Getting a manicure can be a much-needed luxury, but sometimes there's no time or budget to get it done. But, it's all good. With a DIY mani, you get the nostalgia of your teenage years every time you pick up a nail polish bottle. If you're anything like me, you're relaxed by just dipping the brush into the paint while listening to music or chatting with girlfriends on the phone. Oh, the joys of being giddy, wide-eyed 15-year-old.
When painting my own nails, I (much like the time-pressed rest of the world) only use two coats of color, a topcoat for shine and a few quick drying drops. That's it. However, beauty vlogger Christine Rotenberg, recently changed the nail painting game. She painted 116 layers of nail polish on a single nail over the span of 12 hours. Wow. Rotenberg, a Canadian-based nail artist, let each layer dry before painting the next, a time-consuming proceedure—you can even catch her eating a pizza and sipping root beer by the time she reached layer #52. The end result? A giant colorful bubble. I would never take on this #polishmountain challenge, but I was interested in knowing what, outside of creating a massive blob, would happen if you did.
Jin Soon, a NYC-based manicurist, recommends up to three coats of nail polish for full color coverage and a smooth, finished look. "If you apply more than three coats in one sitting, the application will be prone to clumping off in one piece, almost like a shell" she says. "Even if you allow each coat to dry before applying the next, it is really just the surface of the nail that dries. That is why too many coats can fail or at the very least, smudge more readily."
Jessica Washick, creative director at NYC-based nail salon Van Court, agrees that three coats of nail polish is plenty. "I wouldn't go over three coats because you run the risk of over polishing, which looks really heavy and juvenile," Washick says. "You also run a better chance of streaking as you paint and smudging as you dry."
In addition, Soon warns that excessive nail polish application prevents your nails from breathing and can even dry out your nail beds. Definitely not a good look. So, we'll add this multiple layered polish look right next to the idea of cutting your own bangs: fun concept, but something you should never do.
Beauty Hacks: Manicure Smudges and DIY Polish
