To paint your nails like a pro, you need a nail file, nail polish remover, cotton balls, base coat, top coat, and your favorite nail polish color. The process involves cleaning nails, filing them to shape, applying a base coat, two to three coats of color polish using a brushing technique starting in the center and brushing to the sides, and finishing with a top coat. Tips include having polish remover on hand to fix mistakes and letting nails dry before touching anything.

1. PAINTING YOUR NAILS
LIKE A PRO
Sara Levitt

2. What do you need?
• Nail file
• Nail polish remover
• Cotton balls
• Base coat
• Top coat
• And of course your favorite
• nail polish color!

3. Start with clean nails
• Make sure to take off any existing nail polish before you begin with
nail polish remover and cotton balls

4. Filing
• Using your nail file, shape your nails and make sure they are nice
and even
• Rub the file over the edge of your nail to change the shape and
length

5. Base coat
• The next step is to paint each nail with one coat of a clear base coat

6. Color
• Once the base coat is dry, it’s time to add the color
• Paint each nail with one coat of color and wait for it to dry
• Add a second and possibly third coat once your nails are dry

7. Technique
• While applying the color nail
polish, start at the base of your
nail with a line down the center
of your nail
• Going back to the base, bring
the brush along one side of the
line to the end of your nail
• Repeat with the other side

8. Top coat
• When the color is completely dry, you will add the clear top coat
using the same technique
• Be sure to swipe the nail brush over the tip of your nail to prevent
chipping!

9. Tips
• If you mess up at any point, keep the
cotton balls and polish remover ready for a
quick fix
• Pour a small amount of remover onto the
cotton ball and wipe the polish off
• Don’t forget to let your nails dry before
touching anything

10. Finished!