Through years of trial and error, I’ve learned that most beauty things (ahem, cutting your hair and getting highlights) are just better left to the professionals. An exception to this rule? Painting your own nails. With a few nail polish hacks and tricks, you can make your DIY manicure look like you got it done at the salon—even if you’re not ambidextrous or a Bob Ross–level artist (promise). Keep on scrollin’ for 17 helpful nail polish hacks that’ll convince you that you don’t actually need to pay someone to do your nails for you.
Nail Polish Hack #1: Use Petroleum Jelly for Easy Cleanup
Painting inside the lines is hard, this nail polish hack is not. First, use a cotton swab to rub petroleum jelly (like Vaseline) on your cuticles and the skin around your nails to create a barrier between the polish and your skin. After you’ve painted your nails, you can wipe off the petroleum jelly and any polish mistakes along with it.
Nail Polish Hack #2: Apply Base Coat on Your Tips
To prevent the tips of your painted nails from prematurely chipping, paint two base coat layers: one on the top half of your nail and the second coat over the entire nail. Start with the first layer of your base coat polish on the top-half portion of your nails. After the polish has dried, paint a second coat of polish, but this time cover the entire nail as you normally would. This technique will help the polish on the tips of your nails—which are more prone to chipping—stay on even longer.
JINsoon Hyper Repair Base Coat
Deborah Lippmann Hard Rock Nail Strengthening Top and Base Coat
Nails Inc. Nail Pure Base Coat
Nail Polish Hack #3: Use White Nail Polish as Base Coat
If your nail polish isn’t super opaque, the natural tint of your fingernails can end up changing the color of your polish—ugh. To get the paint’s true color, add a layer of white nail polish first, and then go over it with your colored polish.
Nail Polish Hack #4: Use Office Supplies as Nail Art Stencils
Unless you’re a pro nail artist, you probably don’t have a stocked kit ready for whenever you feel like trying your hand at nail art. But if you’ve got leftover office or school supplies, you can get a little creative and make do with what you’ve got. Case in point: Paper hole reinforcement stickers make the best stencils for a half-moon mani. Place the top of each sticker at the base of your nail just above the cuticle, and seal it into place with your finger or a dotter tool. Then, paint your first coat on each nail, using the sticker as a guide. Let it dry for a minute, add a second coat of polish to each nail, and carefully remove the sticker.
Nail Polish Hack #5: Create Sharp Lines With Clear Tape
Sure, nail striping tape would make things much easier, but if you don’t have any handy, grab your regular Scotch tape instead. You can either apply the tape directly onto your bare nail for a negative-space mani, or for a two-toned look, stick the tape in cool shapes on already painted nails and do another coat right on top with a different nail color. Let it dry for a minute, and then grab both ends of the tape, and slowly peel them back at the same time for the finished look.
Nail Polish Hack #6: Use Eyeliner as a Nail Art Tool
When your fingers or tweezers are too big to grab and place tiny jewels, use the tip of a pencil eyeliner or lip liner to place tiny nail art accessories like rhinestones on your nails instead. The end of a pencil is tacky enough to grip the jewel from above and won’t get in the way of your design. Genius!
Nail Polish Hack #7: Make French Tips Easier With a Rubber Band
No striper brush? No problem. Take a rubber band and tie it in the middle. Loop one end over your thumb to create tension on the band, and place the other end over the top of your nail and just below the edge to create the French-tip shape. Using the edge of the rubber band as a guide, paint the tip of your nail. Then, carefully remove the band and allow it time to dry before sealing it with a top coat.
Nail Polish Hack #8: Make a Custom Nail Shade
When you’re over all your existing nail polish colors, DIY a new one using powder eyeshadow and clear nail polish. Just grab an eyeshadow pigment that would make for a better nail color, and pour a little bit into a spoon. Then, add a little bit of clear polish to it. Mix it all together, grab a brush, and try out your new color. You can alter the intensity of your new polish by adding more pigment or more clear polish to the mix.
