How to Make Nail Polish Dry Faster

How to Make Nail Polish Dry Faster

Love the look of manicured nails, but hate waiting for nail polish to dry? Celebrity manicurist Erica Marton shares her advice.

Q. How do I get nail polish to dry faster?
A. The best tricks are: 1. Even coats of polish. 2. Wait at least a minute in between coats if you are
doing multiples, including a base and top coat.

Q. Do you always recommend two coats of color?
A. It all depends on the person. If a client comes in and straight out asks me what will last longer I always go for one coat, plus it dries super fast. But some people love two coats because it last longer for them.

Q. What’s an option to nail polish?
A. For my clients who hate to wait for nail polish to dry, I always do a buff shine. It last for a month on toes and two weeks on fingernails. I use a buffer to “shine” the nails.

Q. How thick or thin should the layer of nail polish be?
A. A layer of polish should ALWAYS be even and thin and never thick.

Q. Does drying nails with a fan work?
A. I prefer for my clients to wait and let nails air dry on their own. For the purple light fans to work, a nail technician has to use a special top coat that hardens to polish, but most manicurist don’t use that top coat because its very expensive. If the salon isn’t the right temperature the fan can cause bubbles in the polish.

Q. Do you have any quick drying top coats or oils that you like?
A. My favorite quick dry in the world is Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. It’s amazing! I also have another favorite quick dry helper, I feel I would be lost without, QTICA Half Time Polish Drying Accelerator. It dries polish rock hard in 5 to 7 minutes. It’s a little pricey though. The closest thing to it is Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Speed Dry Drops.

Get the Look: Katy Perry's 3D Flower Power Nails

Get the Look: Katy Perry's 3D Flower Power Nails

Katy Perry, the ever-changing Queen of beauty extremes, is never afraid of going bold with her talons. Her nail art changes as often as her hair color and, given the hype surrounding her 3D movie, it was only natural that she'd take her designs to the third dimension. Just check out this photo of her flowering extravaganza -- as seen in her music video for "Wide Awake" -- which she tweeted with the caption, "My nails are in FULL bloom today!"

Adorned with floral appliqués, these nails have had some serious time, effort and money put into them. Given the bright tips, crescent shapes and chic neutral base, they're dead on-trend and, like everything Katy Perry does, simply begging to be copied. So how can you get this botanical bounty at home? Follow these steps and share your results in the forum.

Step 1:

Let's start with the basic prep work: Clean any old polish away with an acetone polish remover on a cotton ball. Next, you'll need to file your nails in one direction -- creating a round shape -- and buff the tops and side for a smooth surface.

Step 2:

Apply one coat of taupe nail polish, something like Essie's Neutral Nail Polish Shades, to your whole nail. Remember, when applying polish, it only takes three strokes -- one stroke down the center and the other two strokes on each side of the nail. Let the first coat dry for three to five minutes, depending on the thickness of the polish, then apply a second coat.

Step 3:

After your polish has been drying for at least 30 minutes, place a reinforcement sticker on the end of each nail, approximately 0.5 cm from the top. Apply pressure to each, making sure they are secure, and paint the top half or your nail with your first chosen color. It's really important your nails are dry before placing the reinforcement stickers on them or else the stickers will peel off the polish and you'll have to start all over again!

Step 4:

Repeat step three on every nail, but using a different color each time. Katy Perry's hands are sprouting green, pink, yellow, blue and purple tips. If you want the same rainbow look, then perhaps buy a multi-pack of miniature nail polishes, instead of spending lots of cash on full size bottles.

Step 5:

Once you've finished paining all your tips, allow them to dry, before peeling off the reinforcement sticker. Now paint over each nail with a clear top coat to give your mani some staying power. Here's a quick tip if you're impatient like me: To check whether or not nails are properly dried -- without ruining them -- gently dab the nail on your tongue. If you can taste polish, they're not done.

Step 6:

For this step, you could use dried flowers or stick on 3D flowers, depending on how practical you want your talons to be. The 3D kind will be tricky to keep pretty, but they do look very similar to Katy Perry's and would command a lot of attention.

So here I've found some 3D glitter roses, which cost $5.50 for 45 pieces. After your top coat has been drying for at least 30 minutes, take a pair of tweezers and carefully dip the a flower in nail glue, before gently placing it smack in the center of your nail. Note: If you're using dried flowers, you would apply them before the top coat.

Step 7:

Repeat step five on your other nails, but leave one nail on each finger bare (Katy Perry has left out her pinky on one hand and ring finger on the other). Complete the look by wearing a bright flower ring on your flower-free fingers. 

How to Create Nail Art

How to Create Nail Art

Bold colors are here to stay, so why not create your own designs and make each nail unique to you?
Try a bright base nail color, followed by an edging strip across the tip. Stickers galore are on the market today. Whatever the season there will be something available to suit. So let loose and let your imagination run free.

