Ashlee Haman
Whether you want to learn how to do your nails ‘like a salon’ or just keep your nails healthy. Celebrity nail technician Madeleine Poole believes there are 10 things to avoid – just so your fingers look perfect.
These tip-offs are very simple: after all, you don’t have to try, but rather moderate your enthusiasm. So, here’s what to stop doing right now!
Sawing off gel polish
In the process of mechanically removing the coating, explains Madeleine, superfine layers of the plate are removed, which can lead to grooves. Poole advises applying cuticle oil to your fingers, then soaking their tips in nail polish remover for 10 minutes before removing the gel polish with an orange nail stick.
Peeling off polish with your nails
Every time you do it, you’re chipping off microscopic particles of your nail, which gives it a rough texture. Plus, you run the risk of damaging the tip that you use as a stud, so it’s best just to remove ‘worn out’ nail art at home or at a salon in good time.
Soaking your nails before a manicure
The plate absorbs water and therefore expands. Then it will dry (which takes hours, not just a few minutes) and return to its original size, but the coating will not be able to repeat this trick: it will cause the nail polish to peel off faster.
Don’t add acetone to thickened varnish
Well, at least not more than once when the “new” consistency comes as an untimely surprise. Any nail polish remover makes the nail polish less bright, it won’t lie flat on the plates and won’t last long.
Don’t do acrylic extensions
Acrylic is really bad for the health of your nails, plus the plates suffer from rough preparations. “Also, don’t forget that acrylic powder, full of chemicals, is not good for the lungs,” adds Poole.
Working too hard with a nail file
This, according to Madeleine, can lead to nail trauma. “Sometimes if a manicurist moves the file back and forth too aggressively, you can even see your nail moving back and forth like a loose tooth,” says Poole. She thinks too much speed also makes it hard to control the shape as the length fades too fast. The nail technician advises that the file should only be run in one direction from the edge of the nail to the center.
Nail biting
It’s not just mechanical damage; saliva is a highly aggressive liquid that makes nails weak and brittle. Plus, you can get bacteria under your nails that don’t belong in your stomach!
Painting “greasy” nails
All moisturizers – oils and lotions – must be thoroughly removed with a cloth dampened in nail polish liquid before applying, otherwise, the manicure will not last.
Using cotton wool to remove nail polish
“Cotton balls or discs are lint left on your nails that will ruin your manicure,” explains Poole. She advises using paper towels to remove the coating, which won’t drop the tiny fluff. Apply thick coats of varnish
If the first coat of nail polish is thick, it simply won’t have time to dry by the time you apply the second coat. At best this will result in a manicure that won’t last, at worst you’ll have to start all over again because the finish will be bubbly and uneven. Madeleine recommends applying thin coats of nail polish to all ten fingers in a row so that you’re right back to the pinky finger where you started when it’s set.
