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I know all too well the frustration of having a manicure at the salon in the morning and seeing a chip in my nail polish by the evening. The same goes with seeming hours that go into doing my nails at home only to have all that work go to waste when my nails get chipped. If you know the pain of a short-lived manicure or simply want to avoid it, this is for you. This is how to make your nail polish last longer: Apply Thin Coats Of Nail PolishPick Up A No-Chip Nail Polish FormulaMake Gloves Your BFF During Your Household ChoresOpt For Short NailsReapply Top Coat Every Two To Three DaysFile Your Nails & Layer With Top CoatAvoid Getting Nail Polish On Your CuticlesLet Your Nails Dry ProperlyApply Cuticle Oil and Cuticle Cream Brush Nail Polish Across The Free Edge Of Your NailsRoll Your Nail Polish BottleStop Biting Your NailsDry Your Nails With Cool Air All you need are a few tweaks in your manicure routine and a couple of hacks and you can help your manicure go the distance. Let’s take a closer look at those 13 tips and learn how to make nail polish last longer. How Long Does Nail Polish Last Without Chipping? There is one very important question that we need to look at before we get into the list of tips and hacks that will make your nail polish last longer. How long does nail polish last without chipping? The truth of the matter is that traditional nail polish can last a few days without any chipping. However, if you choose a long-wear formula such as gel or no-chip nail polish, your manicure could last for as long as two weeks before you notice any chipping. Other than the type of polish you use, the factors that affect how long nail polish lasts include how well it’s applied, the maintenance routine you follow, and how much you use/wash your hands. Because there are so many variables, we can only estimate the length of time your nail polish will last. I’ve had traditional nail polish that has lasted a week and had a long-wear formula that chipped the very next day. 13 Tips To Make Your Nail Polish Last Longer Luckily there are ways that you can extend how long your nail polish will last. Try these 13 tips and see which ones work best for you. 1. Apply Thin Coats Of Nail Polish Thick coats of nail polish take longer to dry, making them easy to peel off. Rather apply thin coats of nail polish, letting each coat dry before you add the next one. 2. Pick Up A No-Chip Nail Polish Formula Traditional nail polish formulas are always going to be more prone to chipping. Perhaps now is the time to make a switch and try a no-chip nail polish formula that will keep your nails looking fabulous for longer. 3. Make Gloves Your BFF During Your Household Chores The easiest and quickest way to ruin a gorgeous manicure is to soak your nails in water and cleaning products. Always wear gloves while doing household chores to protect your nail polish. An added bonus is that gloves will keep your hands nice and soft too. 4. Opt For Short Nails I love my long nails as much as any girl does. Unfortunately, they can become a bit of a hindrance when it comes to your nail polish lasting longer. The longer your nails the more likely they are to get in the way and get bumped into things. Bumping into things is what chips your nail polish really easily. So if your goal is nail polish lasting longer then it might be time to wear shorter nails for a while. When I go on vacation the last thing that I want to be worried about is my nail polish chipping so I almost always choose shorter nails when I’m on vacation. The same applies during summer when I’m out running on the trails almost daily. 5. Reapply Topcoat Every Two To Three Days As you know, you complete your manicure routine with a topcoat. Over the course of the first two or three days after your manicure, that topcoat will be gradually wearing thinner. If you allow your topcoat to wear all the way through, usually on the leading edge of your nails, it makes the nail polish underneath prone to peeling or chipping. One way to work around this problem is to reapply your topcoat every two or three days so that you can renew the protective layer to your manicure. 6. File Your Nails & Layer With Top Coat If you notice that your nail polish is very slightly chipped right at the edge you can gently file the tips down and apply a fresh layer of topcoat and your manicure will be good for another couple of days. 7. Avoid Getting Nail Polish On Your Cuticles Even if you are a nail polish expert, you can still get nail polish on your cuticles or skin by mistake. Unfortunately, once the nail polish is dry it will break off from your skin or cuticle. This will lead to your nail polish peeling or chipping. Luckily for you, there is a solution. Soak a cotton swab with nail polish remover and carefully go over the perimeter of your nails to remove any polish that shouldn’t be there. 8. Let Your Nails Dry Properly I completely understand the excitement of wanting to show off your new manicure. I was there many times myself. However, if you don’t take the appropriate time to dry your nails, your manicure can pay the price and be ruined before it has had time to dry. The truth is, it can actually take one to two hours for your nails to dry completely. If your allocated 15-minute drying session just isn’t cutting it, you’ll need to give yourself more time in the salon chair. One solution during the summer or on a sunny and warm day is to set up the pool lounger, pop in your earbuds before you do your nails. Then you can let your nails completely dry while listening to an audiobook or podcast and work on your bikini tan lines. 9. Apply Cuticle Oil and Cuticle Cream I have been guilty of this in the past and I suspect that you may have too. If you have been skipping on applying cuticle oil and cream to your nails on a regular basis, then it’s time to start getting consistent. When your nails are in need of moisture, you are at risk of experiencing more wear and tear than usual. Give your nails some much-needed care by adding a drop of cuticle oil to the base of your nails after your manicure. Follow that up with an all-over balm, like the L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Hydra-Nutrition Manuka Honey All Over Balm – Face, Neck, Chest, and Hands (available on Amazon) to boost moisture levels in your skin around your nails. Include this last step to your daily skincare routine and you will keep your hands and nails in tip-top condition. 10. Brush Nail Polish Across The Free Edge Of Your Nails You already know that it’s essential to start painting your nails with a stripe of polish down the center of your nail, then curve the brush and go over the sides for an even coat, you may be leaving one vital step out. You need to polish around the free edge of your nail to seal in your manicure. This means painting the very tip of each nail so that they are all completely wrapped in polish. This simple tip will help your nails last as it will protect the free edges of your nails against chipping when they bump into things. This is also the area that needs an extra layer of topcoat every two or three days that I was talking about in step 5. 11. Roll Your Nail Polish Bottle I have always given my bottle of nail polish a good shake before painting my nails to get an even color. That is likely what you do too. However, I’ve now learned that this is not the best method to use for my nails. Apparently, this technique can create tiny air bubbles in the nail polish, which can cause the manicure to chip in no time as the bubbles pop. So, instead of shaking the bottle, simply roll it between your hands to get the same effect of blending the color but without the bubbles. I’ll be doing this from now on too. 12. Stop Biting Your Nails If you are struggling with the die-hard habit of biting your nails, then protecting your manicure might be the motivation you need to be able to stop. It is easy to imagine that nail-biting can leave you with chipped or peeling nail polish. 13. Dry Your Nails With Cool Air Rather than using hot air, like your blow-dryer on its highest setting, to dry your nails, instead choose cool air. When you are at a salon getting your nails done, your manicurist likely has a miniature fan at her station, not a blow-dryer. The effect of hot air is that it can actually prevent your nails from drying properly. Sit somewhere in cool air while your nails are setting. Alternatively, sit with your nails under a fan to get the job done properly.

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