Celebrating #NationalNailPolishDay

Nail polish works wonders is keeping your nails neat and elegant. Picture: Kedibone Modise.

Nail polish works wonders is keeping your nails neat and elegant. Picture: Kedibone Modise.

Published Jun 1, 2017

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Today is National Nail Polish Day, a celebration which allows you to try all shades of colour by painting your nails.

This day also celebrates durable lacquers and gels that last longer and provide variety.

Shades and colours differ from season to season but just because it’s winter, that doesn’t mean one cannot have bright colours on your nails.

The good thing about painting your natural nails instead of going for artificial ones is that nail polish protects the nails.

It is also better because it’s easy to remove and try out other colours instantly unlike acrylic.

However, there are certain procedures that one has to follow when applying nail polish, to avoid the yellowish stain at the distal edge of the nail plate.

Here are five steps on how to apply nail polish

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1.Prepare your nails

First you need to clean your nails. You can either use acetone or nail polish remover. If your nails are not in shape, buffer them to a shape that you want using nail buffer.

2.Base coat

Apply primer as a base and leave it to dry for about 60 seconds. It’s very important not to miss it because it protects your nails from turning yellow. Some nail polishes don’t really need a base coat but when using a lacquer polish, you definitely need a base.

3.Apply nail polish

When applying nail polish, try to be neat as possible and you have to apply double coats to make it last longer. If you happen to make a mistake, it’s fine, just have an earbud handy that you can dip into the remover and fix your nail.

4. Top coat

After applying the second coat of your nail polish, wait for about 2 minutes before applying top coat. Top coat is meant to give you that extra shine look and act as a seal for your nail polish.

5. Allow to dry completely

Don’t rush into doing anything after painting your nails. Wait until they are thoroughly dry. You can either use the laser nail dryer to speed up the process, especially with gel polish since it takes longer to dry.

Nicely painted nails will always boost your confidence. Picture: Thobile Mazibuko.

Another thing with nail polish is that you shouldn't stay with it for too long, at least change it weekly. Avoid keeping chipped nail polish, as soon as it starts cracking, remove it. Chipped nails are not sexy at all!

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