Sally Hansen Nail Care for Beautifully Manicured Nails
One
of life's little pleasures is having great looking nails. There's just
something about looking down at your hands and staring at a beautiful
manicure. It's really not that difficult and will compliment your other
makeup and cosmeticsusage.
Remove old polish. Remove all traces of
existing polish.
File your nails.
Only file one direction. You'll weaken the nails if you saw back and
forth. Starting from the back of the nail, and going to the center, use
long, sweeping strokes. Avoid metal files; they are brutal on your
nails.
Soak your hands.
Fill a large bowl with soapy water and soak your hands in it for
several minutes. This helps to soften your cuticles and clean the
nails. Dry your hands when done, using a paper towel, not a cotton
towel. Cotton towels may leave behind lint that will show up in the
polish.
Fix up your cuticles. Use a cuticle pusher to push back your cuticles. Then use the pointy end to remove any remaining dirt from under your nails
Apply a base coat.
This helps prevent nails from staining, strengthens the nails, and also
allows for a smoother application of nail polish. Your nail naturally
secretes oil so a base coat helps the nail polish to adhere to your
nail better. Apply a thin, not thick coat. A thick coat will just cause
nail polish to smudge or take an extremely long time to dry. Make sure
the base coat is COMPLETELY dry before applying nail polish.
Apply nail polish.
Apply a second coat.
Apply a top coat.
The top coat is what protects your nail polish. Before you apply the
top coat, touch your nails and make sure they are completely dry. A top
coat gives nails an added extra shine and looks more professional. Top
coat will also help to prevent nail polish chipping and help your nail
polish to last much longer. Apply a top coat every few days for extra
protection and shine.
