Celebrity nail artist warns of biggest mistake people make when applying polish

Celebrity nail manicurist Michelle Humphrey, who has worked with the likes of Rita Ora and Dua Lipa, says there’s one particular mistake people make when applying nail varnish that can cause nasty discolouration.

Humphrey works for stars all over the world, including Dua Lipa, Lily Allen and Rita Ora, so she knows what she’s talking about, said an article by The Mirror Magazine. The celebrity manicurist, who is based in London, believes you can’t really go wrong with nail polish – if you make a mistake you can just take it off and start again.

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But, there are some mistake she sees people make that can cause nasty discoloured nails. Speaking to The Mirror, Michelle warned the popular error is “forgetting to apply a base coat”.

Michelle said, “Always apply a base coat. Your base coat is going to anchor your colour down. And a lot of people, they’ll wonder why their nails are stained – and I’ll know straight away”. The nail expert remembered one particular client who wondered why her nails were stained and “a bit yellowy”.

She explained, “So I asked her, ‘has someone put polish on without using a base coat’? And the client explained she had been on a job recently and they were rushing, and had applied dark green nail polish on without a base coat, it stained her nails.

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“So a base coat helps to anchor colour down and prevent staining – which is a must.” Another thing that can cause nasty staining is leaving a colour on for too long.

We all get excited when a particularly good nail polish lasts for ages without chipping – but if you leave it on for too long, that’s not a good thing. Michelle warned, “Your nails will grow out – and it will discolour the nail bed. Even if you’ve used a base coat, it’s going to stain if you leave it on too long.”

In addition to your base coat, Michelle recommends using a good top coat, which is “going to smooth out any imperfections in the colour application”. She added, “So if you’ve got a slight streak or look slightly uneven, put a top coat on and nine times out of 10, if you’re using a good quality top coat, you won’t see them”.

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Michelle also recommends taking care of your nail health in general, and says you should “always oil your cuticles”. She added: “I always say it until I’m blue in the face. But it helps to keep the nail plate flexible. And prevent hangnails and dry cuticles, which we’re all suffering with at the moment because it’s winter.”