Nails! What am I doing wrong?

[Nicnivin]

Ok I love having my nails painted but I don't want to go to the salon and have them done for money reasons. The problem is when I do my nails myself less than 12 hours later the color is chipping off.

I am currently using Sally Hanson products, I want to try China Glaze. I am putting on a base coat, 2 layers of color then top coat. Any recommendations?

I really want to get back to painting my nails but when the color doesn't stay on for longer than 12 hours I get pissed and give up on doing them. Thanks!

 

[Goat Goat Etc.]

Are you washing them real good after removing your other polish? Or when you're not wearing any polish?

Do you use any particular quick dry product on top of your polish?
I've been screwed over by a few that dried so fast they lifted all the coats underneath and the next day it all fell off in one perfect shell.

 

[cutegingerbread]

maybe it's the base/top coat you are using?

I find that seche vite fast dry top coat helps my nail polish dry fast and last longer.

also, if i buff and shine my nails my polish lasts a lot longer =]

 

[martiangurll]

I agree with both above. Use acetone free polish remover to get a good surface, then base coat, 2 coats of polish and a good top coat. THen be patient and let them dry...

 

[Mabelle]

sally hansen's hard as nails platinum as a top coat

 

[Nicnivin]

I washed, buffed, polished then paint and don't do a thing till they are completely dry.

 

[makeupgirl224]

I'm a licensed nail tech. The polishes, base and top coat have a lot to do with it. Make sure you remove all oils, lotion and particle before you polish your nails. I would recommend Sticky by Creative Nail Design as a base coat and their top coats are pretty good as well. As far as polishes go...I would recommend OPI, Essie and Creative. China Glaze isn't so bad either.

 

[Face2Mac]

I think it has to do with base coats and topcoats. Sometimes you have to do a basecoat sandwich: bc, polish, polish, basecoat (again), then topcoat. The popular basecoats are Orly Bonder, CND sticky and Sally Hansen Quencher. I can get 3-4 days wear out of layering basecoats and buffing.

 

[Hikaru-chan]

Try and get old of a prepping liquid that you use before nail extensions (not to be confused with nail primer) these are designed to remove surface oils so it will help keep the nail polish on for longer.

Also if you have painted on top of a oily nail plate chances are you've transferred some of the oils back into the bottles of polishes, if this is the case you will always have problems and your best bet would be to replace base and top coat.

 

[Babylard]

i swear by konad top coat. my nails are gorgeous for at least a week. buff your nail before painting them helps too.

 

[martiangurll]

Maybe it is the products. Are they SH quick dry polish? I have been using China Glaze and OPI and get a good 4 or 5 days without chipping but I have UV gel underneath...

Maybe try a different top coat and base coat with the SH polish

 

[ruthless]

Some nail polish formulas are just more prone to chip.

I prefer (and read this in a magazine recently , it's a tip from a celeb manicurist)
to do two rather thick coats of polish and just let them dry rather than several thin coats, as they're more resistant to chipping. You do have to wait longer for the coats to dry.

Start with your clean nails, use your base coat then do a heavy handed coat. Let it dry, then do another. You may benefit from "wrapping" your tips which means on the second coat of polish you pull the colour over and under your nail tip. You'd want to put base coat under there too to prevent staining.

Because I do thicker coats I am more prone to denting and smudging I prefer to use Seche Vite as a topcoat.

I tend to do manicures just before bed time, so I don't have any chores to do that would fuss with my manicure.

If none of this sounds like a good idea to you, try a base coat like Orly Bonder which is supposed to extend the life of your manicure.

Good luck!