6 Secrets for a Flawless Holiday Manicure

From: Live Longer, Live BetterUpdated: Mar. 20, 2019

There’s a lot more to a perfect holiday manicure than simply buying your favourite polish colours. Learn how to keep your nails properly groomed so they sparkle and shine for all your festive events.

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1. Filing Your Nails

Shape nails while they’re dry. Using the fine side of an emery board, file each nail gently to follow the contour of your fingertips.

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2. Buff Until Smooth

If you nails have ridges, stroke them lightly with a chamois-covered buffer. Rub back and forth across them for a few seconds and slide your other fingertips against them periodically so you can feel as soon as they have become smooth.

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3. Keep Your Fingernails Clean

Before starting a manicure, soak your nails in warm soapy water for a few minutes to loosen grit below the tips and to soften cuticles. Then clean your nails with a soft brush.

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4. Remove Excess Cuticle Skin

Gently push back the cuticle on each finger with the edge of a hand towel or an orange stick wrapped in cotton. With cuticle scissors, cut off any hangnail or jagged cuticle.

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5. Make Your Nails Shine

Rub buffing powder, paste, or cream into your nails. Buff crosswise until they shine. Then massage some hand lotion or cream around the cuticles.

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6. Repair Broken Nails

To repair a split nail, use paper adhesive from a nail repair kit. Change the repaid often to ward off infection.

Originally Published: September 28, 2011