Girlfriend’s Guide to Nail Polishing

Sometimes it takes a good friend to give away her secrets for do-it-yourself nail painting. As I continue to mess it up, I continue to seek advice. So here are more tips I have acquired.

My close friend Jenny Lynn has become an at-home expert of sorts, after YEARS of practice. Sure she's not a professional, but she does feel strongly that her method of polishing nails and the products she uses.

Last week, as you can see from this picture, Lou and I polished our nails while doing our show live from Jenkinson's Boardwalk. Sure I did a better job on my nails than he did on his, but still, a day later, my polish was already coming off at the tips.

Here's what Jenny Lynn uses, and I am gonna try it!

-- Opi Nail Envy Base Coat

-- Brucci Nail Polish

-- Brucci Rosewood Oil

-- Brucci Quick Dry or Opi Quick Dry Top Coat

-- Orange Sticks for removing mess-ups around your nails (or, once you get in the shower, you can peel off whatever is on your skin)

-- Acetone for removing polish, and to dip orange sticks in to help fix a mess-up

Start with the the base coat, do all ten nails (thumbs last if you like to use your thumb as a tool to help fix mess-ups), then start with the first coat of polish, followed by the second coat. No need for waiting a long time to dry between coats.

If you (like me), are right-handed and can't keep your left hand steady as you are painting your right hand, keep your left pinky on a table for stability as you are painting.

Then comes the top coat, and then the drops of oil to help keep your nails from getting messed up. Simple, right?

All of these products can be found in most beauty supply stores. But if you usually try to go cheap, the cheaper polishes don't work as well....or, if you go to a 'regular' store...you could find yourself paying over $10 for one small bottle of nail polish. And that's more than I want to spend.

What are your girlfriend tips for nail products?