Applying nail polish

[angiegurl]

I decided to paint my nails on my fingers - which I have not done a lot of times. I have more experience with my toes than hands. Anyway, what a pain in the butt. I have one finger on my left had that I had to redo twice and I have one on my right that I am on my third time with. I guess I need more practice. Sitting still and not using my hands would also help. It is also weird having my nails a bold color - any color for that matter. I did not realize how much your hands are in your eye sight.

[RobynD]

I'm constantly fiddling with my nail color too and like you i mess up and have to start over. I get manis and pedis about once a month, but i never want to keep a color that long. I still don't do super bold colors on my hands, but i have gone from clear to translucent pinks, greys and other more muted colors.

My toes however, anything goes there.

[angiegurl]

I am getting better at the application. Watching alot of youtube videos. The best trick I have picked up thus far is using an angled eyeliner brush to do the cleanup with remover before the top coat goes on. Not using a lot of remover is the key. It works wonderfully and I am able to get a clean arch near the cuticle and end up with even spacing between the skin and polish all the way around. They are starting to look pretty good.

[sparrow]

I've found that using a minimal number of strokes is key.  If you can cover your nail with one or two strokes, the layer you put down will be thin, but smooth.  When I started painting my nails, this sounded absurd because the brush is so thin and my nails are so broad... but I'm getting better at it.

Stacking smooth layers results in a nice, smooth finish.  If you're more haphazard and paint like I did in the beginning, it gets lumpy.  In my experience, you can't fix lumpy.  You can put a uniform layer on top of a lumpy layer, and it stays lumpy; or you can put a lumpy layer on top of a lumpy layer, and it gets lumpier.  Strip the polish off and try again.

One nice trick is to forget about your fingers.  If you paint on skin, just leave it be.  Once the paint is dry, soak your hands a bit (y'know, shower or wash dishes) and carefully peel the paint away, peeling away from the nail.  Or if you're me, just wash your hair and forget about it all... I'm sure some of those bits of polish get stuck in my hair but I never see 'em again.