What you will need:

1. Cotton pads – lint free is best

2. Nail polish remover (acetone free if you wear fake nails otherwise they will dissolve)

3. A selection of colors, e.g. electric, glitter, light and dark shades

4. Clear base coat

5. Quick drying top coat

6. Stickers and rhinestones

7. Tweezers

8. Kitchen towel

9. Q-tips

10. Thick hand towel

11. Table or large tray

Preparation:

1. You will need at least 1 ¼ hours free to avoid rushing your nail art.

2. Unscrew all nail polish bottles and acetone ready for ease of use.

3. Roll towel up to rest your hands on while painting.

4. Sit at a table if possible, if not then use a large tray on your lap so that everything is to hand.

5. Have a basic idea of what designs you are going to create. Why not go really wild and have a
different design on each nail? Remember not to have too many similar colors together. For dramatic effect you would want a blue, a red, a green, a yellow, etc.

6. Where possible have at least one electric color on each hand. It is eye catching and will draw attention.

Method:

1. Apply the clear base coat and allow 5 minutes for drying. This is important because bright nail
polishes will stain your nails.

2. Lightly apply the main color to your nails.

3. After 1 minute run your finger tips under the cold water faucet to assist with drying.

4. Wait 15 minutes and apply the quick dry top coat.

5. After an additional 30 – 45 minutes you can begin your design. It really is important to ensure the bottom coat is completely dry before building onto it.

6. Here are some thoughts for each individual nail:

Electric yellow base coat with a diagonal stripe of electric green across the edge. Do not panic about smudging or over-painting when you do edging, this can be dealt with later.

Using tweezers, place 3 rhinestones on the top corner in a curve to give a cute gem stone effect.

A pretty flower sticker sitting at the base of the nail next to the cuticle.

A baby pink base coat with a fuchsia glitter coat on top.

A bright orange base color with a black tip.
7. Wait another 5 minutes and run your nails under a cold water faucet again. Shake dry if possible.
 

8. Approximately 10 minutes later apply a final base coat.

9. Wait until all nails are 100% dry, and then where necessary, dip a Q-tip into the nail polish remover and gently rub around the edges to clean off any over-painting.

10. Your nails are now gorgeous and eye-catching. As you become more experienced you will be able to create some patterns which will be totally unique to you.

8 Secrets to Making Your Manicure Last Longer

8 Secrets to Making Your Manicure Last Longer

A great manicure and pedicure can really set your mind right for the week. Personally, I get my fingers and toes done professionally because I live in NYC and it's utterly convenient -- and cheap. But there are times when your budget and your proximity to a good salon may be limited. In this case, it's great to have a handle on these 8 secrets to perfectly polished nails.

Moisturize your cuticles
Dry, peeling cuticles can be both ugly and painful, especially when they turn into hangnails. Keep cuticles moisturized, especially in dry, winter months, with a good cuticle cream or oil. Once cuticles are softened, you can use an orangewood stick covered in cotton to push back the cuticles.
Don't have cuticle oil on hand? Use a rich hand cream or even lip balm.

Choose the shortest nail to cut by

Not sure how short to clip nails? Choose the shortest nail as your guide. Once you've clipped, line each finger up with its opposite, cuticle-to-cuticle, to ensure you cut short enough.

Prep nails by filing

After you clip nails, file them into an oval shape mimicking the curve of your nail base. Some women prefer square nails. My hands happen to look better with oval nails, but other women swear their look better with squared nails. It's really your preference.

Remove oils from the nail before polishing

It's important to wipe nails with a nail polish remover before applying polish even if you don't have nail polish to remove. Oils left on the nail (like the hand cream or lip balm) will keep polish from sticking.

Wrap the tips of your nails with polish

When applying polish, be sure to bring it over the front edge of the nail and slightly under the tip. This helps prevent chipping.
When polishing, 2 thin coats are better than one thick coat. You'll find it dries faster. If the polish chips, it's best to remove the paint from the nail and start over. If you don't have time, dip your finger in nail polish remover and smooth over the chipped area and re-apply a topcoat.

How to maintain fresh polish

Keep your mani/pedi looking fresh by adding a new layer of topcoat every other day. A proper manicure should last 1 to 2 weeks. A pedicure should last 2 to 4.

How to deal with smudges and stains

Smudged your polish while painting? Try this trick: dip your finger in nail polish remover and use it to smooth the surface, repainting with a topcoat.
The secret to keeping nails from smudging is proper drying time. Surfaces will feel dry to the touch after 10 minutes, but don't be fooled. It actually takes an entire hour for nails to completely dry. Fingers stained from nicotine, berries or too dark polish can be fixed with whitening toothpaste like Rembrandt. Then brush the skin or nails with a toothbrush.

How to deal with a broken or torn nail

When a nail breaks, the best thing to do is to cut it off. But here's a trick if the break is low down (and painful, undoubtedly): cut a tiny strip of gauze from a teabag, place it over the tear and the paint over with polish.