Nail Tech Tricks and Tips
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Here’s a few pro tips I have been using for 25+ years as a nail tech to achieve long lasting manis.
- clean and prep the nail plate. Make sure it is free of any oils, debris, fragrance, acetone additives, use a dab of Glisten & Glow Dry + Prep (apply with the provided brush and apply to the nail plate) or rubbing alcohol on a lint free pad or cotton round and wipe in a downward motion away from the cuticle. Prep the underside and side walls of the nail also
-paint 1-2 thin layers of your desired base coat (we love using Glisten & Glow base coat or ridge filling base coat) and allow to fully try between coats. Pay careful attention to the cuticle area, side walls and tips. Get as close as possible and wrap the tips)
(If you have ridges in your nails use a sticky base coat first and then a ridge filling base coat after that)
- paint 2-3 thin coats of your desired colored nail polish, again allow to fully dry between coats. (Paint the colored polish a tad lower then the base coat line at the cuticle area and side walls but wrap the tips on the free edge)
(do not use artificial forms of dry such as fans, sprays or drops these will not allow the polish to dry evening and will only provide a surface dry quickly)
-paint 1-2 thin layers of top coat over the colored polish, some like the float method over nail art. Paint the top coat up to the line of the base coat. (So past the colored polish line) now your allowing the top coat to do adhere to the sticky base coat and create a protective layer and a “sandwich” between the colored polish! Seal that beauty in! Wrap the tips of course! Allow to fully dry!
It’s important to paint any top coat past the colored polish line of the nail. So by the cuticle area, side walls and the tips of the nails. Painting top coat past the colored polish line allows it to fully seal the colored polish!
-once your mani is fully dry, wash your hands with soap and warm water, pat dry and apply your desired cuticle oil, lotions etc (this is where fragranced products can be used, once the all layers of the polish are dry so that it doesn’t interfere with the chemical make up of polish that can cause chipping, cracking, clouding, yellowing, shorter wear time etc)
Additionally please wear gloves when doing household chores ie washing dish, cleaning etc to assist in the longevity of your mani. Significant use of other solvents such as hand sanitizer, and rubbing alcohol and products that contain fragrance especially vanilla can also break down the chemical composition of base coat, ridge filler, colored nail polish, top coat etc. please try to avoid significant use of these products directly on your nails. Additionally, nails can discolor if tanning in both natural sun and tanning beds. Clothing dye from jeans, black pants, leggings and other clothing or bags that have darker colors can rub up against your nails and over time that bleeding dye from the above can cause your top layer of either top coat or polish to discolor to a brown, black, gray or blue shade. Please be aware this is normal with any nail lacquer or top coat.
Here’s a few pro tips I have been using for 25+ years as a nail tech to achieve long lasting manis.
- clean and prep the nail plate. Make sure it is free of any oils, debris, fragrance, acetone additives, use a dab of Glisten & Glow Dry + Prep (apply with the provided brush and apply to the nail plate) or rubbing alcohol on a lint free pad or cotton round and wipe in a downward motion away from the cuticle. Prep the underside and side walls of the nail also
-paint 1-2 thin layers of your desired base coat (we love using Glisten & Glow base coat or ridge filling base coat) and allow to fully try between coats. Pay careful attention to the cuticle area, side walls and tips. Get as close as possible and wrap the tips)
(If you have ridges in your nails use a sticky base coat first and then a ridge filling base coat after that)
- paint 2-3 thin coats of your desired colored nail polish, again allow to fully dry between coats. (Paint the colored polish a tad lower then the base coat line at the cuticle area and side walls but wrap the tips on the free edge)
(do not use artificial forms of dry such as fans, sprays or drops these will not allow the polish to dry evening and will only provide a surface dry quickly)
-paint 1-2 thin layers of top coat over the colored polish, some like the float method over nail art. Paint the top coat up to the line of the base coat. (So past the colored polish line) now your allowing the top coat to do adhere to the sticky base coat and create a protective layer and a “sandwich” between the colored polish! Seal that beauty in! Wrap the tips of course! Allow to fully dry!
It’s important to paint any top coat past the colored polish line of the nail. So by the cuticle area, side walls and the tips of the nails. Painting top coat past the colored polish line allows it to fully seal the colored polish!
-once your mani is fully dry, wash your hands with soap and warm water, pat dry and apply your desired cuticle oil, lotions etc (this is where fragranced products can be used, once the all layers of the polish are dry so that it doesn’t interfere with the chemical make up of polish that can cause chipping, cracking, clouding, yellowing, shorter wear time etc)
Additionally please wear gloves when doing household chores ie washing dish, cleaning etc to assist in the longevity of your mani. Significant use of other solvents such as hand sanitizer, and rubbing alcohol and products that contain fragrance especially vanilla can also break down the chemical composition of base coat, ridge filler, colored nail polish, top coat etc. please try to avoid significant use of these products directly on your nails. Additionally, nails can discolor if tanning in both natural sun and tanning beds. Clothing dye from jeans, black pants, leggings and other clothing or bags that have darker colors can rub up against your nails and over time that bleeding dye from the above can cause your top layer of either top coat or polish to discolor to a brown, black, gray or blue shade. Please be aware this is normal with any nail lacquer or top coat.