9 Easy Steps For Painting Your Nails Perfectly At Home

Are you tired of wasting time and money at a nearby Nail Salon? Instead, save money and time by polishing your nails at home.

Are you sick and tired of spending lots of money at a fancy Nail Spa? Why waste time and money at a Nail Salon, when you can just paint your own nails at home? Not only is painting your own nails at home easy, but you can save precious time and money. 

With that being said, let's dive into how you can perfectly paint your nails step-by-step at home. If you want to make things fun, call over a group of friends and let the manicures begin! 

Here is a step-by-step guide for painting your nails perfectly at home:

1. Clean Your Nails With Nail Polish Remover 

Cleaning your nails with a nail polish remover is an awesome way to prep your nails for a manicure. Nail polish removers, such as Sally Hansen's Nail Polish Remover, does a great job of getting rid of any old nail polish from a previous manicure. Despite the strong smell, nail polish removers also do a great job of removing nail gel or glitter from your nails pretty quickly. 

With that being said, you should grab a couple of cotton balls, pour some nail polish remover onto the cotton balls, and remove any old nail gel or polish from your nails. Nail polish remover can also remove excess dirt found on your nails. 

using nail polish remover to remove old polish

2. Push Back Your Cuticles With A Wooden Stick

Now since you have cleaned your nails with a nail polish remover, you can use a wooden stick to gently push back your cuticles. When you gently push back your cuticles with a wooden stick, your nails will appear longer which leaves more room for you to paint your nails. 

In order to do this, you can moisten your cuticles with a moisturizer before you decide to push your cuticles back. Moisturizing your cuticles can make pushing the cuticles back easier and a lot less painful. 

pushing back cuticles for manicure

3. Clip, File, And Buff Your Natural Nails 

After cleaning your nails with polish remover and pushing back your cuticles with a wooden stick, you should clip, file, and buff your natural nails.

Clipping your nails with a nail clipper is an awesome way to prepare and shape your nails before a manicure. Clipping your nails is a great way to keep your nails even in length for painting your nails. Besides, trimming your nails can also maintain the health of them. 

You should also file your nails with a nail filer in order to prepare and shape your nails for a manicure. Depending on the length of your natural nails, you can file your nails into an oval, square, or almond shape. Keep in mind, that there are plenty of other shapes you can try and shape your nails. Whichever shape you decide to file your nails into is totally up to you. 

To add on, you can also buff your nails with a nail buffer block to give your nails a smooth and sheen look. Buffing your nails can also make painting your nails simple. 

woman using a nail file for own manicure

4. Apply A Base Coat To Your Natural Nails 

Since you have finished with most of these steps in order to prepare your nails for a manicure, you should apply a base coat.

When applying a base coat to your natural nails, the application of the nail polish will be much smoother. A base coat can also extend the length time of your manicure.

5. Choose The Nail Polish Color You Desire 

Since you have finished applying a base coat, you should pick a nail polish color you desire! Whether it's a nude color like beige, a vibrant color like yellow, a dark color like black, or a bold color like red, you should choose a nail polish color that you like!

If you want to switch things up, you can also choose two nail polish colors to polish your nails with. 

choose nail polish to polish your nails

6. Start Painting Your Nails and Allow Time To Dry 

Woohoo! Since you have chosen your polish color(s), it's time for you to start painting your nails! When painting your nails, you should take your time polishing them. You should also use the right amount of polish when polishing your nails. You don't want to use way too much polish, or too little. Just the right amount of polish should do the job.  

Use light, and gentle strokes. If you paint the outside of your nails, use some nail polish remover to remove the excess polish. 

Once you have finished polishing your nails, you should give them at least 10 to 15 minutes to dry. If you want to be cautious, give it an extra 20 minutes. 

woman polishing her own nails

7. Apply A Clear Top Coat Over Polished Nails 

Once your nails have finished drying, you should apply a clear top coat to your nails. Applying a clear coat to your nails can give your polished look a wonderful shine! Applying a clear coat can also help your manicure last longer!

