Like most women, I am busy and don’t have a lot of time going to a nail salon for a regular or gel manicure, not to mention it can get costly. So every weekend I carve out 10 minutes in the morning to do my nails at home immediately after my facial and hair masks.
My prefer nail polish is the Essie Gel Couture with no UV Lamp needed. My favorite colors are Model Clicks (shown in these photos), Living Legend (red), and Radiant Cut (pale pink). I’ve been wearing their gel nails for a couple years now because they are the only nail polish that would not chip at all for at least 7 days.
To prep for my weekly polish, my nails are usually free of any polish the day before so my nails get to rest. I never soak my nails in water before any application because it can reduce the bond between nails and polish, making it chip more quickly and easily.
Here are my tried and true method that takes me less than 10 minutes to do.
STEP 1 FILE
Shape my nails into a soft square using a thin filer. I got mine at Walgreens but you can get it at any nail supply stores, Target, Walmart, or any drugstores.
STEP 2 CLEAN UP
Push back cuticles with a metal stick (orangewood stick is better), then use a snipper tool to cut the cuticles.
STEP 3 BUFF’EM
I use a buffer (Walgreens has some affordable ones) that has one fine-grain side and one sponge side. If you want to buff your nails only get a buffer that has one fine-grain side and on rubber side. Go back and forth with the rough side, then repeat with the smooth side for crazy shine.
STEP 4 BASE COAT
I always use a base coat even though you don’t need to when applying the Essie Couture Gel polish.
STEP 5 POLISH AND REPEAT
I polish each nail with three strokes of polish starting from the center. I apply a second coat 2 minutes after the first coat is dry
STEP 6 TOPCOAT
Applying a topcoat helps the polish last longer. I always run the brush along the tips to prevent chipping.
What I love about the Essie Gel Couture polish is that they dry super fast. It also doesn’t discolor my nails. This is truly a long lasting nail polish. And you can easily remove the polish with a nail polish remover.
Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post.
