Lockdown life has helped everyone master many beauty-related skills —from cutting our hair to performing facials at home, we could pretty much do everything of our own. But when it comes to getting a salon-like manicure, the results are not satisfactory. There are a lot of manicure mistakes for your failed attempts.
According to recent survey, most of the woman would spend approximately 500 dollars per year on the nails. As nail care and nail art are popular on the social media, it has grabbed the attention of people and they have taken an interest in getting used to their beauty routine. However providing yourself a good manicure without knowing the key techniques could ruin your all image or even at worse put the health at risk.
But fear not, ladies! We have got your back. Below given are eight common mistakes which you need to avoid if you are serious about stepping up your manicure game.
1. Not washing the tools
Using any tools without cleaning them properly first can transfer as well as flush the bacteria and dirt deeper into the nail roots, so, it is vital to start your manicure by first washing the tools with a disinfectant. It is also important to store the tools in a breathable container and then clean them after and before every use.
2. Not using basecoat
Right, we are all guilty for not applying a basecoat since we want to quicken the process. But do you know, our nails process natural oils which prevent the color from accumulating on the nails, which results into chipping? A basecoat turns into a protective layer which prevents the unwanted chipping and breaking. It is usually like a primer for the nails and should not be skimped.
Also Read: 10 Useful Tips For Beautiful & Manicured Nails At Home
3. Sliding back and fourth
While buffing the nails, most of the ladies use back and forth movements to get smooth base. However the back and forth rubbing process leads to tiny cracks on the nail roots which are rarely visible to the naked eye. But when you apply the nail polish, it fills in those cracks and then ends up looking brittle and uneven. The filing must be done in a single direction and circular motion for the perfect result.
4. Using Q-tips
Many websites suggest using Q-tips to correct your manicure mistakes. This might seem as the good idea, but the cotton strand — no matter how small — could easily stick to the nail polish and then ruin your amazing manicure. In place of a Q-tip, always use a very thin makeup brush for cleaning that area.
5. Not using nail polish around edges
While applying nail paint, is no rocket science which most of the women forget to use it around the sharp edges. This causes water to get trapped between the nail and nail polish, causing it to chip and break very easily. Therefore, do not forget to use some nail paint around these edges of the nail to increase the life of your manicure.
Also Read: 6 Different Types of Manicure You Should Know About!
6. Shaking the nail polish bottle
It is a common sense for everyone that we think that by shaking the nail polish bottle we would distribute the color especially when the polish is running very low. What we did not know is by shaking the nail polish bottles we are usually mixing the air trapped in the bottle with the nail polishes which cause tiny bubbles, else known as tiny pockets; then we begin painting and polish looks uneven with little bubbles transferring from nail polish to our fingernail.
7. Drying nails in cold water
Drying the nails in cold water is known tip for any people who like to dry the freshly polished nails faster. However, this is simply a myth, cold water only hardens the nails instead of drying these, the formula of the regular nail polish always requires oxygen to dry and not the liquid. When people dip your fingers in cool water and wait for these to dry what it actually does is harden manicure and causes it to remove from the nails since it was not completely dry.
8. Cutting the cuticles
We have all feel en guilty of doing it because we have seen it done to us by many professionals, however, cutting the cuticles is a big health risk, due to the fact that you leave the unprotected cuts on the fingers which can potentially get infected. Also, when thee cuticles start growing, they come back with flaky and messy look which completely ruins the look.
Also Read: DIY Gel Manicure
If you like the look of nipped cuticles, the best thing for you would be to use the rosewood stick and then push them back. This way you would protect the fingernails from getting infected while achieving the aesthetic look that you wish for.