Pedicure at home. How to choose the right pedicure polish

What tricks have women tried before to keep the colored coating on their nail plates longer, until long-lasting nail polish appeared! This new product actually turned the world of manicure upside down and forced many manufacturers to look for more profitable options for manufacturing products. Now, in addition to gel polishes, there are “weekly polishes” and “gel polishes without a lamp” on sale, which are not inferior to each other in quality.

How long does nail polish last?

Our mothers and grandmothers also used nail polishes. True, then there was not such a variety of shades and degrees of durability. Chips, cracks and scratches appeared almost a couple of hours after applying the product. However, modern manufacturers have improved the formula of varnishes and created a durable nail coating that is harmless to the nail plate and lasts up to 2 weeks.

What makes nail polish long lasting?

When purchasing, all women strive to purchase long-lasting nail polish in order to preserve the beauty of their hands longer. It is necessary to take into account that not only the quality of the product plays a role, but also its correct use. Because the product needs at least 12 hours to dry completely, so you need to start manicure after finishing your household chores.

The period of how long nail polish lasts depends on various factors, a positive result will be if:

apply base and top coat transparent;
sand the plates with a soft file;
Apply varnish in several layers, after drying 10 ppm. layer previous;
Do not dry your nails with hot air.

How long does regular nail polish last?

Practice shows that when using a regular coating, the period of how many days the nail polish lasts on nails can be applied from 2 days to a week. The first option applies to cases where you often have to wash dishes and tinker with cooking. You can last up to 7 days when there is no such load on your hands. When using regular varnish, the only way to preserve the beauty longer is to work with rubber gloves.

How long does gel polish last on nails?

Long-lasting nail polish with the addition of gel is more reliable; here the durability counts not for days, but for weeks. But this does not eliminate the need to take proper care of your hands. Gel polish combines the shine and shades of regular polish with a composition of polymers that ensure adhesion of the polish layer to the surface of the nail.

When asked how long gel polish lasts on nails, cosmetologists answer:

If applied correctly – 2 weeks.
Particularly durable coatings can last for about 3 weeks, but then a strip of overgrown nails begins to appear, which spoils the impression.

Transparent varnish – must-have No. 1

If you doubt that an extravagant green polish with a pearlescent shimmer will be appropriate on your feet, then until better times, push it deep into the dressing table, choosing a simpler option.

For example, you can use transparent pedicure varnish, which will give your nails a neat and well-groomed look , and is also perfect if they do not have an ideal shape and you do not want to draw attention to them.

French pedicure is done with the same varnishes as French manicure.

Transparent varnish is also good because it does not create restrictions in the choice of the color of clothes and shoes, as well as manicure varnish. In addition, it has another wonderful secret - if you are in a hurry and cannot devote much time to your feet, but want them to look neat, then carelessness when applying it to your nails will be completely unnoticeable.

Which nail polish is the most durable?

When choosing a good, long-lasting nail polish, it is worth considering that it lasts longer on strong plates. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to take vitamins and healing baths in between replacing one varnish with another. Although gel polishes contain different polymers and photoinitiators, which always ensures a long-lasting manicure.

Cosmetologists advise choosing the most durable nail polish from this list:

Vinylux from CND.
American products. Easy to apply, dries in 10 minutes, does not require fixing. Lasts a week. A special effect - it becomes stronger every day, thanks to a special technology, when additional strengthening occurs under the rays of the sun.
Bluesky.
It is considered an analogue of Vinylux, but in development in China. Much cheaper in price, hypoallergenic composition, huge selection of shades. Can be stored without chipping for up to 8 days and fixed without a lamp.
Oriflame The One.
French development, easy to apply even in one layer, dense consistency, beautiful gloss, dries in 2-3 minutes. With a base coat it lasts up to 2 weeks.

The most durable gel nail polishes - rating

In order for the chosen long-lasting gel nail polish to live up to your expectations, you should not make the most common mistakes during the manicure procedure. It is not recommended to touch the cuticles with varnish, otherwise, when it dries, it will begin to swell and chips will occur. Nails need to be cleaned well, and the base should not be applied too thinly. A wet manicure won't last long either.

