Using nail varnish remover, take off any nail varnish that is currently on your nails.  Carefully file your nails to the desired length.

Apply Base Coat

First you need to apply the base coat to all the nails. Make sure you don't apply too much base coat, to help with this stroke the brush on the side of the bottle when you take it out to remove any excess base coat from the brush.

Apply one stroke to the middle then another stroke down each side.  You may need to re-dip the brush in the bottle to apply some more base coat to the brush after each application.

Apply First Coat of Colour

Now you need to apply colour to the nails.  Once you have chosen a colour for your nails you need to carefully begin to apply the first coat.

As with the base coat, make sure you don't apply too much and stroke any excess from the brush off onto the side of the bottle so that it goes back in. Also though, you must not be too sparing on the colour that it drags the colour on the nail and causes bumps, a medium filled brush is best, i.e. dip into the nail polish pot and sweep excess polish away on one side and not the other, that should leave you with just about the right amount of polish.

Apply the colour using three strokes, first stroke down the centre of the nail, going almost up to the nail bed but not quite touching, this avoids the colour "bleeding" into the finger.  Sweep the colour down to the tip of the nail and off of the end.  Repeat this again down one side of the nail, again leaving a very small gap at the base of the nail and also at the edge of the nail.  Then repeat once more with the third stroke on the other side of the nail.

Apply Second Coat of Colour

It is best to wait about 5 minutes before beginning the second coat of nail polish.  You will have probably noticed that some of the nails look slightly uneven or possibly translucent.  Once you have painted on a second coat of nail polish your nails will have a much more solid colour to them and also appear even.

Apply the second coat in much the same way as the first coat, being careful again not to apply too much colour as it will form in lumps and take a long time to dry.  

Applying Finishing Sealer / Top Coat

This is a very important part of the nail art.  It is the coat that seals in the paint to stop it from washing off and also helps to prevent chipping.

It is very similar to applying nail polish but with a slight difference at the end. I will go through this with you.

First please make sure that both the paint and the glitter are dry.  If the paint is not dry then the finishing sealer will make it streak and it will ruin the look of the nail. 

Make the first stroke down the centre of the nail, from the base of the nail to the tip.  Make sure there is not too much finishing sealer on the brush, stroke any excess from the brush off onto the side of the bottle so that it goes back in to the bottle.

After the centre stroke of finishing sealer down the nail, apply another stroke to one side…  

…and then the other side.

 The last part is to carefully stroke the brush over the end of the nail.  This seals the tip of the nail and prolongs the life of the nail varnish.  Complete this with all 10 nails. You can always apply another coat of top coat on the next day if you wish to prolong your colour further.

The Finished Product!

Now your nails should be complete!  I hope that you are happy with your nail polish guide and have managed to create beautiful nails.

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Shelley Green is the owner of www.nailsbyshelley.com, a site that specialises in Nails and Nail Art. Including tips, advice and e-books. Manicures, make-up and parties.

Different people have acrylic nails applied for different reasons. One of the reasons to have acrylic nails is to help prevent the want to bite the natural nail.  It is so hard to stop biting nails if you are in the habit, so having acrylic nails would help to prevent this as they are so strong and almost impossible to chew.

Having acrylic nails can be rather expensive in a salon and also it costs to have them removed.  Both jobs can now be done in the comfort of your own home.  A kit can be purchased from a chemist or drugstore complete with instructions on application and removal.  I would say though that it is not as easy as it may seem!  Practice makes perfect.

Many people are under the impression that artificial acrylic nails are just "stuck on" to the natural nail.  This is not the case at all.  To explain it in simple terms, the nail is made up out of two chemicals, one is a powder and one is a liquid.  When mixed together they make a soft substance which is applied to the nail.  The substance dries hard and is then filed into the desired shape. 

Lifting is often a problem with acrylic nails.  This is when the acrylic nail begins to come apart from the natural nail.  This can occur because of a few reasons, but the main one is that improper nail preparation was carried out.  Nail preparation is very important before applying any type of nail extension.  The nail has to be cleaned, cuticle removed, dehydrated and any primer added (depended on the artificial nail system being used).  Not taking the time and effort over the nail preparation can lead to lifting and peeling of the nails in the future.

Some salons use a substance that adheres extremely well to the natural nail and therefore prevents lifting occurring.  This may make the acrylic nails look wonderful, but you must remember that when it comes to the time that the nails come off that they will be taking off the top layer of your natural nail with them.  Make sure that your nails are treated with utmost care and products that will not harm your natural nail or nail bed.

A full set of acrylic nails take approximately 1 or 2 hours to be applied, depending on the technician applying them and the system you are having.  The maintenance that is needed on the nails is recommended every two weeks and takes approximately 20 minutes.  Removal of acrylic nails takes approximately 30 minutes.

Shelley Green is the owner of www.nailsbyshelley.com, a site that specialises in Nails and Nail Art. Including tips, advice and e-books. Manicures, make-up and parties.