Applied Saturday night and noticed a chip this morning. Process is as follows:
•Dehydrate nails with acetone
•Base: Essie Strong Start (wrap tip, a few minutes between this and next coat)
•Two Coats: Holo Taco Milky White Shimmer (a few minutes between each coat)
•Top Coat: Holo Taco Glossy Taco (wrap tip)
•Use caution for the next 15 minutes, then go to bed
I only wrapped with the base and top coats because my nails are super thin and previous manicures where I tried 4 coats of wrap have looked chunky at the tip. But these manicures also had chipping.
My skin is super dry, and I try to stay on top of oiling cuticles and moisturizer, but I also have a puppy and as a result am constantly washing my hands (puppies are adorable but disgusting; puppy pic included).
Could it be I’m not wrapping enough? Could be it be a hydration issue? Or maybe something else entirely?
by vagabondheat
6 Comments
It’s probably not just one thing, but a few small factors adding up:
– Acetone isn’t the best dehydrator, it can leave residue and over-dry the nail which actually reduces adhesion
– If your nails are very thin/flexible, regular polish will chip faster no matter what
– Water exposure (washing hands a lot) + fresh manicure = biggest enemy for chipping
– Going to bed shortly after can also cause dents/weak spots even if it feels dry
Your wrapping sounds fine, I don’t think that’s the main issue.
You might get better wear with a more flexible base or switching to a strengthening base / gel system.
Have you tried different base coats? Sometimes nail chemistry doesn’t like something. Also, sometimes if you have thin, flexible nails you might want to use, paradoxically, _less_ strong/rigid base and top coats, because they bend less than the nail so they break.
Puppy is indeed very adorable.
I know that wrapping the tips is the recommended advice on this sub, but I’ve found that I get longer life out of my manicures when I don’t do it with any layer. Maybe experiment with not wrapping the tips on your next mani just to see how it goes. Have you used other base and top coats? Could be that you just haven’t found the perfect combo yet that works with your body chemistry. Also, and go with me on this, if you live in a place where the seasons are changing right now, maybe its affecting your nails. My nails freak out for a bit when the weather changes and then settle again when it’s consistent. This is a really pretty color on you!
And, have you tried flavorless collagen (if you’re not veg/vegan or otherwise restricted) in your coffee or morning beverage?
I am “of a certain age” and when my body started to change my nails were the first to go. I started putting 1 scoop of collagen in my morning coffee and within a few months my nails were back and strong.
Just my experience, but also I really hated the flavored collagen options it there because I don’t enjoy seeet drinks.
I would try a different base and top coat, I think the base coat makes the biggest difference though if you only want to switch one. I love KBShimmers base coats and get good wear time with them, specifically the stay put hydrating base and the fillin groovy base.
I had to try several brands of base and top coat to get a manicure that would last more than 2 days without chipping. For me it is seche clear for base and seche vite for top, but ymmv.
Everyone’s nails are different. That’s why one person’s holy grail will be another person’s destash.