Another rating of the most durable gel nail polishes was formed based on surveys of women and girls:

Orly Nail Lacquer
is an American company. Many shades, thick consistency. If applied under the base layer and with fixing, it lasts 5 days, without them - 4 days. Does not contain harmful substances.
Infinite Shine
is an OPI brand and is considered a professional polish. Dries without a lamp, lasts up to 10 days if applied under the base and in 2 layers. Then after a couple of minutes you need to seal it with a top coat.
BeYu Long-Lasting Nail Lacquer
– developed in Germany. Beautiful, glossy surface, should be applied to a colored base - no more than 2 layers. Lasts 5 days or more, even when doing housework.

Long-lasting nail polishes without a lamp - rating

A durable coating also has a second side to the coin: when the varnish is “welded” too tightly, the nail plate can be damaged when it is removed. Therefore, there is special demand for the most durable nail polish without a lamp; it also retains its bright shade and shine for a long time. Apply in 3 movements: in the middle of the nail to the edge, then apply narrower strips on the sides.

How to do a pedicure with gel polish

Pedicure with gel polish is performed in a certain sequence:

Treat feet with antiseptic.
Nails are prepared for coating.
Put on finger separators.
Wipe the nail plates and the skin around them with a degreaser.
Apply primer and let it air dry for a minute.
Use a thin layer of liquid base for each nail.
Dry it in a lamp, placing your foot there so that your toes are exposed to the radiation.
Remove the sticky layer, if any.
Apply gel polish of the selected shade, including coating the end parts with it.
Dry the layer of the flower bed in a lamp, remove the stickiness.
The finish is applied and polymerized.

Preparation for coating

The coating will lie flat and will look aesthetically pleasing only on prepared nails:

The cuticle is pushed back with a pusher.
The pterygium is thoroughly cleaned.
If the cuticle is wide, it is cut with special scissors or nippers or tweeters.
The nails need to be shaped, but so that the corners are not too cut and then grow ingrown.
The ends are processed with a file so that they become smooth, without burrs.
The plates are wiped with a degreaser to remove dust and excess moisture.

Watch the video on how to properly do a pedicure and treat your feet:

At the preparation stage, attention should also be paid to the feet, since neatly painted nails look discordant with rough, unkempt heels. They can be steamed in water or treated with a keratolytic agent. The softened skin is polished with a hardware attachment to remove excess stratum corneum.

How to keep nail polish on longer?

The question of how to maintain a manicure longer is always relevant for women, especially for business women who do not always have a “window” in their busy schedule for beauty. There are a few simple rules that will help your polish last longer; the simplest thing is to lubricate your nails with oil before taking a bath or shower.

Other rules that will make your manicure last longer:

Before the procedure, degrease your nails with alcohol or perfume.
Allow 10 minutes between coats to allow the previous one to dry completely.
Apply 4 layers: base, 2 layers of varnish, top.
Paint over the very tip of the nail, “sealing” it.
Renew the transparent top every 2-3 days; its consistency should be liquid, because a thick one will ruin the manicure.

Features of gel polish on legs

Gel polish on the legs is done and worn a little differently than a manicure:

nails cannot be long, they are cut and filed, if not to “zero”, then still quite short;
decor is used more modestly than for hands, since there is a higher chance that it will get in the way and come off faster;
leveling with a base is not done during pedicure;
over-wearing the coating is even more dangerous than with a manicure, especially during the season of closed shoes;
design can be varied;
Finger separators should be used when applying the coating, otherwise it may smear.

Material advantages

A pedicure with a polymerizing coating has several advantages:

the design can be made much more interesting than with regular varnish;
it lasts longer, maintaining pristine freshness;
it is not hampered by exposure to sea water or chlorine in the pool;
feet look well-groomed for 2-3 weeks without additional effort.

