Eight nail varnish tips

Are you planning a nail painting session any time soon? Before you get started, have a read of these tips:

1. Use iced water to dry nails

No time to wait for your talons to dry (and let’s face it, who does?) leave them for 30 seconds and then dip them into a bowl of iced water. Your nails will dry completely in a matter of seconds.

2. Make your own dotting tool

If you want to give nail art a go, use the head of a pin as a homemade dotting tool. Stick the pin into a pencil eraser, then dip the head of the pin into your nail colour of choice and dot away.

3. Use petroleum jelly to protect cuticles

To protect your cuticles from wayward nail polish strokes, coat them in petroleum jelly before you get started. When you’re done painting, just wipe away the jelly for pristine cuticles.

4. Use a white base to make colours pop

Applying a white nail varnish as a base really helps bright colours pop. This also works well for sheer, nude tones to give them a bit of oomph.

5. Try toothpaste to get rid of stains

If your darker nail varnishes are leaving you with stained nails, try scrubbing them with a nailbrush and some toothpaste.

6. Roll nail varnish bottles

Shaking your nail varnish can create tiny air bubbles which will only rise to the surface when you start painting your nails. Instead, roll your nail varnish bottles between the palms of your hand to mix the colour.

7. Apply colour in thin coats

For colour that dries faster and lasts longer, apply it in three or four thin coats rather than one or two thick coats.

8. Use an eyeshadow brush to clean-up mistakes

A slanted eyeshadow brush makes the perfect tool for varnish clean-up. Just dip the brush into some nail varnish remover and clean any stray bits of polish. Make sure you keep this brush separate to your other make-up brushes – nail varnish remover and eyes do not mix!