Nail Polish Noob: Making Progress!

Guess who's the clever girl who managed to get this done all by herself without mistakes? :D
Yes, I'm mighty proud of myself since I'm a complete no0b when it comes to applying nail polish. Even getting a single color on would require a few attempts because I'd keep messing up.

Anyway, I was lurking around Sasa last weekend and I picked up their Graffiti Nail Top polish, which is basically the poor girl's OPI Shatter.

I had some help from a couple of nail polish pros though. Let me take you through how I got this done after the jump!

How It Is Done:

1. Apply Color Combos in CBL112 (middle) as the base color. If you have a base coat, I think you're supposed to apply that first before the base color. Add a second coat for a more opaque color
   
2. One thick layer of the Sasatinnie Graffiti Nail Top in GN101 Black
3. Seal and add shine with The Face Shop Nail Top Coat

Thanks to Nikki's (Askmewhats) wonderful step-by-step guide on how to apply nail polish, I managed to apply the base color fairly quickly and without too many streaks. Even on my right hand! A few particular tips that were very helpful include:

• Removing excess nail polish on one side of the brush before applying
• Applying 2nd coat only after the 1st coat is completely dry
• Using the brush holder/cap properly (please refer to her post for pictures)

The first time I tried the shatter polish, I ended up with unsightly black crusts on my nail and upon reading Xin's (Prettybeautiful) post, I realized what I was doing wrong:

• Apply one thick coat and DO NOT OVERLAP

This "nail art" is somewhat idiot-proof whereby you don't actually need to be neat but a certain degree of basic skills is still needed!

A few no0b tips from moi:

• PATIENCE! Allow the first coat to dry completely before adding the 2nd coat
• Don't try to skip the latter by applying one thick coat which is gonna take much longer to dry and won't last very long
• When your nails are drying, try not to utilize your hands so much like opening a can drink...
• Try not to sleep on your hands when you've just had your nails done less than 3 hours ago or you'll end up with hair patterns on your nails
• If your base color application looks crappy, hide with shatter polish or glitter :D
• Keep in mind that pastel colors are going to be harder to apply nicely as compared to metallic, sheer or glitter colors
• Applying a top coat would make less-than-perfect base color application look a bit smoother
• Don't apply polish with the fan blowing at you

I think that's all I have...

Do you have any Nail Polish Noob Tips to share?

The Sasatinnie Graffiti Nail Top (RM14.90) dries practically upon application so you have to work fast or the polish would goop up. The polish certainly works to get the shatter effect but you'd have to give it about a minute or so to shatter completely. They carry few other colors such as white, grey, pink and red.

The Color Combos polish applies a tad sheer but the color turns out nicely when layered. Honestly, I bought it 'cause it was cheap. I think Sasa's having promo now: RM3.90, get 2nd one at RM1.