Make you manicure last longer this summer

After that miserable winter, we all want to embrace the summer season in any way we can. One of the best ways is to treat yourself to a fabulous fresh manicure. But, there’s nothing worse than looking down and finding your fresh new nails have vanished before the sun cream is even dried in. Lucky for you we’ve rounded up some tips to help you keep everything in place whether your jetting off to the guaranteed sunshine or just staying put.

Chose clothing wisely

We know it can take an engineering background to attempt to dress yourself when waiting for your polish to dry. To make things easier for yourself, and to keep your colour intact, just avoid clothing with zippers as they will cause your manicure to chip. Amy Ruiz, who is responsible for the nails of Reese Witherspoon says you can try wrap a rubber band through the top of your zipper so you don’t risk catching your nails and ruining all that hard work.

Settle on the right shape

We’re all pretty much addicted to our smartphones at this point. And that can have some bad side-effects for our nails. If you’re an Instagram addict or a texting machine, go for a nail shape with a more rounded edge. This will prevent it from chipping while you’re tapping away like a maniac. Ruiz also says that if you’re looking for a long-lasting manicure for the summer months she would opt for gel. She says “it's ideal for travel since you get 10 days to two weeks of non-chipping.”

Keep your nails protected on the sand

Sand is actually your manicure or pedicure’s worst enemy. The grains will scratch your colour off and leave it dull. Ruiz says that using some SPF will keep your topcoat intact by acting as a buffer and hydrating your nails. She says; "I find sprays contain more than one kind of alcohol that maybe drying to the skin or polish if sprayed in the sunlight." This is especially true for lighter shades so make sure you’ve got a good top coat on before adding the sun block.

Call in back-up

Try and keep those bright summer shades around for as long as possible by making sure you do a touch up. This is most important if you’ve spent all day in and out of the pool while on holidays. This is because the chlorine will cause your manicure to dry out so you need that extra coat to keep your colour from going astray.

Take care of your nails in the air

Jetting off some place fabulous this summer? Good for you, now just remember that airplane recycled air can be a nightmare for your nails. The skin around your nails will get dry mid-flight so make sure you have a good moisturiser in your carry-on, preferably one that’s got coconut or avocado oil.