Skip the Chip: butter LONDON Tips to Help Your Mani Go the Distance

Pop tops, grainy beach sand, overchlorinated pools: we love summer, but she is not always the most manicure friendly. If you’re constantly looking down to find that your perfect polish has disintegrated after a day or two of wear, we’ve got some tips to help your nail look stand up better to that aggressive can of seltzer.

  1. Hydrate, but Skip the Soak!

Do you ever get the feeling that hydration is the solution to all skincare concerns? We can’t say for sure but moisturizing your hands and cuticles can help smooth and prime them for your nail lacquer. We know how fancy it feels when the manicurist dips your fingers in that little bowl of water but pass on the soak if you’re DIY-ing your nail lacquer. Water can cause your nails to expand and then wreak havoc on your mani when they shrink back down to size. Treat your nails to a pre-manicure glow up with So Buff Hand and Foot Polish with Glycolic Acid and Extra Whip Hand and Foot Treatment with Shea Butter. This skin-loving exfoliation/moisturizer combo helps give you that posh salon moment and leaves your hands softer, more hydrated-looking, and smelling a bit like champagne!

  1. Pump Up the Base!

You’ve gotta give that Patent Shine 10X Nail Lacquer something to hold on to! Grounding your new manicure with a layer Horse Power Nail Rescue Base Coat makes for smoother application, plus this award-winning base coat is formulated with Biotin to help promote healthy nail growth and Vitamin B and Calcium to promote stronger nails.

  1. Perfect Your Application Technique

When you’re in the salon, it all happens so fast! The manicurist swipes on three coats and your nails morph into sleek, smooth works of art. How does she do it??? It may be easier said than done, but less can be more with nail lacquer application. Don’t scoop a ton of polish onto your applicator, just get enough to cover the nail in a single thin coat. Make three stripes, let it dry, and repeat until you get that buttery smooth look. Take your time between coats—this is self-care, after all! 

  1. Stay on Top of Your Top Coat!

Making your manicure into a little nail-care sandwich can help your look last. Seal off the edges of your nails with a layer of Hardwear Shine UV Top Coat. This ultra-glossy top coat helps lock in nail polish colour and helps prevent fading with UV protection. Try building up the product along the top and bottom of the nail, since these are the extra chip-prone zones.

  1. Be a Nail Care Watchdog!
As much as we’d like to wave a magic nail-care wand and make your manicure last for days, we simply cannot. But reapplying your Hardwear Top Coat after a couple days of wear can help give your manicure a little more life, and keeping your cuticles moisturized with Handbag Holiday Cuticle Oil can help keep the nails from breaking or tearing. The vitamin-infused formula penetrates to soften the cuticles and lock moisture into the nail plate and help protect your nail lacquer from smudging.