How to- Cassie Adams

How to paint your nails 

1. Pick the perfect color. Now, I know this may seem to you a daunting task. Nail polish literally comes in every color imaginable. Not only that, you also must take into consideration the glitter and textured nail polishes and nail-art designs. Should you pick the nice shade of coral or go with the salmon? Don't panic. When in doubt, I've found that a dark gray/black works nicely. Keep it simple. 

2. Next, you must remove ALL polish currently on your nails. Don't even think about painting over the chipped remnants of your light pink manicure with a dark blue hoping that it will cover it up. It won't. Trust me.

3. Before you even think about opening the bottle of nail polish, or even nail polish remover, ensure that you are a safe distance away from any and every object that you mother might scold you for staining. I've made this mistake a number of times. (Just so you know, nail polish remover does not do nice things to a stained and finished wooden side table.) 

4. Now that you're in a safe location, you can open the bottle. Believe it or not, this can at times be the most difficult step. If you're anything like me, you're favorite color is most likely caked and glued shut by dried polish, so this may take a little effort. 

5. All this prep work and we have only just gotten to the main point. Begin painting the center of your nail and extend outwards. As hard as you try not to, you WILL get nail polish on the skin around your nail. It's simply inevitable. 

6. Wait for the first coat of polish to dry. This step is the most commonly disregarded of them all. Do NOT try to immediately paint on another coat. Do NOT get on your phone. Do not move. Don't even think about moving. Because the second that you do, you will mess up a nail and ruin all of your hard work. 

7. When you do disregard the previous step, as I so often do, you're going to end up with clumpy nail polish that refuses to dry and/or nails with chips and steaks. In which case, proceed to step 8. 

8. Give up and take it off. There is nothing left for you now. Admit defeat, and pray for better luck next time.