The #1 Secret to Longer-Lasting Manicures

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Ok, confession time! I have never been a big fan of manicures. Since I’ve always loved being hands-on with projects around here (hey there christmas village, oh hi boxtume, yes you too wallpaper, etc,) I’ve always felt that manicures never last long enough to justify the effort of doing them in the first place.

However, I recently discovered a single simple trick that has made all the difference in the world.. and now I can enjoy my favorite nail polish colors for the whole week! 

It’s so easy that you won’t believe what an impact this one hack has made!

You simply have to paint the edge/tip of the nails in order to greatly reduce the likelihood of chips & nicks.

Now I’ve seen other blogs mention painting the edge / tip of the nail in order to make manicures last longer, but what has made a huge difference for me has been doing that for EACH of the steps of the manicure! Also, I paint the nail polish on the edge/tip of the nail first and immediately follow that by painting it on the bed of the nail next. 

So here’s the order I follow:

1. Base Coat: first along the edge of nail and then along the bed of nail
2. Color Coat 1: first along the edge of nail and then along the bed of nail
3. Color Coat 2: first along the edge of nail and then along the bed of nail
4. Top Coat: first along the edge of nail and then along the bed of nail

While it may seem like a lot, this strategy has prolonged my manicures so significantly. I actually look forward to polishing my nails now because I know they won’t chip for a while. I’ve been able to get 5+ days without any chips or nicks using this method. This is a huge improvement over the 24hours I used to get and a much safer option than gel manicures. 

This is the polish I use for the base and top coats. Yes, it’s marketed as a top coat but it works well as both for me. Just be sure to wait about 3 minutes between each of the different coats so the last coat has some time to dry but is still tacky to the touch.

If you try this technique, let me know how it works for you! 

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