It takes most of us at least a couple years to get the hang of painting our nails. When we’re still little girls, we tend to glob it on, then smudge the heck out of it and rub it off because we are not about to sit still long enough for it to dry. Once we get a little older though we start to learn the ropes. But I don’t think many of us ever really learn a truly good technique for painting our nails. We still just sort of slap it on then wait impatiently for it to dry, and pray we don’t have to pee while it’s still wet.

Here are some tips & the steps I take when painting my nails that give me the best results.

* Never, I repeat NEVER, shake your nail polish! Shaking incorporates air bubbles in the polish, and air bubbles in the polish means you'll get bubbles on your nails too, and often this leads to a streaky, less smooth application of polish as well.

* Location location location. Sure, it might be fun and relaxing to paint your nails on your bed or on the couch or some place equally soft and squishy - but you're going to be more prone to a messy manicure in such places. Sit at the kitchen table or a desk, someplace well-lit, solid and sturdy. You'll have a solid place to rest your hands to minimize shaky hands for a neater manicure, and you're far less likely to spill your polish.

* Have patience, grasshopper. Patience is key when painting your nails. If you try to paint your nails in a hurry, you're sure to make a mess of it. So slow down and take your time. True, you still may get a little polish around the edges that you've got to clean up (I know I do) but you'll have less of it. If you give yourself the time you need and don't work too quickly, you'll find that it's a lot easier to get a clean, smooth, long-lasting manicure than when you hurriedly swipe the polish on.

Step 1: Clean your nails. If you have polish on already, use nail polish remover to get it all off your nails. I’ve heard various do’s and don’ts about what kind of removers you should use but I’m just gonna say to use whatever works best for you, and what is appropriate for your nails. If you don't wear fake nails acetone removers are generally best, however if you wear fake nails make sure you use a remover that is safe for that type of nail. Even if you don’t have polish on, rub your nails with some remover anyway to remove any dirt and oils from your nails. *I have also heard two different things to follow this. One was to use a nail brush to scrub your nails clean under warm running water and get remover residue off. I have also heard that is not a good idea (I tried it and didn’t like it) but that you should use rubbing alcohol to remove the remover residue from your nails before continuing. I have also tried that and didn’t like it. I personally get the best results if I just use the remover, and move right along to Step 2. I suggest you try out each method and just see what works best for you.

Step 2: Base Coat. Make sure your nails are clean and dry, then apply a base coat of your choice. Using a base coat will help to even out your nail bed to assure a smooth application of polish, and it prevents the polish from staining your nails. (Reds and bright or dark shades are notorious for staining.) Most base coats are formulated to dry quickly, so unless you are a very fast painter you will be ready to move on to Step 3 immediately after finishing with your base coat. Otherwise, wait for the base coat to dry, then move on to your color.

Step 3: Applying Color. Use the “3 stroke method” if you can - but if you have trouble with this method just do the best you can with whatever works best for you. It is generally best to use the 3 stroke method though, or at least use the fewest number of stokes you are comfortable with. If you don’t know the 3 stroke method, it is done by first painting a stroke down the middle of your nail then one more stroke on either side to fill in the rest of the nail. It takes some practice to get this method down, but once you do it’s pretty easy. This is the part that is a little tricky, because you want to paint quickly to avoid streaking, but you don’t want to paint too quickly and make a mess. Try to find your own rhythm. You also don’t want to use too much polish at a time, but not too little either. Again, this is something that just takes practice till you get it right and find what works best for you. Just remember that multiple thin coats of color are better than one or two thick coats of color.

If you are only applying one coat of color, move on to Step 4. If you are applying two or more coats of color, wait for about 5-10 minutes between each coat of color. You want each coat to dry enough that you can paint the next coat on without pulling off the first/previous layer of color (resulting in streaking) but you want it to be just a little wet so that all the layers will bond together. If the polish is too wet when you apply the next coat you could get bubbles in your polish too, and unless that's the look you're going for that's not a pretty sight. If you are more comfortable with it and have the time to spare, you can let each coat dry completely before applying the next. But, that could take a while if you are going to use several coats, and if it's humid. So keep that in mind.

Step 4: Top Coat. After applying your final coat of color, wait for about 5 minutes before applying a top coat of your choice. Just like when applying your color, you want to work at a steady pace that is not too fast or too slow, you want to use the three stroke method (if you can) and you want the polish to be dry enough that your top coat doesn’t pull at it, but still a little wet so the top coat will bond to the color. If the brush of your top coat is pulling color off your polish is still too wet, so stop and wait a few more minutes before finishing and moving on to the next step.

Step 5: Quick-Dry Treatment. Quick Dry products come in various forms. Some are applied with a brush just like the polish, some are sprayed on and some are drops. Most of the quick dry products will tell you to wait for one or two minutes after applying your top coat before applying the quick dry product, but sometimes you will find that you get better results if you apply them IMMEDIATELY after applying the top coat. Some of them you can use in place of your top coat, in which case you can skip step 4. You may want to try both ways with your product to find what works better. For the drops, simply put one drop at the base of your nail, near the cuticle. It will spread on it’s own to cover the entire nail; you may have to tilt your hands a bit to help it spread (if you tilt at the right angle, you can actually see it run down your nail so you know it is completely covered) and if your nails are longer you may need an additional drop to cover the entire nail. There will be residue on your fingers from the drops, but DO NOT wipe it off. Just hang out and let your nails dry. They should be dry to the touch in about 60-90 seconds… which means still very wet but if you touch them ever so lightly they won’t smudge. In about 5-10 minutes they will be dry enough you should be able to carefully wipe the residue from the drops off your fingers (but not off your nails!) and then you can do little things like hop on the computer to check your email or go get your mail, but no heavy-duty chores (or fun stuff!) like washing dishes or doing laundry just yet. Your nails will be dry enough for that in about one hour, even with multiple coats of color.*

*This time varies, depending on exactly how many coats of color you’ve put on and the humidity. I have painted on as many as five coats of color and it’s been dry in about one hour on a dry day. If you apply more coats, it still takes longer to dry even with quick dry products. And if it’s a humid day, it’s going to take even longer. So keep that in mind when you settle in to paint your nails!

Step 6: Clean Up. Use a nail polish correcting pen to clean up any boo-boos made while painting your nails. This step is last for me, after the polish is dry. But I know others who prefer to do this while the polish is still wet. So do whatever works best for you. If you don’t have a correcting pen, you can use a Q-Tip dipped in nail polish remover, or a little bit of cotton wrapped around an orange stick and dipped in remover. I find the pens are more precise.

Now all that’s left to do is admire your pretty nails!

The same routine applies to toenails, with the exception that polish seems to last a lot longer on toe nails than on finger nails even without a top coat so you could skip that step if you wanted to. I usually skip it, because the polish lasts so long even without it anyway.

If you are using a quick dry formula nail polish, you can simply apply base coat to prevent staining if it’s a bright or dark color, then apply a coat of color and wait for it to dry. Most of these polishes are formulated with a base coat and top coat in them, but I find for certain shades the separate base coat is still a good idea. But they don’t usually require a separate top coat. And one coat is typically enough to get good color payoff, though not always. I've found with quick-dry polishes one coat dries quickly, but any subsequent coats take longer and longer to dry, so I usually stick with just one coat.