Tip For Professional Looking Nails, Wrap Them!

Hey Y'all!!

Today I'm going to give you the biggest tip I have for making your nail polish last, and for giving you a finished, professional look to your nails.  And this is for  NATURAL and ACRYLIC nails.  This is also one of my biggest pet peeves....everyone, acrylic and natural nails should wrap their nails! 

So what does it mean to wrap your nails?  Simple!  After painting your nail, all your going to do is run the brush on the free edge of your nail:

There are two ways to do this.  The first is like in the above picture where you use the tip of the brush and basically paint the edge.  This is best for acrylic ladies, or ladies like me with acrylic over their natural nails.

The second way, which is best for those with natural nails, is to run the side of the brush along the free edge like this:

Either way that is easier is great, they both work!

And I promise that not only will your nails look more professional, the color will last longer and have less wear on the tips.  Also, if you've ever heard of shrinkage from nail polish, you won't experience it.  Wrapping your nails eliminates shrinkage.

And don't forget to wrap your top coat too!!


Also, if you want to make your mani last even longer, every other day or as you notice wear, paint a fresh, thin coat of your polish and add another coat of top coat.  Don't forget to wrap them again!!

I hope you enjoyed today's tips!  Happy Polishing!!

How to Save Your Hands From Acetone

Hi y'all!!  Click here for a new tip on how to keep acetone from drying out your hands. (Bottom of the page).  Hope y'all find it useful!  Happy Polishing!!

For Everyone With Artificial Nails

I know salons won't be happy with my saying this, but women with acrylic nails can polish their own nails! There is absolutely no reason for you to be stuck with the same polish for two weeks, or to pay someone to change your polish, unless you that's what you want. These posts are for you too!

As I've said, I have acrylic over my natural nails (no tips). This is a recent development. I have a tendency to "jam" my hands...a lot! Right now I have two nails broken near the cuticle. Ouch!! So until I become more graceful, it's acrylic for me. Otherwise I have had natural nails for the last 14 years. And before that, I've gone back and forth between acrylic and natural. I even had a set when they first came out and were $100.00 for a full set. (I couldn't afford that all the time, so I eventually learned to do the acrylic myself.)

So for all my fellow "fake"' nailers, these tips, nail art designs and tips are for you too!!  Unless I specify, the instructions are the exact same for both acrylic and natural nails.  If they are different, there will be a note like this:
NOTE: For acrylic nails:

For natural nails:

So unless you see the above note, everyone does the exact same thing!  And remember if you ever have any questions, you can leave a note in the comment section or email me at glitteryfingers@gmail.com. 

Happy polishing!

To Acetone or Not To Acetone

The rules seem simple don't they? If you have natural nails, use acetone nail polish remover; if they are acrylic you have to use the non-acetone removers. I'm here to say, "Not true!"

Let me start by saying that I have acrylic over my natural nails, so you will know...this is what I do. Now for why that is not true. First, nail salons not only use acetone remover, they use 100% acetone on all types of nails. The second reason, non-acetone remover is weaker than water.

My recommendation: use the regular acetone nail polish remover regardless of what type of nails you have. Used normally (in other words, don't soak your nails in the remover), the acetone remover will not harm your artificial or natural nails. If you are concerned about the exposure to acetone, wear a latex glove on the hand holding the cotton with remover.  So why do I have non-acetone remover? For removing glitter from my nails using the foil method (the directions are here).

I do suggest using a cuticle cream or oil and lotion on your hands after removing nail polish. All types of removers can be hard on our skin.  Happy polishing!