How to Paint Your Nails

Steps

1. 1
   Choose a nail polish in the color of your choice. Bring it to your manicure area/table. If you would like, you can choose a sticker (nail art) to put on your nails. There are hundreds to choose from.
   
   
2. 2
   Gather some cotton balls, then use an orange wood stick. nail polish remover, towel,newspaper, and clear nail polish. Paint your nails in a well-ventilated room. The fumes can be extremely dangerous to your health.
   
   
3. 3
   Take off any old polish. If you have any that is, especially if it's chipped. If you don't have any nail polish on, then swipe some nail polish remover over your nails before you begin painting, to get rid of any natural oils on your nails. This will keep the color smooth and help the color last longer.
   
   
4. 4
   Rub the bottle between your hands to warm the nail polish for about 25-30 seconds. Open it, and scrape some of the excess polish off on the side of the bottle. Don't shake it. Rolling the bottle keeps bubbles out of the polish and keep your nails smooth.
   
   
5. 5
   Apply one coat of clear nail polish (base polish works best!). Allow it to fully dry to the touch before proceeding. It's okay if some of the color gets on your skin. Nobody will be able to tell since there's no color!
   
   
6. 6
   Paint one stripe of color in the middle of your thumb or pinky nail. Then, paint a stripe on the left, continuing to the right. This subtly focuses the color in the middle of the nail. Remember to keep your hand steady. Don't worry if it looks too thin -- it's supposed to. Re-dip your brush into the bottle before starting the nail so the color is evenly distributed throughout your nails. Let it dry completely before adding your last coat. You may have to wait 10-20 minutes, so you may want to turn on your television or some music.
   
   
7. 7
   Add another coat of color if desired, depending on the shade of color you want. Bear in mind that if you want a color very similar to the bottle you should paint two coats, but if you want a lighter shade then skip to the next step. Let this dry. Remember that the top coat is the one everyone will see, and the one that you'll feel. Keep that coat smooth!
   
   
8. 8
   Paint a last coat of clear polish to keep the color lasting for at least one more week. This seals and protects the color.
   
   
9. 9
   Wait for your nails to dry completely before doing anything else. You can watch TV while you wait. Try not to wave your arms or shake your wrists frantically in an attempt to dry your nails. This can tone down the shine in your nails. Enjoy your freshly done nails!
   
   
10. 10
    Place a sticker on your nails gently. It's recommended that if you are going to do them on your thumbs to put it on the side of your thumb nail that you can see when you put your hand down flat.
    
    
11. 11
    Get fabulous! If you want textured and fashionable nails to suit the glamours style for 2013, then put on a base coat and sprinkle some sugar on, this makes them look like you have had a REALLY expensive job done on them because the sugar turns into little crystals all over the nail and leaves a shimmering finish. And it comes off just like normal nail polish!
    
    

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EditTips

• If your nail polish clumps up on your nail, remove it with the nail polish remover. If the nail polish is old, roll it between your hands to warm it up. Then, if clumping continues, put in a few drops of nail polish thinner, which can be found at your local beauty store.
• Apply more than one coat if the colour isn't strong enough.
• If your nails keep breaking and the nail polish makes them look gross, buy some nail hardening fluid (this can be found in the makeup section of drugstores, department store and chemist shops) which you apply before the nail polish. It will make your nails nice and strong so they look long and pretty when painted.
• Put the nail polish bottle in very warm water while doing your nails to keep the polish even.
• Painting with your opposite hand can be very tricky. Take your time painting that hand. If you get too fed up, then ask someone to paint it for you.
• If doing a stripe get some tape and put it on the painted part. Only do this when the tape is becoming dry.
• Put Vaseline around your nail before painting. The Vaseline will make any nail polish on your skin wipe away easily.
• You can use a bobby pin as a dotting tool to make cool and fun designs to embrace your style!
• To fix those annoying lines of polish next to your cuticles, take a little makeup brush and dip the end in nail polish remover. Fix up that messy nail.
• You can use tape to keep you from getting nail polish on your fingers.