When you have finished applying a top coat, you can take a few extra minutes for the clear nail coat to dry. 

8. Enjoy Your Newly Polished Nails 

Now since your manicure is finished, you can enjoy any activity that you please!  Besides, your nails look spectacular! This is a great time to snap some pictures of your brand new manicure and share them on your social media! Tag some friends and family members; who knows, maybe you'll gain some nail admirers! 

woman showing off her polished nails

9. Remove Your Nail Polish After A Week or Two

After a week or two, your fabulous manicure will start to peel off. When this happens, it is an awesome idea to remove your old polish with a nail polish remover. However, you can prevent your nail polish from peeling quickly if you touch up your nails with a clear coat every one or two days. 

To conclude, polishing your nails at home is easy and most of all, affordable! Instead of wasting your money and precious time at a Nail Salon, you can give yourself a manicure at home!

As long as you take proper care of your newly polished nails, they will last for quite some time!

With these steps, you can always return and do your manicure at any time!

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Opinions and Perspectives

SelfLoveClub commented SelfLoveClub 3 years ago

Using a light colored polish first helps dark colors look more even.

0
SereneSoul commented SereneSoul 3 years ago

Still can't get my right hand to look as good as my left. Practice continues!

3
JoyfulJourney commented JoyfulJourney 3 years ago

Quick dry drops are worth mentioning. They've been a total game changer for me.

3

I find the whole process relaxing. Its my me time now.

4
Edgy_Glam_101 commented Edgy_Glam_101 3 years ago

The tip about touching up with clear coat every couple days is so helpful.

8

Has anyone tried gel polish at home? Thinking about investing in a UV lamp.

1
Fashion_Hub commented Fashion_Hub 3 years ago

Definitely agree about the clear top coat. Makes everything look so professional.

2
Phoebe_Soul commented Phoebe_Soul 3 years ago

Love doing my own nails but miss the social aspect of going to the salon.

0

I invested in good tools and it made such a difference in my results.

8
Darla_Soft commented Darla_Soft 3 years ago

The smell of polish remover gives me headaches. Any alternatives?

5

Never thought about taking pictures for social media. Great idea for tracking progress!

6
Classic_Vogue_27 commented Classic_Vogue_27 3 years ago

I've found watching nail art videos really helped improve my technique.

8
Dapper-Aesthetic commented Dapper-Aesthetic 3 years ago

The article makes it sound easier than it is. Still working on my technique.

2
Style_Queen_01 commented Style_Queen_01 3 years ago

These steps are great but timing is everything. I always rush and mess up.

4
GoodVibesOnly commented GoodVibesOnly 3 years ago

My polish always looks streaky. Maybe I'm not using enough coats?

7
IoneX commented IoneX 3 years ago

I switched to quick-dry drops and they're a game changer. No more waiting forever.

1

The clean-up process is my least favorite part. Takes forever to get polish off my skin.

0
CharlotteBrown commented CharlotteBrown 3 years ago

I've started using gloves for dishes and it's made my manicures last so much longer.

5
SelfWorthMatters commented SelfWorthMatters 3 years ago

Does anyone else find their polish chips faster in summer?

6
Glam-Guru commented Glam-Guru 3 years ago

I always get bubbles in my top coat. Any suggestions?

3

The article should mention how to prevent staining when using dark colors.

5
WellnessWarrior commented WellnessWarrior 3 years ago

Anyone else struggle with getting the right amount of polish on the brush?

8
Ava_Rose commented Ava_Rose 3 years ago

I actually enjoy the process of painting my own nails. It's become a form of meditation for me.

0
Hope99 commented Hope99 3 years ago

The savings are incredible. I used to spend $40 every two weeks at the salon!

1
Autumn_Collins commented Autumn_Collins 3 years ago

What about nail art? I'd love some tips on doing simple designs at home.

