How to Repair a Botched Manicure

I love painting my nails. I have a huge collection of polishes, topcoats, stamping plates and other manicure goodies. The process of painting my nails is very relaxing for me and something I enjoy doing a lot, so I rarely get salon manicures. However, I'm not a professional and sometimes my manicures go wrong! Especially with my curious toddler underfoot, it can be a tricky thing for a home manicure to have time to dry properly and without mishap.

Here are two common manicure pitfalls I've faced, and how to rescue them without a complete redo! :)

❣ A speck of dust or airbubble ❣

Even if it's the tiniest little bit of dust/lint/etc, there's nothing I hate more than seeing a little black spot or line marring the smooth clean color of my polish. Attempting to pick it out will just make things worse and require a full redo! If you've just painted the nail and you notice the flaw right away, an immediate wipe and redo might be a good option. However occasionally I don't notice the speck until I've done all my nails and they've been drying for a while. Even worse is when the color is perfect but the clear topcoat has let you down with airbubbles! I hate redoing just one nail when the others are half/fully dry because then it's even easier to forget that just one nail is still wet and mess it all up again. Better to find a graceful fix...

One very easy soltuion is to apply a glitter topcoat. The glitter can be maneuvered to cover the offending spot, and it looks cute and intentional! Another great solution is dots. Using a tiny dotting tool, apply dots of a complimentary color strategically to cover any imperfections! That's what I did with my manicure today; I had intended to have just plain pink nails with my favorite Dior Tra-La-La (so cute for spring), but a few black specs meant I had to reconsider. So I chose to add dots with my Revlon Pure Pearl and I can't say I'm upset about the mishap! I didn't put dots on all my nails, just the ones that needed it (my pinky, my pointer, and my thumb for balance). Sometimes it's cute to leave some nails plan and make some nails patterned!

❣ A crease or fingerprint ❣
Ocassionally after applying my topcoat and starting the clock on my final drying time, I get distracted and pay less attention to my hands than I should. By the time I remember the delicate state of my nails, it's often too late! If your nails where quite wet and your movements have actually removed polish or resulted in a completely marred surface, it may be best to wipe and redo that nail. However, if your topcoat had been mostly "set" it's possible you might just have an indentation/crease/or fingerprint. I find that if I run that nail under hot water from the tap(as hot as I can stand- please don't burn yourself!), the polish will loosen up and smooth out! If the indent is very deep, it might be best to heat water in a cup and dip your finger into it so as not to waste water, but for slight creasing I find that they very quickly relax. A blast of cold water when you're happy will help the polish harden again. Just be careful to let your nails fully set before attempting hazardous maneuvers like reaching into your bag for your keys or fiddling with a zipper!

look at those clean edges!

Lastly, every home manicure looks 100% better when the edges are clean and there is no polish sticking to your skin or cuticles. In nail salons they use a little brush dipped into acetone to gently clean the edge of the polish next to your skin and make sure it's a nice clean line. You can do this at home as well! I use a very small flat synthetic fiber brush I purchased from CVS years ago, but you can use any brush that works for you. An tiny eyeliner brush has also been good for me, although I do prefer my flat brush. The acetone is quite drying so don't forget to moisturize your cuticles with cuticle oil (or in my case my beloved Dior Abricot cream) so that your fingers looks nice and supple.

Happy polishing!

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