Trying to get better at doing my nails. How do you all keep such pretty, crisp lines around the cuticle and edges? This was me being extremely careful and it’s… still not great 😅
Polishes used:
– One coat of Holo Taco Long Lasting Base
– One coat of Holo Taco Pink Smoothing Base
– Two coats of Holo Taco Twice in a Blue Moon
– One coat of Maxybelt Sellant Magic
by Chemical_Support_309
12 Comments
Clean the edges with acetone soaked fine brush.
Well, you got the right color…not sure if they have different “edges” from other gangs though…(I know what you meant, but found it funny – gorgeous color, btw)
I use precision tip q-tips (sometimes called nail tees) or the liner brush Wet ‘n Wild makes. I find most nail specific clean-up brushes too soft to remove polish well, but the bristles of the liner brush are short enough and dense enough to allow for better control.
I use pure acetone and a clean up brush each coat as needed, but I also do as much as I can to avoid that in the first place. I don’t bring the polish all the way to my cuticle or edge of my nail if possible! You can see what I mean here. I get as close as possible and it definitely just takes practice, but I rarely have to do much clean up at all. I think it makes them look a lot more clean and polished (lol pun intended I guess)!
https://preview.redd.it/9kgwr6wysp3h1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb535d7f41898f1fd59a270d263e8395ea85c88a
You’re doing great! It’s practice and cleaning up with a bit of acetone on a skinny paint brush.
In addition to what everyone else is saying I also find that the shape of the brush matters a lot! Cracker and lurid brushes are my fave. BKL is my least favorite. Just a preference tho!
yours look pretty good to me! we’re always our own worst critics.
historically, attempting acetone cleanup always made things worse for me, so I work hard to get it as neat as possible on the first try. what helped me most is leaving a gap around the cuticle/nail edge, and trying to get each layer in as few swipes as possible – ideally one stroke (2 for thumbs). a good paddle-shaped brush and getting a feel for the right amount of polish to load and how much pressure to use is the key to a one-stroke layer. as soon as I’m having to mess around with multiple strokes or getting too close to the edges, pack it up. it’s over
A good clean up brush and pure acetone is your bff!
Also, its way easier to clean up as you go! Its wet and comes right off. If you wait until the end, its just a little harder. Your nail are already looking great!
I usually paint my nails a bit before I shower and lightly scrub them with a gentle brush. I have a tremor so there’s no way I can manage to clean it up with a brush and acetone.
Two things, you can make space by oiling or hot shower time and then pushing your skin fold back away gently with a wood cuticle stick (also great for initializing peel offs) from encroaching your nail plate more.
Second, brushes can help. The actual nail polish brush may be replaced for easier application. Or get acetone and an eyeliner brush to wipe off uneven lines before top coat. After top coat it’s much harder to clean up.
I suck at using acetone to clean up so I use a silicone nail brush like these (mine are from Daiso). I swipe the polish around my nails while it’s still wet, right after applying each coat. Then I wipe off the brush onto a silicone mat or lint roller and repeat.
It does take me like 2-3 hours to do even a simple mani because I go slow lol / I do this for every coat (base coat, 2-4 coats of color, top coat) but it helps my polish look better and last way longer without chips.
https://preview.redd.it/cbh7u51d3q3h1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=deee3d56a82ea94d5d11956405f2c462dd2e67e9
I find the paddle brush style is the best to work with for nice lines.
Leave a little gap between line of polish and your cuticle – once you touch a little it’ll flood the whole thing.
I also paint my nails while they’re tipped down (like your picture pose) and the gravity helps prevent flooding