I’ve been painting my nails at home for as long as I can remember. I love getting professional pedicures at a nail salon and won’t ever give those up, but I find my nails chip so quickly when I get a professional manicure (even Shellac) that the price + time commitment simply isn’t worth it.
I’ve shared before that I paint my nails in bed so they can dry while I sleep – and I’ve gotten a ton of questions about how I do this without getting marks or creases on my nails, so I thought I’d put together a post about it + share my favorite summer nail colors!
Here’s how I do my nails at home:
- TRIM – I use nail scissors to trim my nails short – I usually do this right after I shower when my nails are softer
- FILE – I file my nails to make them more smooth and uniform (I use these exact ones because you get so many in a pack!)
- PAINT – I usually do 2-3 coats of color and then a quick dry top coat
- DRY – After I finish painting my nails, I usually sit up in bed and watch Instagram stories or work on an IG post for the next day while my nails dry. I usually sleep on my stomach, so after 25-30 minutes, my nails are pretty much dry and I’ll sleep with my arms/hands in front of me, so they don’t touch any bedding or pillows as they continue to “cure.” If you’re getting lines on your nails, try making sure you’re giving them a full 30 minutes to dry before laying down to sleep and use a quick dry topcoat.
Here are my favorite top coats + nail colors I use most often! 
Garmin smartwatch | on my nails: one coat of cake pop – CND & 2 coats of funny bunny – OPI
TOP COATS
My favorite top coats are Essie gel couture and Orly quick dry. I use them both equally!
PINKS
cake pop – CND | mod about you – OPI | minimalistic – essie | fiji – essie
NUDES/WHITES/SOFT PINKS
romantique – CND | let me bayou a drink – OPI | ballet slippers – essie | funny bunny – OPI | ORLY – kiss the bride | ORLY – cake pop| essie – peak show
LILAC TONES
go ginza – essie | OPI – frenchie likes to kiss REDS Cajun shrimp – OPI | dutch tulips – OPI
OTHER Bikini so teeny – essie
SHOP THE POST:
What are your most-worn summer nail colors?
Shop the Post
I love essie geranium for a great summer red
thank you! I will check it out!
I’d love to paint my nails more often, but I cannot paint them more than 4x in a row without my nails getting so dry and thin! Help! What do you do to your nails to keep them healthy underneath the polish? Surely I’m not the only one!! 🙂
Hi Bonnie! To be honest, I don’t use anything. However, I have heard that cuticle oil at night can help your nailbeds look their best!
I also don’t have the patience for salon manicures; even shellac generally only lasts about a week. Do you use a base coat?
Kate – typically I do not. I feel like most polishes nowadays are so high quality that you don’t “need” one, but perhaps they’d help with chipping. I always chip after just a few days regardless of what I use so I’ve just come to accept it!
Highly recommend CND “stickey base coat” for anyone looking for a good one, it’s available on Amazon. The only base coat I’ve ever tried that I feel truly makes a difference in the longevity of my manicure/pedicure and definitely helps with any yellowing on the actual nails.
Veronika, I share so many of your favorites and think you’d like “Don’t Bossanova Me Around” by OPI. I find it to be the perfect neutral/pink/lilac shade (a bit more taupe than “Go Ginza”), it’s my go to for any time of the year!
Jill- I love these recommendations and am going to order the base coat now!
Thanks for the recommendation Jill! I’ve been using an Essie base coat for years and I honestly don’t know if it actually makes a difference. But I’ll have to check this one out!
Hi Veronika! Can you remind me of the name of the super bright neon yellow polish you recommend? Thank you!!
Hi there! I don’t think I’ve ever worn a color like you describe (at least in the last five years or so – sorry!)
Oh my gosh! I just realized it’s another beautiful blogger I follow;) I was scouring your blog & Insta trying to find it😆 thx for helping me figure it out;)