How To: Have Perfect Valentine’s Day Nails

Whether or not you have a significant other this Valentine’s Day, any excuse for fun nails is something to take advantage of. There are plenty of cute manicure ideas that can be found online, but not everyone is a nail art expert.

Below is a simple and quick nail idea that will be sure to impress whoever you choose to spend the holiday with.

Step 1: Moisturize

No one wants to show off pretty nails with dry hands, so grab some lotion, like OPI’s Avojuice. Then, rub in a cuticle oil where the skin meets the nail to keep your skin supple and help your nails grow longer.

Step 2: Trim and buff

Rounded nails with square edges are in for the 2015 season, so start by trimming any majorly uneven portions of the nail. Then, buff them down with your favorite nail file. Focus on creating a unified look among all of your nails.

Step 3: Base Coat

There’s a wide variety of options for the base coat that you can use. If you struggle with cracked or chipped nails, use one like Sally Hansen’s strengthener. Want your color to stay longer? Use a gel-based base coat for lasting shine and salon-like quality.

Step 4: Color

Paint your thumb, index finger and pinky a maroon pink. Make the color stronger by applying two coats. Then, paint your middle and ring finger a white shade.

Step 5: Decoration

Get a sparkly silver, like Sally Hansen’s version, and apply one coat to your middle finger. Then, grab your pink color again and apply two dots of paint with a toothpick. Carefully drag the dots down to meet in a point in the middle, and voila – you have a heart!

Step 6: Top Coat

This step is optional, but it will make all the difference in the vitality of your manicure. Try a topcoat, like Sephora’s, after your nails have fully dried.