Getting the Most from a Manicure
Published September 15, 2008 | 
1. Never push back dry cuticles. Pushing back dry cuticles can crack polish at the base, which leads to chipping your polish. You don’t want any cuticle skin on the nail’s surface (it can interfere with your base coat) — so loosen ragged edges by rubbing in a softening cream. Then gently cuticles back with an orangewood stick.
2. Don’t soak your fingertips. When you soak your nails, they absorb water, which temporarily puffs them up — but they go back to their normal shape when the water evaporates. This expansion and contraction causes chipping, peeling, and cracking of polish.
3. Get the surface clean, clean, clean. Any traces of moisture, dust, or leftover enamel will get in the way of new-polish adhesion. Use a nail brush or an old toothbrush to clean hard to reach areas of the nail. Then wipe your nails with an acetone polish remover to temporarily dehydrate your nail.
4. Shape up. To maximize nail strength, tips should be rounded and corners left somewhat square. Filing is healthier than clipping, because clippling can crack the nail. Use a fine-grit nail file and file in one direction.
5. Apply a base coat. A base coat sticks to nails better than polish does.Try Avon’s Smooth Beginnings Base Coat. It instantly smoothes and evens out ridges.
6. Once polish is on, seal it with a slow-setting topcoat. Quick-dry polish evaporates too fast and leaves polish soft and prone to denting. Avon’s UV Gloss Guard Top Coat prevents nail enamel from yellowing and fading.
7. Polish should be applied in three narrow, even strokes — one down the center and one down each side — and then be allowed to dry for two minutes before a second coat is applied. The thicker the layer is, the more difficult it is for the solvent — the liquid agent in enamel — to evaporate, boosting the chances that polish will peel.
8. Practice good maintenance. Every other day, apply a layer of quick-dry topcoat to form a protective shield and increase shine.
9. Moisturize your polish. The more your enamel dries out, the greater the likelihood that it will separate from your nail. Since topcoats don’t seal in hydration, apply oil to nails and cuticles before bedtime, and slather on a thick hand cream twice a day.
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