My nail care routine

Hey everyone! I often fail at painting my nails and most of the polish ends up on my fingers but I have recently found a way that works for me. It's very time consuming but I think it's worth it, at least once in a while. 

1. The first step I take in my manicure is shaping my nails. I do this by cutting and filing as needed. I like to file my nails to the same length so that they're able to grow evenly. This makes your nails look more put together or "professional". I also push my cuticles back with a cuticle stick so that I have a flat surface to work with. 

2. Next I paint my nails with a base coat to protect my nails from discoloration and staining. My favorite one at the moment is the Revlon colorstay gel-smooth base coat. It truly does feel like a gel formula.

 

 I then begin to paint my nails very slowly and carefully. The key is to not have too much polish on your brush, but to also not have too little. I like to wipe away the excess at the top of the nail polish bottle. Painting your nails takes a lot of patience. 
An important thing to remember is that your should let your nails dry completely between coats. This will make it easier for the brush to glide along your nail as opposed to getting stuck on half dry polish. Most polishes take 2-3 coats, but if you're lucky you can find a polish that only requires one!
3. Step 3 is to apply a top coat. Top coats prevent chipping while adding a beautiful shine. 

 The photo on the left shows nails without a topcoat. They have no shine and will most likely get chipped within hours. However, the nails on the right have a glossy shine and will last a little longer. If I have time and I'm in the mood, I like to re-apply a topcoat every day or two to prevent chips. I personally do this because I chip my nails very easily although re-applying is not necessary.

The top coat I use matches the base coat. I love them equally!

The polish I chose was Revlon's dreamer. It's a sophisticated pale blue quite similar to Essie's bikini so teeny.
I like to stay away from dark colors such as reds, dark pinks, and dark purples. These colors can stain your nails and are very difficult to remove, especially red! Although I do wear these occaisonaly.

I prefer to stick to pales and brights for easy removal! =)
That's all for today. I hope your enjoyed my nail routine. This is just what works best for me!