How To: Winterize Your Manicure

When winter unpleasantness wreaks havoc on your manicure.
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Flu season is in full-swing, and that means daily glove-wearing (probably), regular hand-washing (hopefully), and excessively dry skin (always). All this winter unpleasantness inevitably wreaks havoc on manicures. That or it’s so damn cold that you just stop caring.

If you want to keep your nails looking healthy (even if you aren’t…), then we have some tips to preserve that polish:

  1. Use a bottom coat. This extra step may seem unnecessary, but it will provide a smooth and solid base for your nail color. Choose one with some healing properties, like an oxygen treatment or moisturizing ingredients, to restore brittle winter nails. Bonus: Bottom coats help prevent staining from dark polish colors, which are perfectly appropriate for bleak winter days.
  2. Invest in a decent polish. There’s nothing wrong with a good drugstore-brand color, but if you’re looking for staying power, go with the greats. A polish with quality ingredients will have a longer lasting wear and better shine. OPI, Essie, Zoya, and Orly are some reasonably priced brands that are easy to find.
  3. Using a light or neutral shade can add days to your manicure. Pinks, nudes, and whites disguise tip-wear and make chips less noticeable.
  4. The most important step: a great topcoat. Seche Vite has a cult following for a reason: It’s the best. It provides a gel-like shine because it is applied in a thick coat, and it’s insanely fast-drying. Seriously, it’s fast.
  5. Soak your fingers in ice water while the polish is wet. It’s not a pleasant step, but in just 2-3 minutes your manicure will be dry, shiny, and hard as a rock. Science!

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