Nail polish question

[starfish]

loonylunalovegood and anyone else who might know.


So my 3 year old LOVES having her nails painted, but they look horrible the next day. She sits still for a base, color and top coat, and then will wait while they dry. But as soon as she gets shoes on they peel off. What am I doing wrong?

  I did buy some formula X, which is more then I ever paid for nail polish and it did last a little longer. For Christmas I got her the whole set with cleanser, base, and top, will that help more? Is there any tricks I don't know that might help? I was willing to pay for better polish so I am not painting her tiny toes every night! 

[mala]

What do you mean they peel off? Are you using regular polish or a kid marketed product?

If it's regular polish, are you sure the nail is clean? If there is lotion on her nails polish won't adhere as well. Does she take a bath every night? That makes regular polish come off faster too.

[starfish]

She takes a bath every other day, and its normal nail polish. I did it on Thanksgiving, and next day we went outside for a few hours and when we came back in it was off 3 nails, and chipped all over the other ones. It almost seems like it peels off or something.
I don't really lotion her since she hates it, and her skin doesn't need it. Maybe its the oil in her nails? I was looking online and it said something about using nail polish remover to remove oil? But wouldn't that keep the polish from sticking?

I am so not a nail polish person, I have the worst nails ever.

[mala]

Try cleaning her nails with polish removerbefore applying. As long as you let the nail dry it won't mess up the polish.

[starfish]

Dec 2, 2014 9:35:57 GMT -5 loonylunalovegood said:

Her nails need to be super clean and dry when you paint them. I'm also a firm believer that you have to find the right base and top coat for your chemical make up. Her little nails just might not work with the base and top coat you're using. I use Orly bonder for my base and HK Girl Fast Dry Top Coat and they're perfect for me.

Also, I hate to say it, but I haven't had good luck with formula X polishes. Try Zoya. They're always awesome for me.

So far Formula X has worked pretty good for her, I will definitely try some different base and top coats, and the nail polish remover before hand. Her toes are tiny, but it takes for ever so I would rather paint them less often. She would like a new color every day if she could. 

[Deleted]

Instead of nail polish, you can also swipe her nails with isopropyl alcohol before painting to remove any nail/skin oils.
Also, are you making sure its fully dry BETWEEN layers? And not doing thick layers, that can also make it chip faster.

I mean, I get that kids are so much more active, but that seems ridiculously quick chipping. Painting my toes is nice because it lasts weeks.

[starfish]

Dec 2, 2014 15:00:33 GMT -5 @ksta said:

Instead of nail polish, you can also swipe her nails with isopropyl alcohol before painting to remove any nail/skin oils.
Also, are you making sure its fully dry BETWEEN layers? And not doing thick layers, that can also make it chip faster.

I mean, I get that kids are so much more active, but that seems ridiculously quick chipping. Painting my toes is nice because it lasts weeks.

I think I am, she sits in my lap for about 2 plus hours, and i do one coat of bottom, two coats of color and one coat of top, and usually wait about 30 to 45 mins between. I have gotten really good at thin coats of polish. I have all the color removed and going to try tonight with the remover/alcohol trick.

   Thats why I only want to do it once a week, while I love cuddling her, its really time consuming. 

[Deleted]

Dec 2, 2014 17:10:34 GMT -5 starfish said:

Dec 2, 2014 15:00:33 GMT -5 @ksta said:

Instead of nail polish, you can also swipe her nails with isopropyl alcohol before painting to remove any nail/skin oils.
Also, are you making sure its fully dry BETWEEN layers? And not doing thick layers, that can also make it chip faster.

I mean, I get that kids are so much more active, but that seems ridiculously quick chipping. Painting my toes is nice because it lasts weeks.

I think I am, she sits in my lap for about 2 plus hours, and i do one coat of bottom, two coats of color and one coat of top, and usually wait about 30 to 45 mins between. I have gotten really good at thin coats of polish. I have all the color removed and going to try tonight with the remover/alcohol trick.

   Thats why I only want to do it once a week, while I love cuddling her, its really time consuming. 

Its time consuming but seems like a precious memory-creator to me! Soon enough she'll be too squirmy/busy for that much cuddling!

[starfish]

I know you all are waiting for an update. I got her the formula x set for Christmas, and using it, and rubbing her tiny nails with nail polish remover, lasts almost a week! It lasts a month on my son....he loves getting his nails painted now too.