Eyes may be the window to the soul, and hair may be the frame for your lovely face, but more often than not, the next things any stranger is going to look at are your hands.

It’s been said that the true way to tell a lady’s age is to look at her hands, since they often suffer neglect and abuse the face does not. Age aside, whether you’re passing change to a clerk at the grocery store or flagging a cab, your nails are the part of your hands that really catch the eye -- and there isn’t a friend or foe alike who wants to look at your chewed off cuticles or be clawed by your unclipped talons. A good manicure is a necessity, whether you’re wearing polish or not, and with very little effort is something that can easily be done at home. So, no more excuses! Here are a few simple tips for giving yourself a manicure and doing the aching eyes of passers by a huge favor.

Wearing a base coat under dark polish will help prevent nails from being stained and/or turning yellow from the darker pigments.

A base coat can also help prevent chipping and peeling, making polish last longer. Making sure nails are clean, dry, and free of natural oils will help polish adhere and last. Take off old polish, wash hands, dry and then go over the nails with polish remover one more time to get rid of any excess oil before applying fresh polish.

Wearing a matte, white base coat under neon nail colors, will make your neon colors truer to what you see in the bottle.

In other words, a white base coat will really make neon colors pop.

Using a topcoat can also prolong nail color life.

Flicking the brush under the free edge of the nail (the part that grows past the finger tip) and gently along the tip of the nail in a horizontal motion, will also help increase polish wear. Applying a thin coat of your topcoat every couple of days will increase polish life.

Using the right grit nail file to file and shape nails will help support nail

health, strength and length.

Especially important on natural nails, using the right file grit can prevent little snags and tears at the corners of the nail which weaken the nail and eventually lead to breakage. The lower the number of the grit (how coarse the file is, or how big the filing particles are), the more coarse the file will be.
 

Basic rundown as follows:

• Extra Course: 80 Grit
  
• Very Coarse: 100 Grit
  
• Coarse: 120 Grit

These are only for use on acrylic nails, never wraps or natural nails, to shorten and shape.

• Medium Coarse: 180 Grit
  
• Medium: 220 Grit
  
• Medium Fine: 320 Grit

These are used for light acrylic work, wraps and shortening and shaping natural nails.

• Fine: 400 Grit
  
• Medium Smoothing: 600 Grit
  
• Smoothing: 4,000 Grit
  
• Shining: 12,000 Grit

Used for smoothing, buffing and finishing nails.
Taking an old file to the edges of a new file will soften those edges, helping to reduce cuts and irritation to cuticles, especially when buffing and/or shaping acrylics.

Light polishes make nails look longer, but don't draw as much attention to nails.

Darker polishes and neons look best on nails that are very well manicured.

A light layer of acrylic over natural nails will make them stronger and polish last longer.

Use nail polish removers with acetone only on natural nails. Acetone will eat acrylic.

To remove artificial nails, soak in pure acetone, wiping occasionally with cotton to remove the excess acrylic. Pure acetone is also the fastest way to remove nail polish with glitter in it.

Masking tape is a great way to block off the free edge of the nail when doing a French manicure.

 It takes about 45 minutes for polish to set.

It takes about 2 hours for polish to completely dry and resist smudging, bubbling and imprints from things it may brush up against/be pushed into (like, your sheets). The most common cause of bubbled nail polish...? Placing hands in water before polish is completely dry.

Polish streaky...? Dark polishes especially, can look streaky once applied.

Use a three stroke approach with each coat to minimize streaking. One stroke up the center of the nail, then along each side. Making sure each coat is dry before the next will also help prevent the dreaded stripes.

If polish is old and thick, add a polish thinner to it.

Don't add nail polish remover. It will continue to dilute the polish until it's too thin to offer any coverage.

The best way to help natural nails grow is to massage the cuticles every night before bed (and anytime you might think of it during the day) with a cuticle cream or oil (regular lotion works fine as well).

Massaging the cuticles stimulates and improves circulation in the area, allowing nails to grow stronger. Good diet is another key. Calcium and gelatin are both great for strengthening nails. Protecting the nails with a strengthener, keeping them out of harsh chemicals and not using them as can openers or screwdrivers will also help.

 Terrific tips are a surefire way to make a fabulous first impression, so a little TLC goes a long way. Adding a few simple steps to your daily routine as well as a little extra effort for special occasions can take your tips from drab to fab!

*Photos from skincare.lovtoknow.com, living.oneindia.in, cutndry.com, nailartgallery.com