpolish, and then I use Seche Vite's Fast Drying top coat. This combo works better than anything I've tried.
I recommended it to some friends and it works great for them too!
Mine usually last 4-5 days. Before painting my nails, I swipe them with polish remover and then rubbing alcohol to make sure all oil is gone. I don't use a basecoat at all either. I usually just do 2-3 coats of the polish and then Seche Vite topcoat. I always wrap my tips with it too, which I swear helps!
I've been using Chanel nailpolish lately and I think it's amazing. My last professional mani lasted all of 3 days before it chipped (I think it was OPI polish and Chi topcoat) but I've done it myself a couple of times with Chanel polish and it lasts 8-10 days. I also use Sally Hansen's No-Chip acrylic top coat and Seche Vite on top of that. Since the polish costs about the price of a professional manicure I figure that I'm actually saving money in the end???????
ETA I also use rubber gloves when I do dishes and try and keep my hands from being submerged in water for too long. I also try to be more aware at work and use staple removers, etc. I'm fairly clutzy so being careful can sometimes be a challenge!
-- Edited by twinkle_star at 22:27, 2008-10-16
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“Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.” Ann W. Richards
I always had problems w/the nail polish on my fingers chipping, until recently. I bought Orly's Rubberized Base Coat (it has a purple top) and it's amazing! My polish doesn't chip at all anymore. My manicures last 8-10 days now, which is great for me. I apply the Orly basecoat, 2 coats of nailpolish, and then I use Seche Vite's Fast Drying top coat. This combo works better than anything I've tried.
I recommended it to some friends and it works great for them too!
ShopChicago33 recommended the Orly base coat to me and I love it too! Before using the Orly base, my polish would start chipping at day two, but now it lasts about seven days!
I also loosely follow a "nail routine":
Day One: One coat of Orly base, two coats of color, and one coat of Essie top coat.
Day Three: One coat of top coat.
Day Four: One coat of color
Day Six: One coat of top coat.
Every couple of weeks, I use Sally Hansen Problem Cuticle Remover and every couple of days I condition my cuticles with a Sally hansen cuticle cream.
I spend a lot of time on my nails but it is worth it to me, and I try to multi-task--while watcing tv, reading a magazine (gotta be careful not to smudge), or even on my lunch break at work while reading the paper.