When you’re wearing a plain bright colour on your nails, like red for example, the smoothness of your nails becomes particularly important. If you’re leaving it to the colour to make the statement, then make sure the surface is perfect as the slightest imperfection gets amplified. To get smooth nails is as easy as 1,2,3 – literally:
- Remove small problems. Those lucky ladies who get no flaky bits on their nails can happily skip this step. For everyone else, buff your nails lightly to get rid of them. Don’t buff unless it’s really necessary and don’t attempt to buff off ridges, this a big mistake. Too much buffing can cause your nails split, see the evidence here. Our reader’s Elina advice sums it up really well “Every buffing makes nails thinner, so it’s easier to break them. I do it, only if it’s really necessary – to hide little flaky bits.”
- Hide big problems. Now that we don’t have any flakes, let’s attack the ridges. If you have minor ridges, 1 or 2 coats of a ridge filler should even everything out. If you have problem or weak nails, you may need to do some layering. Gail, our reader, describes this technique (here) really well: “I use a combination of three. First I use Nailtiquies 2+ protein. On top of that goes Essie Ridge filler. Finally I use a coat of Sally Hansen Hard As Nails. Yes this is overkill but I am 60 years old and have splitting peeling nails…”
- Seal the deal. Steps 1 & 2 were about prepping your nails for a flawless nail colour application. After you’ve done that, make sure you seal the deal! While some polishes are glossier and easier to apply than others, adding a good quality top coat makes a huge difference. A good top coat (I swear by Essie Good To Go!) can make a budget polish brand look amazing. It will cover any final imperfections resulting in a picture perfect finish. Just what you wanted!
What are your tips and tricks for smooth nails and a picture perfect finish?
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