In a perfect world, my butler would bring me breakfast in bed every day and give me manicures, but, alas, life is cruel. I have neither the time nor the money to get my nails done on the regular, so DIY it is! If, like me, you lack butler and budget, yet love a good manicure, then I bet you're all ears when it comes to smart nail hacks, tips, and tricks.
Whether you're into detailed nail art, or just want to know how to easily fix smudges, these nail hacks will make your at-home manicures so much easier. Now you just have to do the hard part … pick your color!
Image © AndreaAstes/iStock and Nik Merkulov/shutterstock
Extend the Life of Grown-Out Gel Manicure
Instagrammer cbaumgarten has this clever and pretty way to extend the life of your grown-out gel manicure: Trim your nails, then fill in the grown-out top part with glitter polish. Gen. Ius.
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Use Carmex to Soften Your Cuticles
Use your favorite, super affordable lip balm to keep your cuticles pretty. Just rub a little bit in while you gently push them back. Carmex also helps heal cracked or dry cuticles!
Use Tape to Create Diagonal Designs
The bloggers Amity and Mira of Cream and Sugar Please used tape to create this pretty manicure with contrasting colors. Make sure your bottom color (in this case, the gold) is COMPLETELY DRY before you try this easy trick!
Start Painting HALFWAY Down Your Nail
"When you polish the nail, don't start at the cuticle," says Natasha Poliakov, co-owner of Marina & I Nail Salon in Riverwoods, IL. "If you start in the middle of the nail, you will reduce the chance of 'flooding' the cuticle." Who knew?
Whiten Your Nails With Baking Soda & Hydrogen Peroxide
Instagrammer lauraabeamm shares this easy method for naturally whitening nails that have been discolored by dark polish. Mix up a paste of 1 tablespoon hydrogen peroxide and 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Apply a generous amount to your nails, then let it sit for five minutes. Rinse off, and find your fresh new nails!
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Panty Liners to the Rescue
Out of cotton balls? No problem! (Thanks to Instagrammer hannahs_manis for this brilliant solution.)
Don't Treat Gel Polish Like Regular Nail Polish
If you're doing gel polish at home, don't think of it as regular nail polish, advises Danielle Candido, northeast manager of education for Gelish. "Thinner is better," she says. "Gel polish layers on to build to the color you want to see, so don’t try to paint it on like it is a regular lacquer."
The ultra pink color pictured here is Gelish Soak Off Gel Nail Polish in Go Girl ($10, sallybeauty.com).
Clean Your Messy Manicure in Seconds
Paint around your nails with OPI Natural Nail Base Coat — or Elmer's Glue! After you paint your nails, you can peel it off, taking any mess along. Check out this nail hack tutorial for all the details.
Use Sharpies for Easy Nail Art
Don't want to mess around with nail art tools? Grab your Sharpies! Check out this Sharpie nail art tutorial for the how-to.
Dabble - Don't Paint - Glitter Polish
To get maximum glitter particles, don't PAINT your first layer of polish. Instead, DABBLE your glitter polish!
'Cheat' a Striped Mani With Tape & Pens
Want a cute striped manicure but don't have a steady hand? Grab a permanent marker, some tape, and follow this easy nail hack tutorial.
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Fix Smudges With Nail Polish Remover
If you've smudged your not-quite-dry nails, you might (after shaking your angry fist at the heavens) be tempted to try to fix it with more nail polish. NO! Instead, dip the pad of a finger into a little nail polish remover and gently smooth out the smudge. Magic! Watch this tutorial on how to fix smudged nails for the lowdown.
