15 Tips: How To Get Perfect Nails

15 Prep With The Perfect Soap

The start to getting perfect nails? Using a the right soap. A mild formula–the bottle will let your know how strong it is–is the best for cleaning your nails without stripping the foundation of the nail bed.

14 Dry Spell

Creating perfect nails start with a clean and dry foundation to work on. Make sure your hands are completely dry and free from water, (or excess polish remover.)

 13 Keep Cuticles Happy

Snaggy cuticles are a no-no in the pursuit of perfect nails! Apply Vitamin E and trim them down between manicures to keep them pretty-and healthy.

12 Quality Emery Board

There’s a reason nail files come in packs of five or six: When the one you’re using goes bad, it needs to be chucked immediately. Uneven or filmy nails will surely ruin your perfect mani!

11 Buff ‘Em Up

The best way to maintain a smooth surface on your nail bed is to buff them regularly with a board made specifically for keeping your nails amazing. Most come on a multi-use block that buffs, shines, AND improves blood flow to your nails.

10 Dust ‘Em Off

All that buffing and filing going to leave powder all over your nail bed. Make sure your fingers are wiped clean before you start applying a single drop of polish.

9 Quality Base Coat

Whether you’re rocking long French tips or short neutral nails, a good base coat is the first step to having perfect nails. A hardy formula that dries quick–like Sally Hansen Hard As Nails–should be in every mani-lovers nail polish kit.

8 Good Polish Is The Best Polish

No matter how cute that 99-cent bottle of glittery pink polish may look, it’s cheap quality will leave you with an icky chipped mani and peely nails. Know the quality of the polish that you buy. (Tip: Sally Hansen and OPI are not-too-spendy buys that have staying power AND are good for your nails.)

7 Application Is Everything

Believe it or not, how you apply your polish has a lot to do with how your manicure will look, and how your nails will stay healthy. Always apply from cuticle to tip, strokes that evenly apply polish to the nail bed.

6 Have A Kick-Butt Topcoat

Even with a great polish, a gnarly top coat can ruin the perfect mani! Make sure your quick-dry topcoat hasn’t expired, and comes with a brush that won’t leave marks in your polish.

5 B.Y.O.P.

Don’t waste your time at the colorful display of bottles at the back of the salon; bring your own polish to your mani-pedi appointment. It ensures that the polish used on your nails is primo.

4 Say No To Old Polish!

You know that half-empty bottle of polish that is starting to turn a little gooey? Throw it out! Nothing kills a healthy nail–or a gorgeous manicure–like epired polish.

3 Be Mindful Of Decals

Sure, pretty decals and trendy crackle polish look cute for a couple days. But they don’t last long and wreak havoc on your nails! If glittery tips and “it” polishes are your thing, try to keep it to once in a while to maintain your nails’ health.

2 Know What Your Polish Battles

Things like packing tape and other adhesives contain chemicals that break down your polish, and can eventually make your nails peel as well. Be mindful of what you’re sticking your nails into!

1 No Chips Allowed!

Allwomenstalk.com isn’t the only beauty site–or source–that knows there’s nothing less classy than chipped polish. And there’s no excuse for simply “touching up:” You’ll have to re-paint the whole nail–if not your whole hand–to keep your nails perfect.