Conquering The Chipped-Nails Syndrome

Fingernails. Some people bite them, some people file them, some people leave them alone and some people even have gross dirt underneath them at all times. My fingernails generally fall under the "leave them alone" category.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love all the pretty nail polish colors and the different designs and styles fascinate me. As a child, my friends and I loved all the colors so much that we painted each nail a different color (Oh yeah, we were stylin). It was just way too hard to pick just one out of all of them.

However, when it comes to me doing my nails, it is usually a fail.

I will paint my nails, and they will only be pretty for a few hours. It is like they were not meant to stay colorful and chip-free. My inability to keep my nails chip-free has even been a topic of one of my friend's jokes for years. Therefore, I gave up on painting my nails for a while.

But since I am trying to become a girly girl, I decided that I needed to conquer what I am going to call the Chipped-Nails Syndrome, and I knew just the person to help me.

Introducing the lovely Ana Cooke :)

 Ana Cooke is a very close friend of mine and an amazing nail painter. Her nails are always perfect. You won't find any chips on this young lady's hand. I asked Ana if she would show me the secret to always having beautiful nails, and she happily agreed. So I headed on over to her apartment to learn from the master.

One of my biggest problems with nail painting is choosing the color. I am so indecisive and Ana had so many beautiful colors to choose from. I had to examine her bag of wonders for several minutes before I could even come close to making a decision. Finally, I decided on a pink color and then we went to work.

Step 1: Remove all other nail polish. You know, the little chipped pieces that are hanging on from the last time you tried to paint your own nails. For this you will need some polish remover, which you can purchase very cheaply at a dollar store.

Step 2: Ana filed my nails to make them beautiful, since they were all growing at different angles. I guess to be a girly girl I need to invest in a nail filer.

Step 3: Paint on that polish. Paint it slowly and carefully. Try your best not to get it on other parts of your finger. Also, try to make it look smooth and slick. Paint over once, let it dry, then do a second coat if you want the color to be darker.

Step 4: Ok girls, are you ready for Ana's secret? Now, most girls know that you need some sort of top protective coat to protect the color. Ana uses 2 different protective coats. First, she applied Quick Dry to my nails. She said that most people apply the Quick Dry as the last step, but she prefers to do it before the top protective coat. Genius right?

Step 5: Apply the top clear, protective coat and wait for it to dry.

Ta-da! You now have beautiful, chip-free nails. These nails should conquer the Chipped-Nails Syndrome for at least 4 or 5 days.

That's my hand on the left and Ana's on the right. Don't our nails look pretty? :)

 Now that I know the secret to keeping the chips away, I can explore the different styles and colors. This also brings me one step closer to becoming a girly girl.

I can also silence that friend who told me I was a failure at nail painting...you know who you are.