A trip to the nail salon is the best way to perfect your manicure, but sometimes, you may not have the time to head down for an indulgent mani-pedi. The solution? A DIY manicure at home.
However, painting your own nails at home can be tricky. The nails on your non-dominant hand will often look flawless, while your dominant hand is left looking botched and far from perfect. Perhaps you painted over your cuticle, or you’re left with a streaky, uneven mess on the sides of your fingers.
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Well, it turns out, there’s a handy hack that’ll give you smooth and even results when you paint with your non-dominant hand. Mytien Le, a nail specialist at nail polish brand Sundays Studios, has a trick up her sleeve that’s simple and ingenious. All you have to do is “move your finger around and let it do the work for you.”
How the hack works
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Instead of attempting to manoeuvre the delicate brush over your nail with a shaky and unsteady hand, try this easy two-step trick:
- Hold the nail polish brush at the straight-on angle above your nail
- Move your finger into place based on how you want to apply the colour
By using this method, you’re letting your non-dominant hand rest, while the fingers on your dominant hand get to work, making your chances of ending up with a messy manicure on one hand significantly lesser.
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Credit: Karolina Grabowska/Pexels
The technique also applies to filing your nails with your non-dominant hand. Simply hold the emery board or nail file at a head-on angle while moving your finger to the angle you wish to file at. Avoid “sawing” away at your nail with back-and-forth motions, as you may split or fray your keratin layers. Instead, file in one direction until your nail reaches the perfect shape.
This proves just how easy a home manicure can really be, and how you can end up with nails looking like you just walked out of a nail salon. Now, you can focus on applying the colour evenly instead of worrying about how to get a better grip or angle with your non-dominant hand. You should end up with significantly fewer smudges using this technique!