Fashion & Style

Tired of fingernail polish drops and spatters? Take a few minutes to get organized before doing your nails next time.

Sometimes the task of applying a coat of nail polish has to be worked into a hectic schedule while you’re on the run. After spilling a drop or two on your slacks or the table, you realize the next time you’d better take your time and get ready first. Here are a few tips to remember.

1. Select the polish you want ahead of time. This will save minutes spent rummaging through your cosmetics to find the right shade. Make sure there is enough in the bottle to cover all your nails, preferably for two coats. You don’t want to get halfway done and realize there’s not enough to finish the job.

2. Lay out a paper towel or a hand towel, ensuring that it lays flat and doesn’t roll or crinkle, and set your materials on it. In case of spills, you won’t damage the counter, table, clothes, or other area that will require clean-up. You may want to add a few cotton swabs or cotton balls for touching up the area around each finger nail if the polish happens to smear.

3. Lay out your utensils. A fingernail clipper will come in handy to even out the tips of each hand. Then you may want a cuticle pusher to keep each nail free of overgrowth. A nail file or emery board will help you file each nail smoothly to prepare it for decoration. Open the polish, ensuring that you’re working in a well-ventilated room to prevent odor build-up. Open any packages of deco items to place on top of the polish, and lay these beside the polish. Also bring out the polish remover in case you need to clean smudges or smears.

4. Wash your hands thoroughly and dry them completely. This helps to remove germs so you don’t contaminate supplies, as well as eliminating stains that can interfere with the polish process. Sit down in a comfortable, firm chair at the area you’ve organized so that your hands can rest on a flat surface while being polished. Make sure you have good lighting so you can clearly see your hands for working with them.

5. Avoid interruptions. Turn off your home phone and cell phone, and try to stay away from pets and small children, who, although they mean well, may distract you while polishing and cause a smear or can jump on you, leading to a polishing error and the need for re-coating. You may want to keep conversations at bay so you can concentrate on the task at hand. All of us know the feeling of frustration when you try to do two things at once, and one or both fail.

Now that you’re ready, go ahead and start your work for the most beautiful nails of your life! Why pay salon prices for the same effect that you can create yourself? And while you’re at it, invite your mom, aunt, daughter, or best friend to be your guest next time. Now that you’re a pro, why not share your skills?

Written by Debra Johanyak – 2002 Pagewise