Nail Varnish and Nail Polish
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
First of all, as I understand it nail polish, nail varnish and nail paint are one and the same, so throughout this entry when I say polish I mean varnish and paint too.
Secondly, I know a lot of people have learned all the info below as young children, but some people (especially men) never know the joys of painted nails even as adults, and it's at them that this entry is aimed.
Nail polish is a paint (usually acetate-based) used for coating the finger and toe nails. Polishes come in many different colours, from gloss to matt, from transparent to opaque to metallic. Some contain little pieces of glitter, some glow in the dark, some glow under UV light.
Some beauty parlours offer nail art, where a great deal of time is spent painting and transferring patterns onto painted nails, but this is very tricky and expensive and not covered here.
It's often thought only women use nail polish, but then it used to be thought only men wore trousers. People who are shy of their painted status might want to stick to painting their toes, which they can then reveal in the presence of open-minded folk and keep covered during travel through less accepting environments. There are literally thousands of nail polish colours, and if you don't want girly pink and red you can always go for more bloke-ish dark metal, brown or black. Greens can be quite androgynous if that's your thing.
Prolonged use of nail polish can do bad things to the nail underneath, so you might want to give your nails polish-free spells if you intend to paint them regularly.
Directions For Use:
If you have never used nail polish before, it is worth getting some bits and pieces together in advance:
- The nail polish itself. You might want to stick to one colour, or you might want to use different colours on different fingers and toes. If you want to make your nails glittery, your best option is to use a normal colour and then paint some glitter polish on top when the base has dried. Otherwise the glitter layer tends to look a bit transparent and boring, although some might see it as more subtle.
- Nail polish remover. This can be a bottle of liquid which you apply with a cotton bud, or it can be a ready-soaked box of removal pads. This is *very* important as you may have reason to remove or change the polish at a moment's notice. Untouched, most polishes last until they've gradually worn off with the nail which for some polishes can take weeks. One fun thing is to paint your toenails and watch them grow over a week as the lower edge of the polish moves forward with the advancing growth of the nail.
- Finger and nail lotion. This strengthens and smoothens the skin harmed by your use of vain cosmetic chemicals, and is good if you're a regular user. Optional.
- Toe separator. Available at some chemists and beauty shops, this is a bit of plastic for spreading your toes apart while you paint them. Daft as it sounds, it's quite tricky keeping your toes (especially the little one) from curling under each other for the minute or so you have to wait while a coating of polish dries. Optional.
- Open-toe shoes or sandals. Hey, you want to show off your nails don't you? Optional.
Once you have your materials, sit in a comfortable position where you can reach all the nails easily (on the floor is good for toes, at a table is good for fingers). Make sure you prop your polish bottle up carefully, they can make an awful stain if they fall over.
Shake the bottle well to mix the colour properly, spread your fingers or toes apart and begin to paint them one at a time. Let them dry for at least a minute, and *don't* try to apply a second coat too quickly or you'll mess up the smoothness of the first one. Ignore the instructions on how many coats are required, this is a cosmetic product and whatever looks right is right. Two dry coats is usually the maximum needed, overthick caked polish doesn't look good.
Remember not to chew painted nails as polish tastes horrible!
Secondly, I know a lot of people have learned all the info below as young children, but some people (especially men) never know the joys of painted nails even as adults, and it's at them that this entry is aimed.
Nail polish is a paint (usually acetate-based) used for coating the finger and toe nails. Polishes come in many different colours, from gloss to matt, from transparent to opaque to metallic. Some contain little pieces of glitter, some glow in the dark, some glow under UV light.
Some beauty parlours offer nail art, where a great deal of time is spent painting and transferring patterns onto painted nails, but this is very tricky and expensive and not covered here.
It's often thought only women use nail polish, but then it used to be thought only men wore trousers. People who are shy of their painted status might want to stick to painting their toes, which they can then reveal in the presence of open-minded folk and keep covered during travel through less accepting environments. There are literally thousands of nail polish colours, and if you don't want girly pink and red you can always go for more bloke-ish dark metal, brown or black. Greens can be quite androgynous if that's your thing.
Prolonged use of nail polish can do bad things to the nail underneath, so you might want to give your nails polish-free spells if you intend to paint them regularly.
Directions For Use:
If you have never used nail polish before, it is worth getting some bits and pieces together in advance:
- The nail polish itself. You might want to stick to one colour, or you might want to use different colours on different fingers and toes. If you want to make your nails glittery, your best option is to use a normal colour and then paint some glitter polish on top when the base has dried. Otherwise the glitter layer tends to look a bit transparent and boring, although some might see it as more subtle.
- Nail polish remover. This can be a bottle of liquid which you apply with a cotton bud, or it can be a ready-soaked box of removal pads. This is *very* important as you may have reason to remove or change the polish at a moment's notice. Untouched, most polishes last until they've gradually worn off with the nail which for some polishes can take weeks. One fun thing is to paint your toenails and watch them grow over a week as the lower edge of the polish moves forward with the advancing growth of the nail.
- Finger and nail lotion. This strengthens and smoothens the skin harmed by your use of vain cosmetic chemicals, and is good if you're a regular user. Optional.
- Toe separator. Available at some chemists and beauty shops, this is a bit of plastic for spreading your toes apart while you paint them. Daft as it sounds, it's quite tricky keeping your toes (especially the little one) from curling under each other for the minute or so you have to wait while a coating of polish dries. Optional.
- Open-toe shoes or sandals. Hey, you want to show off your nails don't you? Optional.
Once you have your materials, sit in a comfortable position where you can reach all the nails easily (on the floor is good for toes, at a table is good for fingers). Make sure you prop your polish bottle up carefully, they can make an awful stain if they fall over.
Shake the bottle well to mix the colour properly, spread your fingers or toes apart and begin to paint them one at a time. Let them dry for at least a minute, and *don't* try to apply a second coat too quickly or you'll mess up the smoothness of the first one. Ignore the instructions on how many coats are required, this is a cosmetic product and whatever looks right is right. Two dry coats is usually the maximum needed, overthick caked polish doesn't look good.
Remember not to chew painted nails as polish tastes horrible!