5
AnnaGrace commented AnnaGrace 3 years ago

I find the whole process really therapeutic. Its become my Sunday evening ritual.

8
Luxe_Vintage commented Luxe_Vintage 3 years ago

You can add a few drops of polish thinner to revive old polish. Works like magic!

3
Haute_Curation commented Haute_Curation 3 years ago

The article should warn about using old polish. Mine always gets thick and stringy.

8

Practice makes perfect! My first attempts were awful but now I get compliments all the time.

3

Im not convinced about doing this at home. I've tried multiple times and it never looks professional.

0
Beatrice_Cloud commented Beatrice_Cloud 3 years ago

Anyone else feel like their polish never dries as fast as the article suggests?

5

The wooden stick tip is great! I used to use metal tools and always damaged my nails.

0
Anya_Daydream commented Anya_Daydream 3 years ago

I've found that thin coats work better than thick ones, even if you need more layers.

4
PearlH commented PearlH 3 years ago

My secret is using a ridge-filling base coat. Makes everything look so much smoother.

7
Zara_Twilight commented Zara_Twilight 3 years ago

I wish they'd mentioned how to deal with ridges in natural nails. Mine are so hard to paint smoothly.

4

Roll the polish bottle between your hands instead of shaking it. That prevents air bubbles.

2

I always end up with air bubbles in my polish. Even when I follow all these steps perfectly.

5

Just tried this method and my nails look amazing! The buffing step really makes a difference.

2

I never thought about doing manicure parties with friends. Such a fun idea for a girls night in!

5
Stella_Wright commented Stella_Wright 4 years ago

Anyone else terrible at pushing back their cuticles? I always seem to hurt myself.

8
Madeline commented Madeline 4 years ago

The article should mention that cheaper polishes often need more coats. I learned that the hard way.

3
VibeWithNature commented VibeWithNature 4 years ago

I actually prefer doing my nails at home now. It's become my weekly self-care ritual.

2
Eleanor_Phillips commented Eleanor_Phillips 4 years ago

These steps are helpful but they forgot to mention how important good lighting is. I always mess up in dim light.

3
ElodieLynn commented ElodieLynn 4 years ago

The money savings are great, but I miss the hand massage at the salon. It's not the same doing it yourself.

4
Haute_Hues commented Haute_Hues 4 years ago

I disagree about waiting 10-15 minutes between coats. I wait at least 30 minutes to avoid smudging.

3
DanaJ commented DanaJ 4 years ago

Try applying some petroleum jelly around your nails before painting. Makes clean-up so much easier!

4
HaileyB commented HaileyB 4 years ago

My issue is always getting polish on my skin. No matter how careful I am, it happens every time!

0
The_Fashion_Club commented The_Fashion_Club 4 years ago

The article doesn't mention this, but I've found using cold water after painting helps the polish dry faster.

4
KennedyM commented KennedyM 4 years ago

I thought the same at first, but once you get the hang of it, the whole process takes less than 30 minutes.

8
Trendy_Chic commented Trendy_Chic 4 years ago

Am I the only one who thinks this is still too time-consuming? I'd rather pay someone else to do it perfectly.

2
NadiaH commented NadiaH 4 years ago

Thanks for that tip! I've been doing it all wrong trying to move the brush around my fingers.

5

I find painting my non-dominant hand works better if I rest my elbows on a table and rotate the finger I'm painting instead of moving the brush.

4
SawyerX commented SawyerX 4 years ago

Honestly, I still struggle with painting my right hand since I'm right-handed. Any tips for that?

5
Rosalie-Weiss commented Rosalie-Weiss 4 years ago

The base coat tip is so important. I used to skip it and wondered why my polish chipped so quickly. Now my manicures last nearly two weeks!

1
Vivian-Bryant commented Vivian-Bryant 4 years ago

I love doing my own nails at home! I've saved so much money since I stopped going to the salon. These tips are really helpful, especially the part about moisturizing cuticles before pushing them back.

4

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