So I know this is super girlie, with no depth to it at all…but it makes me happy and hopefully it will make you happy too.
I love having on a new coat of nail polish. It’s fun when you are at work and look down to write something and see your hard work and patience (of sitting still long enough to let it dry) has paid off. It makes me feel…well, polished if you’ll excuse the pun. I wanted to do a fun silly post about my nail polish trick for you to enjoy. Even if you hardly ever wear nail polish, think about doing this and see if it doesn’t bring you even just the smallest bit of happiness.
I learned this from my hair stylist whose nails always look polished to perfection, even though my appointments are at the end of a day of having her hands in water and chemicals. I asked her how she keeps them so nice after a day of that and she told me she actually only polishes them once a week! The secret is not only the polish, which I’ll get to below, but to paint them before you go to bed. This way the polish can dry while you are sleeping. I know that sounds crazy but it works. I make sure I have my jammies on, my hair up in a ponytail (it’s long and I don’t need the polish in my hair overnight), my computer is on and the show I want to watch on Hulu is up and ready to push play. I make sure all I have to do is turn off the light and lay down. I just clasp my hands and let them hang over the side of the bed or lay them flat on top of me to dry. At first when she described this to me it sounded torturous like a straight-jacket! It’s really not I promise…you’re going to fall asleep and lay still anyways.
I use a clear coat and of course a color. My stylist recommended the OPI clear coat nail strengthener. I didn’t have any at the time so I just used my Maybelline Express Finish 50 second clear nail polish. I’ve loved this kind so much I’m on to the third bottle and have never thought about the OPI clear coat again. I do however use OPI nail color, and I love it! I also like the Sally Hansen Xtreme wear if you want to save a few bucks.
Here’s how I layer the polish, so that it last for at least 5 days:
- clear coat
- thin layer of color -I’ve discovered if I do a thin coat first I don’t get as many bubbles when my nails are dry
- thicker second layer of color
- two more layers of the clear coat
I know this sounds like an obscene amount of polish, but it’s necessary if it’s going to last through washing your hair, the dishes, etc. It will get you through up to five days without any chips out of the polish at all. It’s totally worth it since you are sleeping through the hardest part of painting your nails anyways…letting them dry without messing them up.
Painted fingernails make me happy.
All in fun & happiness, Torrie
(image: we heart it)