PAINTING
Before you polish your nails, it's essential you prep your nails properly so your polish goes on smoothly and lasts a long time!
Choose a polish of your choice and pop on Poppy. Never shake your polish (this causes bubbles), always roll the bottle in your hands.
Our polishes can be organized into 3 different categories:
Beginner - super forgiving and easy shades like sheers, metallics, and glitters.
Intermediate - opaque shades that paint in 2 coats, slightly more challenging
Advanced - light, chalky pastel shades or super dark shades - usually 3 coats, the most challenging
Once you've chosen your polish, you're ready to paint. The secret to painting like a pro is to paint thin coats and to let each coat dry. We recommend waiting at least 5-10 minutes in between each coat. This will make your polish last longer, dry quicker over all, and reduce bubbles.
Lift the polish brush out of the bottle and wipe one side of the brush against the neck of the bottle, pulling the brush towards you. Place the polished side in the middle of your first nail, then press down gently so the bristles fan out a bit. Without lifting the brush off the nail yet, push the brush towards the base of the cuticle, getting close to the cuticle without touching it. Then pull the brush back down the center of the nail towards the tip. Then polish to the left and right sides of the first stroke to cover the nail.
Each coat should be nice and thin— don't worry if your first coat is streaky! It's always better to do more, thinner coats than to try to get full coverage in fewer coats. Try to paint each nail in 2-3 strokes. We like to paint: Middle, Side, Side, but whatever works best for you.
After letting your first coat dry for at least 5-10 minutes, apply your second. This time, start your brush at the base of the cuticle (no need to start in the middle of the nail and push, like the first coat. You already have the first layer as your foundation done). If you find that you have too much polish on your brush, wipe some of the polish off on the side of the bottle before painting.
If you make a mistake, simply dip the finger back in the Remover Pot to wipe it clean and start over. Easy! Psst… Even SGT regularly makes a mistake and starts over at least once a mani.
Once you've finished polishing, you're ready to move on to Top Coat.
