Costco Members: 9-Piece Deborah Lippmann Dance Party Nail Polish Set

Who the hell is Deborah Lippman?

Buffing thins and weakens the nails, so I wouldn't recommend excessive buffing - most people won't need it at all for regular polish. More than mild buffing actually makes your nails smoother and shinier - the opposite of what you want before applying your base coat. My nails are thin, so I never buff them.

Always wash your hands and wipe your nails with acetone, a non-moisturizing, acetone-based nail polish remover, or alcohol before beginning your manicure. This will remove existing nail oils or any residue leftover from the soap, since soaps often contain moisturizers. Any moisture or oils on your nails will interfere with your base coat and polish adhering to the nail.

Using a base and top coat in your manicure will extend the life of your polish dramatically. A good base and top coat and a good application method will make even a 99 cent polish wear better than a $25 polish, worn alone. I have tried a lot of different base and top coats and find that "grippy" base coats work the best. I prefer Orly's Bonder base coat, though CND's Stickey also has a strong fan base. Grippy base coats dry to a slightly rubbery finish, allowing your polish to better grip onto the nail plate.

I recommend never using base/top coat combos, as base and top coat do opposite things, so it would be difficult for a combination product to do both things well. Base coat is designed to grip the nail and polish, while top coat is designed to create a smooth, shiny surface.

For top coats, you want to apply a generous amount and "float" the top coat on the nail, without actually touching the brush to the nail. Get a nice bead of polish on the brush and touch the bead to the nail a little below the cuticle. Then gently push the bead up to just above where the Polish ends near the cuticle and guide it down the nail in the minimum number of strokes, usually 3, reloading the brush, when necessary. Try not to overwork the top coat (or polish, for that matter).

I prefer quick dry top coats, as they are designed to penetrate all layers of the manicure and help it dry faster. Seche Vite is my favorite, but it can be hard to work with, once you get halfway through the bottle. The Sally Hanson top coat available at drug stores in the red bottle is also very good, though it won't give quite the glass-like finish of Seche Vite.

Always cap the front edge of the nail with base coat and at least one coat of polish and top coat. You want to seal the entire manicure so that water can't get into the nail when you wash your hands, bathe, etc. Water causes the nail to swell and encourages chips. Capping the tip of your nail will make a huge difference as far as mani longevity and preventing chips. Don't follow the instructions given. Cap the tip while the base/polish/top coat is WET so it can seal with those coats.

The number of coats necessary will vary depending on the individual polish, your application method, and your personal opacity preference. Everyone is different and some people will apply thinner coats than others. I often find myself needing three coats on one hand and only two coats on the other hand for full opacity with creams because I'm right hand dominant and have better control with my dominant hand vs my non-dominant hand. For glitters with a clear base, you'll obviously just want to match glitter density and that might even vary from nail to nail, depending on how much glitter is loaded on the brush each time.

I could go into way more detail than this, but these are just some basic tips to get your polish to adhere well and last longer.

Also, if a polish is in a clear bottle and does not require a UV light to cure (harden), it is not a gel polish. With a popularity of actual gel polish the last few years, it has become popular for many brands to advertise their polishes as "gel-like", but that term doesn't actually have any meaning. I assume they mean that their polish is shiny, but all polish is shiny, once you apply a top coat (which should always be worn, if you actually want your mani to last).