Six Hacks for the Perfect DIY Mani-Pedi

We all want to get the perfect Mani-Pedi but truth be told, this can be one costly affair which some of us may not be able to afford.

This is why we opt to stay at home, paint our nails and watch a movie as we wait for our freshly painted nails to dry, as opposed to denting our purses to get our nails done.

However, painting your own nails is NO EASY TASK, it takes some level of skill and patience to paint your own nails to perfection.

Use these 6 hacks to achieve the perfect manicure at home:

File your nails to match the shape of your cuticles

I prefer filing my nails as opposed to clipping them (unless I want them shorter).

Nails can be filed into many shapes including oval, round, almond, squoval and stiletto shapes.

Depending on how you are feeling at that moment, you can file your nails into any one of the shapes.

However, the best look for your nails will be achieved by matching the shape of your nails to your cuticle lines.

If you have a rounded cuticle line, file your nail tips in a round shape.

If your cuticle lines are squarer than they are round, your nails will look better in square or squoval shape.

Apply petroleum jelly on your cuticles before you start the application process.

If your hands are shaky, then you will definitely get some nail polish on your skin.

Applying jelly on your cuticles will prevent the nail polish from getting to your skin and to make it easier to remove those errant nail polish strokes.

However, you need to be careful when applying jelly around your nail by ensuring that it does not get on your nail.

This is simply because the nail polish will not stick if your nail has jelly on it.

Apply your nail polish the professional way

Follow these easy steps as illustrated below

Use Saliva to fix that Smudge

Yes, you read this right.

Here’s how you do it: Lick one of your fingers then softly press your finger over the smudge to smoothen it out.

The compounds in saliva, combined with the surrounding temperature reacts with the nail polish to blend out the smudge so with a little bit of pressure, your nails are smudge-free and gorgeous again.

Use a Rubber Band for French Tips

Every woman adores the French manicure and this is a trend that will not go away anytime soon.

Use a rubber band to get that sophisticated and elegant French tip that your friends are paying lots of bucks for.

Use Ice Water to Dry your Nail Polish Faster

When applying your own nail polish at home, I don’t know why but the drying process seems longer than usual.

Although we have all the time in the world to wait for the polish to dry, there are those times that you just want to get it over and move on to other things.

Dip your freshly manicured nails in ice cold water for the polish to dry faster but ensure that you air dry your nails first before dipping them in water.