For many tgirls, nail polish is one of their first forays into the mysterious world of makeup. Painted toenails can remain hidden under socks and shoes, so it’s safe. And I’ve known a lot of genetic girls who have a fascination with painting guys nails . . . so you can always claim your girlfriend did it to you! Not to mention nail polish remover is easy to come by and useful for lots of stuff, so there’s not too much worry about how to get it off.

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But for some reason, making your painted nails look good is nearly impossible! And if you’ve got it down perfect, you’re probably in the minority. What’s so hard about it? Well first, to paint your right nails you have to do it with your left hand (or vice versa if you’re left handed) so you have to learn to be a little ambidextrous. And it’s not like coloring . . . it’s more like painting! But seriously, the more strokes you take, the worse it looks, just like if you’re painting a wall or a barn or whatever it is that tgirls might paint.

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Don’t fret though, I have tips for you! First, buy decent nail polish. I know I say this all the time, but it’s really true – if you get the $1 bottle that’s been sitting in the discount bin for a couple years, it will be like painting with snot And nailpolish is the most likely of all your makeups to go bad – if it starts getting tacky, get rid of it!

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Next, store your nailpolish in the fridge – this limits the evaporation (keeps longer) and makes it spread/coat easier. Sort of like adding reversible paint thinner

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Be aware that there are a couple different types of nail polish – some are thinner and runnier, some are thicker. The thicker stuff usually gives a brighter color in a single coat, but it’s also more difficult to avoid streaks. There is some really great runny nail polish out there that still gives saturated colors. But unfortunately no one labels nailpolish as to how runny it is – you just have to try a few. There’s also regular nailpolish and quickdry. Personally I don’t see much difference between them though, and any more most nail polish in the store is actually quick dry.

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Ok, when you get your nail polish out to paint your nails, don’t shake it. What Yes, you heard me, don’t shake it. Instead, roll it back and forth between your hands. You know, like your back in gradeschool making a clay snake. Do it fast because you want to mix it up, but the idea is to avoid introducing air bubbles which make a mess on your nails.

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Now that you’re ready to apply your nail polish, pull the brush out running one of the flat sides along the edge of the bottle to wipe off pretty much all of the polish on that side. Then touch the paint coated side of the brush against the side of the bottle too so that you dab off about half of the drop of polish. That should be about the amount of nail polish you’ll want to do a single nail, though obviously it varies with the size of your nails, which nail you are painting, etc.

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Start with a stroke down the very center of your nail, from cuticle to tip. Be careful lining things up when you put the brush down and pull it back up at the end of the stroke, but apply enough pressure that the bristles fan out a bit. One stroke only down the center! Then go back and take a single stroke down each side of the nail, slightly overlapping the center stroke. Then you’re done. Don’t touch it again The only exception is if you have some rough edges at the tip of your nail, you can run the edge of the brush (not the tip!) over those to fill them in. If you’re not satisfied, forget about it for the moment, do the rest of your nails, let them dry (completely!), and add a second coat to fill in.

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If you get a little sloppy with your nail polish, the most amazing thing to remove the excess is . . . a fingernail. Seriously, take the tip of another nail (preferably on the opposite hand, and one that hasn’t been painted yet if you have the option ) and scrape off the excess while it’s still wet. If you *really* make a mess, you can always put some nail polish remover on a tissue or makeup wipe and get it that way.

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Speaking of nailpolish remover. I always go with the hardcore full acetone formula. Because my biggest concern is making sure that I get all of the polish off. I don’t use it often enough to justify needing a less harsh chemical (ie an acetone free version). Plain old non-frilly nailpolish remover is the most effective, and the cheapest. So I’d recommend that unless you have some special needs. And in a pinch, use paint thinner or household acetone.