How To Do an At-Home Manicure That Lasts

I have a love/hate relationship with manicures. I love neat cuticles and nail polish, but I hate waiting for the polish to dry and then scuffing it within the 1st hour. To remedy that, I’ve tried gels, shellac, and acrylics, but, for a myriad of reasons they’re just not a good fit for me.

This brand new nail polish was the victim of a senseless chopstick tragedy.

This brand new nail polish was the victim of a senseless chopstick tragedy.

I decided to try to polish my nails at home using a combo of salon techniques and drugstore products to see if I could get a fast-drying, long-lasting, shiny manicure… Shockingly, it actually worked!!

Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Rub each nail with a cotton round moistened with alcoholIso Alcohol
  2. Wash hands with soap and dry thoroughly
  3. Apply 2 coats of polish to right hand using left hand
  4. Wait 2 minutes
  5. Apply one coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dry
  6. Wait 30 seconds
  7. Repeat on left hand using right

Sally Hansen Insta Dry

The combination of removing any oils from the nails with the alcohol, plus the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri topcoat did the trick. The Sally Hansen really works!! The polish was dry in 30 seconds, so I didn’t have the opportunity to mess it up while waiting. It was really shiny, and it lasted for 7 days. I just can’t figure out why they don’t use a quick drying topcoat at nail salons.

Obviously this isn’t a full manicure, so when I need my cuticles cleaned up I’ll get the full manicure (maybe once a month or so) and do the polish changes myself in between.

 

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