Primers are great multi-taskers; they can be applied alone for a natural look, in place of a base coat for a quicker manicure, or under a base coat for additional care benefits. They provide a little extra love for your nails—from resurfacing and concealing visible imperfections to protection from breaking and peeling.

You should always avoid soaking nails in water before a manicure. Nail plates are porous and absorb water, making them temporarily more flexible and less curved. Once the moisture leaves the nails after the manicure they go back to their original shape. This is why soaking nails can lead to shorter wear time—as the nail plate flexes back the polish can easily chip or peel. Additionally, water will also temporarily hydrate the cuticles, hiding imperfections and hangnails—this will prevent a meticulous manicure.

The best way to remove gel nail polish at home is to soak a cotton ball in a nail polish remover with acetone and place it over the nail, wrapping your nail and cotton ball in a small piece of tin foil to secure them together. After 15 minutes, remove the foil and cotton ball from your nails. Then gently scrape the gel from your nail with a cuticle stick. (If the gel is still adhered after 15 minutes, wrap again with for 5 additional minutes—never scrape or buff off gel.)

Shaking can create bubbles. Instead simply roll the bottle upside down between your hands for a smooth application.

Dress in layers. Some sheer and pastel polish shades will appear uneven on the first coat, but will even out for flawless coverage on coat two. Always apply two coats. Don’t be too conservative. Using polish sparingly will not help you create a uniform finish—instead it will dry more quickly as you apply, creating streaks on the nail. Apply color with quick brush strokes. Slow strokes of the brush can create streaks, since the solvents are already beginning to evaporate and the polish is drying as you apply. Start with ridge filling. This primer helps even out the nail surface, which in turn will help level the polish applied on top. This is especially helpful if you’re using a sheer shade or a chalky pastel. Save your strokes. Over-brushing—or going back over the same polish you’ve already applied with the brush—causes dragging and leaves color application uneven. That’s because the solvents are already beginning to evaporate— thickening and drying the polish—and repeated brushing causes the brush bristles to make small groves in the polish. Minimize brush strokes and practice smooth, long strokes to avoid this. Shake & settle. If a bottle has not been used recently, the formula can begin to separate causing some unevenness in the coloir. Shake the bottle thoroughly before beginning the your nail prep so it has time to settle. This will help ensure that any bubbles created by shaking can rise back to the surface before coloor application.