A couple of weeks ago, I was desperate for a pedicure. We were visiting my parents in their new town so I did a Google search to find local nail places. A couple came up, none had reviews of any sort so I picked the closest and went for a mani & pedi.
What followed ended up being the worst pedicure and manicure experience I’ve ever had. I was cut to the point of bleeding, given a bad mani while I sat in the pedicure chair (the mani started chipping later THAT day) but I was told in the end that I had to pay an extra $1 more than their price list showed because they gave me the “sanitary” lining for my pedicure. Ummm, okay, so for $1 less ANYONE is going to get the unsanitary one?
Needless to say, I won’t be going back to that place anytime soon. And not shockingly, my pedicure had almost totally peeled just a week later. Maybe I just always get great pedicures but I can get a pedicure to last up to weeks before it needs touching up.
While clearly it wasn’t the most upstanding place, I was curious why I would have started chipping so quickly so I did a quick search on tips for making a manicure and/or pedicure last longer and here’s what I came up with. Good info for future manicures and pedicures and ways to make it last!
1. Check the age of the nail polish. Older nail polish will chip much faster than newer nail polish. I searched all over for a specific answer on what the shelf life of nail polish is and it’s anywhere from “forever!” to all sorts of other times. The general average seemed to be to keep your nail polish for no more than two years. Tip: If you are having your nails done at a salon, ask for a fresh bottle of polish!
2. Apply a top coat a few days later. Try and remember to put a top coat on top of your nails 48 hours later and it’ll extend the life of that mani/pedi by days!
3. Stay away from anything hot. Did you know it takes a full 12 hours for nail polish to TRULY dry? If you can, keep away from hot water for 12 hours and it’ll keep much longer.
4. Buff your nails first. If you have a smooth surface, the polish will go on more cleanly giving it less of a chance to chip.
5. Make sure you have a base coat. Having that base coat first layer gives the polish color something to latch onto.
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