As the horror waves through you, before you know it, you’re peeling away the beautiful bright colour, back to your boring bare nail. Then you attack the other nails so they’re all bare and suddenly you’re surrounded by flecks of that pretty pink shade that took ages to do. And you sigh. 

Well, fear not, because we’ve got all the top tips to keep your tips in tip-top shape. 

Roll, don’t shake

We know it feels natural to shake a nail varnish bottle once you’ve chosen your colour(s) but just don’t do it. In shaking the bottle, you’ll put air bubbles in it, which will, in turn, make the polish all bubbly during application. You’re best off gently rolling it and letting those little metal balls do their job. 

Prep, prep, prep

Awesomeness takes work upfront, and the same is true for truly awesome manicures. Sort out your cuticles, wash your hands, dry them thoroughly and for goodness sake, do not touch your hair or face afterwards. We’re serious about this one! As soon as you touch your skin or hair, your nail will get oily and varnish won’t stick. As soon as you’ve washed and dried your hands, buffer the nail and get that varnish on! 

Do a Megan Trainor

Be all about the base and invest in a good base coat as this will really help your varnish stick and be chip-free. Just remember to seal the ends of your tips too, to reduce chipping potential. 

Thinly does it

You’re better off applying multiple thin layers than one or two big thick layers. Why? Because this will give the varnish a better chance to dry fully before you apply another layer, which will help make your nail varnish rock hard. 

Halt the hot water

Your nailbed expands when it’s in hot water, so showering soon after doing your nails is a big no-no otherwise your beautiful manicure will expand and crack from the heat. 

Unfortunately, no nail varnish is 100% chip-proof, but if you take time to perfect your polish routine, you’ll be in a much better position than you were before.