A lot of women - and a few men as well - apply nail polish on their fingers and toes as a matter of habit. They believe that painting their nails is part of good grooming. And for some, applying nail varnish is the basis of nail art, and many people see nail art as a way of expressing themselves.
If many women consider painting their finger- and toenails as a matter of hygiene, just as many women don't paint their nails. It's either they think applying polish is a waste of time or they simply don't know how to do it. If you belong to the latter category and want to learn how to apply nail lacquer, then here is a short and easy guide you can turn to on how to apply nail polish.
Before you do anything to your finger- or toenails, prepare your work area. Have your polish and manicure tools ready on your work table. Also, to minimize the mess and to prevent the polish from staining your work space, you should spread an old towel over its surface.
Remove old nail varnish off your finger- and toenails, if you have them, with a non-acetone nail polish remover. This will ensure that your new polish will spread evenly over your nail for a smooth and flawless appearance.
Wash your hands thoroughly so no dirt or debris gets onto your nails or into your nail polish while you're giving yourself a manicure.
Rub the bottle of the colorless base coat polish between your hands for around 20 or 30 seconds. Doing so will warm up the polish and get rid of the bubbles that may have formed inside the bottle.
Apply the base coat on your nails. Start from the middle of the nail bed and then work your way to the sides. Don't worry about staining your skin with the base coat. It's colorless, so no one will notice. Let it dry completely before you resume your work.
Rub the bottle of your colored polish between your hands, just like what you did in step four.
Apply the color coat on your nails, once again starting from the middle of the nail and working your way to the sides. Allow your coat to dry completely before you do anything else.
Apply the color coat for a second time if you want to have a deeper shade of nail polish. You can skip this part if you're satisfied with the shade of your previous color coat. Once again, let your nail varnish dry completely before you do anything.
Get a bottle of colorless polish and rub it between your hands, just like in step four.
Apply colorless polish as top coat on your nails. This will protect your finger- and toenails from chipping, as well as make your polish last at least a week longer. Allow this top coat to dry thoroughly.
After your top coat has completely dried, get a piece of cotton wad and wrap it tightly around the end of an orangewood stick. Dip the cotton end of this stick in your nail polish remover. And then, using the stick, remove the excess nail polish on the skin around your nails. This will give your manicure a sophisticated look.
If you want to, you can put stickers and glitter on your nails. Experiment with nail art to your heart's content.