Make Up For Ever Star Lit Powder
NYX Professional Makeup Pigments
Artist Couture Diamond Glow Powder
MAC Pigment
Nail Polish Hack #9: Create a Cool Marbled Effect With a Water Cup
If you’re just trying to figure out how to paint on a simple coat of nail polish without getting it all over your hands, this nail art look (which doesn’t require a single brush) is for you. First, choose an accent finger and tape underneath and around your nail to protect your skin. Next, fill a small paper cup with filtered, room-temperature water. Grab two different colors of paint and add drops of each polish into the cup of water, alternating paints each time. Once you’ve added a few drops, grab an open paper clip and use the tip to swirl the layers together to create the design you want. Then, stick your finger into the cup with your nail facing the paint layer. Holding your finger in the cup for a few seconds, use your paper clip to pull the rest of the paint away from your finger. Then, slowly remove your finger from the water and remove the tape to clean up the edges.
Nail Polish Hack #10: Soak Your Wet Nails in Ice
While hot water is a definite “no” (it can make your nail plate expand and your polish crack as a result), ice water can be super helpful when it comes to making your nail polish dry faster. After you’ve finished painting your nails, fill a bowl with ice and water, and soak them for a few minutes. The cold water will set the paint and help your nails dry faster.
Nail Polish Hack #11: Finish With Nonstick Cooking Spray
If you’re prone to smudges and dings, a cuticle oil—or a spritz of cooking spray if you don’t have one—will keep the the surface of your nails lubricated and minimize the damage. Since PAM Cooking Spray contains a combo of oils (palm, coconut, and canola), it actually works as a buffer over a fresh coat of polish.
Nail Polish Hack #12: Use Foil to Remove Stubborn Polish
Glitter nail polish is your best friend if you want your manicure to last a loooong time. On the flip side, it’s also your worst enemy when it comes to removal—it’s so freaking hard to get it off. Try this nail polish hack to make it way easier: Soak cotton pads in nail polish remover, wrap the soaked cotton around your nails, then and secure them with foil squares. Leave the foil wraps on your fingers for five minutes, and then slide off the foil and cotton at the same time. Your polish will easily come off with it.
Mineral Fusion Nail Polish Remover
Nail Polish Hack #13: Don’t Shake—Roll Your Nail Polish Bottle
Ever paint your nails so perfectly, that you had to take a sec to admire them…only to notice all the tiny air bubbles under the surface? The worst, right? To prevent those bubbles you just need to stop shaking your nail polish bottle before painting. Instead, hold the bottle between your palms and roll your hands back and forth—it’ll stir up the polish without creating those little air bubbles.
Nail Polish Hack #14: Loosen a Stuck Nail Polish Lid With Hot Water
It seems like only your favorite nail polishes are the ones that get dried shut, right? Rather than crying over having to toss it, place the nail polish bottle upside down in a cup. Fill the cup with really hot water just high enough to cover the lid, but not high enough to soak the bottle of paint (hot water can tamper with the consistency of the polish). Wait a few minutes, remove the nail polish bottle from the cup, and then open the loosened lid.
Nail Polish Hack #15: Use a Rubber Band for Better Grip
Whether you need a better grip while painting your nails or you’re trying to unscrew a tight lid, try the rubber band trick. Wrap a large rubber band around the handle of your nail polish bottles. The rubber will give you a way better grasp for twisting and maneuvering than you’d have with the regular slick plastic handle.
Nail Polish Hack #16: Spread Petroleum Jelly on the Lip of the Bottle
With a cotton swab, wipe a small amount of petroleum jelly into the ridges on the mouth of the nail polish bottle. The jelly will prevent the paint from drying to the lid, making it easier to open the next time you use it.
Nail Polish Hack #17: Use Stickers to Organize Your Nail Polishes
If you’ve got a nail polish collection that could rival that of a salon, you can easily organize your stash with a few stickers and swatches. Paint a strip of polish on an adhesive file folder label, punch out a hole, and stick the paint sample on the top of the nail polish bottle. Repeat this for all of your polishes, set them in a box, and store them in a cool, dry place.
