Keeping your nails presentable and chip-free is a daily battle. Choosing the length, color and brand is difficult. Several steps are necessary to keep nails looking wonderful and chip free for longer periods of time.
eHow Style recommends using nail polish remover as a primer before applying polish, even if there is no polish to remove, as it will prepare the nail by removing unnecessary oils. The website also recommends keeping nails well-shaped and matching the shape of your nail bed in order to prevent chipping and tearing.
Next, according to Styles 101, the second step is to apply a base coat, not a two-in-one formula, because the base coat is meant to strengthen nails as well as help the polish adhere to them. The website also suggests using a base coat with calcium gel, as it helps strengthen nails, and the nutrients prevent the nail from becoming brittle.
Lastly, Styles 101 recommends a good top coat. The top coat acts as a protective barrier and keeps the nails from chipping easily. It also gives the nail a nice shine. Styles 101 advises reapplying a top coat each day to keep polish intact and nails chip-free.
However, if the steps sound too labor-intensive, Sally Hansen created a new type of nail polish that revolutionizes nail care.
Salon Effects are nail polish strips that are easy to apply and last for a significant amount of time. They come in a variety of colors, designs and patterns and can be found at most drug and department stores for less than $10. The strips also last significantly longer than nail polish, up to 10 days with little or no chipping.
“I was really shocked by how long the polish strips stayed on for,” Aubree Worrell, junior early childhood studies major, said. “I really only took them off because my nails had grown out.”
Hansen describes these easy-to-apply strips as wearing like nail polish because they’re made of real nail polish. Each package includes 16 different sized strips. Hansen recommends filing and buffing nails prior to application.
Then, all that is left is to peel the strips, line them up on the nail and use the buffering file to bond the strip to the nail. Lastly, the excess strip needs to be smoothed out and the excess gently filed from the nail edge.
“The nails last forever, and don’t chip! Plus they are so easy to put on,” Tricia Pace, junior, said.
Are these strips better than old-fashioned nail polish?
Worrell explained how they are a better solution then getting a manicure. “The polish strips are fun and exciting because of all of the different patterns you can get them in,” Worrell said.
With these two methods of nail polish application, keeping nails looking beautiful and healthy is easier than ever.