What to consider when deciding to do it at home

It is better to do a pedicure at home without a device if you do not have clear knowledge and skills in working with it. In addition, using the device on yourself is physically difficult and inconvenient, so there is a high risk of injury. The cuticle should not be removed either. On the toes it is thin, barely visible, there is a danger of cutting off excess skin and getting hurt. It is enough to move it aside and remove the pterygium with an orange stick.

Gel polish will lie smoothly and beautifully if you remove streaks before polymerization. For this, toothpicks, orange sticks, degreaser or cleanser are useful. In addition to them, you should prepare the necessary tools and accessories in advance.

The coating is also removed without a device by soaking. Use gel polish remover, foil or silicone caps.

What material is needed

To perform a pedicure yourself, you should prepare the following tools and accessories:

nail clippers or scissors, because on the legs they are denser and thicker than on the hands;
metal pusher or tool with a silicone tip;
several orange sticks;
cuticle scissors;
a nail file, maybe an inexpensive and simple metal one;
lint-free wipes;
degreaser;
primer;
liquid consistency base;
gel polish;
finishing agent;
ultraviolet or LED lamp for polymerization of the coating.

This is a mandatory set of items, without which a quality pedicure is impossible. Lovers of intricate designs will also need decor.

Procedure

Pedicures at home are done almost the same way as in a salon, but they do without a device, and you don’t have to cut the cuticle. It’s not worth working with cutters without having learned how to do this with your toenails. Without knowledge and experience, it’s easy to get hurt, and instead of a pedicure, you end up with lameness until the wound heals. And physically performing a hardware pedicure on yourself is very inconvenient.

The same can be said about working with cuticles. It is enough to push it away with a pusher and clean the pterygium to make the coating smooth and aesthetic. In general, the procedure consists of the following steps:

Nail preparation, which includes cutting off excess length, smoothing the edges with a file, pushing back the cuticles with a pusher and dry cleaning the pterygium with an orange stick.
Treating the plates and skin with a lint-free cloth soaked in a degreaser to remove dust and moisture.
Using a primer to improve the adhesion of the material to surfaces.
Application of the base product and its polymerization in the lamp.
Coating with gel polish, performing a complex design (this stage may consist of several intermediate steps, interspersed with drying in a lamp).
Polymerize the flower bed and remove the sticky layer after a couple of minutes.
Using the top, drying it in a lamp.

For the convenience of applying the base, flower bed and top, finger separators are put on, and in the absence of a device, cotton pads rolled into a tube are used. You can steam your heels in hot water or soften rough skin with a keratolytic. Then it is cleaned off with a foot grater. When the pedicure is completely ready, apply oil to the skin around the nails and cream to the heels.

How to remove

It is better to remove the coating at home by soaking:

File off the top with a hard file.
Apply gel polish remover to pieces of cotton pad.
Attach them to each nail and put foil or silicone caps on top.
Leave for 15-20 minutes.
Remove the foil and cotton wool, and use an orange stick to clean off the sodden coating.
Wipe your nails with gel polish remover again.
Make a foot bath to wash away any remaining solvent.

How safe is it for nails?

A nail pedicure is as safe as a manicure if certain conditions are met:

coat only healthy plates;
when preparing them, work carefully, do not press too hard with a cutter or hand tools, and do not go deep under the cuticle;
use high-quality products - varnishes, bases, tops, etc.;
sterilize instruments or buy disposable ones;
Do not wear tight shoes, and if you have problem feet and nails, leave the design with gel polish until summer.

There is another important nuance - when performing a pedicure, they do not use a base for leveling. Otherwise, there will be too much material on the nail plates, which will lead to damage. Masters often use single-phase gel polishes for pedicures so that the layer on the nails is thinner. You should also not overload them with an abundance of other components - powder, gels, tops.

It is better to attach voluminous decor (rhinestones, modeling) closer to the base rather than to the ends. Otherwise it will quickly fall off. In the meantime, it will be worn and may cause discomfort.