How do you paint your nails like a pro?

Painting your nails like a pro involves shaping the nails, applying a base coat, brushing the nails with colored polish and sealing them with a top coat. The required supplies are a nail file, nail clippers, a soft towel, warm water, body lotion, nail polish, a base coat, a top coat and a buffing bar. This procedure takes about 30 minutes.

1. Clip your nails

   Clip your nails to a uniform length.

2. File your nails

   Place a nail file beneath a fingernail, and pull it across the underside with a quick, horizontal stroke. Lift the file back to the starting position, and repeat the motion. Use this technique on all of your nails. File them until you achieve the desired shape.

3. Buff your nails

   Brush a buffing bar across the surface of each fingernail. Move in only one direction, and use fast, light strokes. Begin at the cuticle, and work towards the tip.

4. Moisturize your cuticles

   Apply a dot of body lotion to each cuticle, and rub it in. Gently push the cuticles back with one finger, and buff them with the buffing bar.

5. Wash your hands

   Wash your hands with mild soap and warm water. Dry them thoroughly.

6. Apply the base coat

   Place a dot of base coat in the top center of each nail, leaving a small space between the liquid and the cuticle. Gently push the nail brush up to the cuticle, and then draw it straight out to the tip. Lift the brush back to its starting point, and pull it down the right side of the nail. Repeat on the left side.

7. Apply the nail polish and the top coat

   Apply two coats of the nail polish with the technique you used for the base coat. Run the brush across the tip of each nail. Apply the top coat in the same manner.