How to fix a chipped nail and why you absolutely should

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• Slaphappiness

George Glass has the good word on why what you’re doing to fix that annoying little polish chip is probably not good enough, and what you should be doing and why she can probably handle cracked heels and overgrown brows but NOT chipped nail polish. (Ed’s note: I wholeheartedly agree. Much.)

Listen, it’s a bit tedious when ladymag types tell you that you simply MUST be doing a smokey eye this season, or that you’ll look positively RIDICULOUS if you set foot outside without a $90 spray tan, or that unpedicured toes are simple UNACCEPTABLE with those shoes. We’re all adult women, we do as we like. That said, there is one beauty rule that should be adhered to absolutely. That is: chipped nail polish looks naff. It’s not the end of the world if you get a chip, hey, we’ve all scraped off a hunk of fresh new manicure when rooting around in a handbag, but please do fix it post haste.

But how to fix it properly? Painting over the chip with straight-up colour will look okay for a little while, but it will flake off much faster than the rest of your manicure, kind of defeating the purpose of fixing that chip in the first place. It’s easy to quickly fix chipped polish in a way that will last, and it involves something you’ve already got in your kitchen cupboard. First, a caveat: this works best on that big, frustrating chip you get early in the life of your manicure. If it’s been a week and all your nails a looking a little dull and roadworn it’s really time for a non-acetone remover soaked cotton ball.

You will need:
- A good, sticky, clear basecoat. You want a base coat that dries to a slightly dull, faintly tacky finish, to best adhere to the colour. Great options are CND Stickey and Bloom rubberised base coat (basecoat name)
- White vinegar, the kind you put on your chips
- Colour of choice
- A great fast dry top coat. The hands-down best top coat for your money is Seche Vite, available at nail salons or online. Another great, perhaps more accessible option is CND Air Dry.

First, swipe the offending nail with a cotton ball soaked in white vinegar. This will remove any oils or dirt that might stop the polish from adhering. Dry it quickly with a paper towel, then apply a coat of base coat to the entire nail. Next, brush on a generous bead of polish to the chipped area. It’s okay if the bead of polish is a bit round and thick. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, or until the polish is at the ‘doughy’ stage. Gently press with your fingertip to flatten the polish out, then coat with your quick dry top coat. The whole thing will be totally, stick-your-hand-in-your-pocket dry in around 15 minutes, touch dry in 1, and it’ll last and last.

There, that wasn’t so hard.

George Glass,
Slaphappiness

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