In the same way that a perfectly polished, demure-looking nude manicure will never go out of style, a statement set of red nails will always be chic. Still, unlike neutral hues, red is a very unforgiving shade to paint with. If you’re not painstakingly careful, you can go from magnificent to messy in just a few strokes. Also, using a really good base coat is a must as red, along with any other darker nail colour, is prone to staining your nail bed, even after you’ve removed it.
Step 1: Prep
To begin, apply two slicks of base coat and allow for them to dry completely. If you paint your red polish on top of these before they’re bone dry, your colour coat can re-liquefy and shift them. If that happens, you’re going to lose their stain protection benefit.
Step 2: Paint
Carefully apply two coats of a red nail polish that suits your skin tone. Cooler-toned people will look great in blue-toned, cherry reds, while those with warmer-toned skin will suit yellow-toned reds such as tomato.
Step 3: Primp
Once your newly-red nails are dry dip a cotton bud into a little acetone and use it to clean up if you’ve gotten any colour on your cuticles or the sides of your nails. Next, apply a top-coat that promises a high-shine finish to give your manicure a professional-looking gleam. Added bonus: Most top coats contain super-strength polymers that extend the life of your nail colour by protecting it from chipping.
As a finishing touch, treat your cuticles to a moisturising oil and just like that - you’ve created a salon-style mani at home.
Once you've found your perfect shade, you can shop 50 Shades of Red in the Clicks Beauty Fair, now on.
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