Whether you love getting manicures or you do your own nails at home, the most frustrating thing is when those polish jobs don’t last for longer than a few days. Nail chipping, smudging, and breaking is a true nuisance that we ladies deal with on a normal basis. So we thought that a few helpful tricks and tips for longer lasting manicures wouldn’t go amiss!

1. Wipe Your Nails Down With Vinegar

Using a cotton swab, wipe your nails down with vinegar before you apply your basecoat. This will remove any product buildup or natural oils on your nails that could prevent the polish from sticking well. Apply the basecoat once your nails have dried.

2. Apply Basecoat Twice to the Tips

The tips of your nails are most likely to chip due to your daily activities (typing, using your phone, etc.). So give your tips a little extra protection with two coats of base coat.

3. Don’t Get Polish on Your Cuticles

When you’re doing your own nails, make sure you avoid getting any polish on your cuticles. Getting polish there lifts the paint from your nail and makes it easier for polish to chip. You could invest in a cheap pusher tool to push your cuticles back (using cuticle oil) if desired.

4. Don’t Miss the Free Edge

Also make sure to paint the free edge of your nails.

5. Smooth Out a Smudged Nail With a Q-tip

Here’s a brilliant way to fix a smudged nail without redoing the entire nail.

6. Use a Nail Oil

Apply a nail oil to your nails every day to keep them from drying out. The dryer your nails and cuticles are, the more likely they are to break, chip, and/or tear.

7. Reapply Top Coat

Make sure to reapply a topcoat every few days to prevent chipping and give your nails a shine boost.

8. File Down Chipped Nails

If the tips of your nails have started chipping, don’t redo the paint job just yet. File them down and then seal them with another layer of top coat.

9. Hide a Grown Out Gel Manicure with Glitter

Get even more life out of your long lasting gel manicure by adding some detail to the base of your nails. Use glitter to create a pretty ombre effect.

10. Distract from Chipped Nails with a Thin French Tip

Now your chipped tips will have a cool, updated look.

11. Protect Your Nails When Doing the Dishes/Cleaning

Submerging your nails in hot water and cleaners/chemicals is the quickest way to ruin your manicure. So make sure when you’re in cleaning mode that you protect your manicure by wearing gloves.