Pretty Pointers: Nail a Perfect 10

Your hands say a lot about you. So, always make sure your hands are clean and well-groomed.

Step One: Smooth Operator

First of all, remove any polish you have on your nails. A regular old cotton pad soaked with polish remover should do the trick. Next trim your nails down to the size you want. Make sure you trim in small cuts instead of one big one. Now you're ready to file the nails. Always file in one direction, not back and forth, rounding the corners of your nails as you go. Filing should be done with minimal pressure and should NEVER hurt!

Step Two: Clean Queen

After you have gotten your nails into the shape you desire you should get them cleaned. Let hands soak in a bowl of warm water for at least 5 minutes. Then exfoliate and cleanse them with a hand cleaner, Bliss Mandarin Hand Scrub Soap does the trick nicely. Dry hands off with a soft towel and get ready to push back your cuticles. Use a cuticle pusher to gently push cuticles back. NEVER cut living tissue from the cuticle. This can let infection get in.

Step Three: Prep for Polish

These next steps will ensure your polish goes on evenly and stays for a long time. Make sure your hands are completely dry first. Use a buffer to even out ridges. This next step is one of the most important ones, make sure you apply a base coat. Your base coat should go on dull and be quick to dry. You also want it to be a bit sticky, this gives your nail color a better surface. Now you're ready for color. Find one you like and get ready to apply.

Step Four: Color Care

Apply color from the base of the nail up to the tip, making sure you have as little polish on the brush as possible. Don't worry if you get polish on the skin around the nail, you can remove this easily with a cotton swab and some polish remover. It should only take three or four strokes to fill the nail. Let nails dry a couple minutes before coats, two coats should be all you need. Lastly, apply your top coat and then let them dry completely.