7 Tips for a Perfect DIY Manicure Every Time - SassyCritic.com

7 Tips for a Perfect DIY Manicure Every Time

For some women, going to the nail salon for a manicure is a regular treat. However, if you’re big on saving some of that money or just like to do it yourself sometimes (or all the time), a DIY mani in the comfort of your home is the way to go. Doing your nails at home is usually ideal for regular polish or gel polishes vs acrylics or powder. However, you don’t have to get high-tech to do a great job at painting your nails yourself but if you avoid these common mistakes, you’ll have a great manicure every time!

Personally, I prefer to do my own nails and have been doing them myself since I was a teenager, which is probably why I have an insanely huge stash of nail polish that just keeps growing. Overall, I am a DIY kinda girl and love the creativity and possibilities available to me when I get to do it myself. Don’t get me wrong, every once in a while I treat myself to a professional manicure but most often I leave the salon thinking, “I could have done that myself!”.

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7 Tips for a Perfect DIY Manicure Every Time - SassyCritic.com

Over the years, though, I have learned some valuable tips through trial and error and research that have helped improve my skills so much that many people think I go to the nail salon! I’m going to save you some of that time and frustration by giving you my best tips to improve your future DIY manicures!

Avoid These 7 Mistakes on Your Next Manicure

1. Lotion or Oils on Your Nails

While prepping your nails for the next great polish color in your stash, you may soften your cuticles and hands before hand with an oil or lotion. Moisturizing your hands and nails is important for your skin and a great manicure but be sure to remove the oil from your nails with a gentle polish remover before you begin polishing.

If left on your nails, oils can prevent the nail polish from bonding to your nail properly, causing your polish to chip or peel prematurely. Doing all that work just to have your manicure peel off on day 2 is frustrating and can be very discouraging.

2. Filing Your Nails Side to Side

It almost feels natural to move the nail file back and forth when filing your nails to the desired shape but did you know that by doing that, you’re doing more harm than good? Moving the nail file from side to side along the tip of your nails causes small tears in the nails that could lead to cracking at the tips later.

I have made this mistake many times in the past and when I learned what I was doing wrong, it changed things for me. Instead, file your nails by going in one direction only. Choose the direction that feels comfortable to you and stick with it.

7 Tips for a Perfect DIY Manicure Every Time - SassyCritic.com

3. Not Having a Clean-Up Plan

Before actually starting on your manicure, you should have all your materials out in front of you. This includes whatever polishes you’re going to use but it should also include a plan for cleaning up any mistakes along the way because, let’s face it, it happens. I usually have on hand a mistake corrector pen or a thin makeup brush and polish remover to clean up mistakes around the nails.

However, a great trick is to apply a thick oil, like Vaseline, to the skin around your nails. This prevents the polish that gets on your skin from sticking to the skin, making cleanup a chore. When you’re done with your mani, simply (and carefully) wipe the petroleum jelly off your skin and the polish will come off with it! Easy peasy!

4. Skipping the Base Coat

In an effort to save time, some may choose to skip applying a base coat. I know it’s tempting when y0u’re in a hurry but it really is a crucial step in the whole process. Apart from the fact that a good base coat can extend the life of your manicure, it can also prevent your polish from staining your nails. There are many on the market and some of them are decent, while others do a better job. My personal favorite so far is this one by Orly. The formula in this base coat helps bond the polish to your nails really well!

5. Giving the Bottle a Good Shake

Okay, so you’ve applied your base coat and allowed it to dry for a minute and now it’s time for the feature presentation: your nail color. You hold the bottle at the top and bottom with your thumb and index finger and shake it back and forth to mix the polish up for good consistency and color.

Unfortunately, by doing this you are creating air bubbles in the polish that will transfer to your nails and be a nuisance later. The better way to mix up the polish is to roll the bottle vertically between your hands. It’s a gentler way to prep your polish and will decrease the likelihood of seeing bubbles on your nails later.

6. Using the Right Technique

Different people apply polish differently but it’s best to apply it in thin layers and to make sure it goes on evenly. The way that I’ve seen it done, and the way I do it myself, is what I like to call the “dot, push, middle, side, side” technique. Okay, that may not make much sense to you so below you will see my favorite infographic from the website Laquerized that illustrates the exact technique I use and love.

7 Tips for a Perfect DIY Manicure Every Time - SassyCritic.com

Some people also find it helpful to add an initial step of applying polish horizontally to the tip of their nails first, as seen here, for an extra layer of coverage. You can try both techniques and decide which one works best for you.

7. Not Using a Quality Top Coat

Just because I used the word ‘quality’ doesn’t mean I’m talking ‘expensive’. Remember, I’m a budget beauty! There are great top coats that you can get for $10 or less that will do you right! But it’s very important to use a good top coat because this is the final layer of your manicure and barrier between that pretty polish and the outside world.

It’s what is going to protect your polish and prevent it from chipping easily so that your manicure can last much longer! Not only is it important to use a good top coat but it’s also very important to make sure your polish is dry before applying the top coat.

7 Tips for a Perfect DIY Manicure Every Time - SassyCritic.com

I have used some really good top coats in the past but right now my favorite is the Essie Gel Setter top coat. It’s the highest priced top coat I’ve used ($10) but I can assure you, it’s well worth the money! I wash my hands very frequently, I have kids, and I work with kids so there are constant instances in my daily life that would be a well-polished nail’s enemy.

Apply these 7 tips for a perfect DIY manicure every time!! #nails #manicure #diy #tips Click To Tweet

I have been pleasantly surprised at how long my polish lasts, looking like the first day for at least 7 days, using this top coat and the shine is awesome! I personally haven’t had as much luck with their nail colors, but this Essie top coat is pretty impressive. Below is an Instagram pic of a 4-day old mani still looking great, thanks to this top coat.

7 Tips for a Perfect DIY Manicure Every Time - SassyCritic.com

 

If you follow these tips and avoid some of the common mistakes, you too will be on your way to a professional looking manicure on a regular basis!

Tell me in the comments about your favorite nail tips and/or products!

– Marsha 💋

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