Things That Go Wrong When Painting Your Own Nails

Between hair cuts, highlights, and waxing, paying for beauty services seriously adds up, so sometimes it's nice to skimp on cost where you can. But let's be real — we aren't pros here, so sometimes your DIY can turn into a major screw up. You've probably learned the hard way that there are several things that can go wrong when painting your own nails. Let's just say, painting with your non-dominant hand is the least of your concerns.

Don't be fooled — painting your own nails is not as easy as it looks. What seems to be a totally idiot-proof task always ends up in stains, spills, and extreme frustration on my part. I always swear that next time, I'm just going to pay the money and go to the salon, but then my polish chips, I get busy and can't find the time to squeeze in an appointment, or my bank account tells me I can't, and out comes the bottle and the cycle of irritation repeats itself again. Given my DIY beauty skills (or lack-there-of), I'm just glad I haven't taken to cutting my own hair. Yet.

If you've ever painted your nails at home, you've probably experienced one, or all, of these seven things that go wrong. And even when you swear they won't happen again, they do. But whatev, we're all in it together.

1. Your Polish Is Old/Too Thick

But it's your favorite. And you want to use it anyway, so you defy logic and continue on painting. You get through about three nails before you realize that ain't going to happen and you're legit caking on chunks of polish. Now you have to take it off and start over.

2. Polish Will End Up Everywhere But Your Nails

If you want to see an intelligent, educated person look like a complete goober, force them to use their non-dominant hand. If you're right-handed and paint with your left or vice-versa, prepare to look like a kindergartener did your nails.

3. You Only Have Non-Acetone Polish Remover

Cutex; $4.53; amazon.com

OK, you need to repaint that hand for reals, but you realize you bought the non-acetone polish remover and that takes off nothing. Seriously, you'll be rubbing it on your polish all day long and nothing will come off. Nothing even makes sense anymore.

4. You Turn To Water

It's still wet, so water and a tissue will take it off, right? Wrong. Very wrong.

5. You Spill The Bottle Of Polish

In all the chaos, you knock your bright bottle of polish over onto your white carpet. Because of course you did. But at least you finally painted your left hand!

6. You Get Hungry

Have you ever eaten right after you've painted your nails and realized you didn't rinse the polish remover off your fingers? That's a taste you won't forget.

7. You Have To Go Out Before Your Nails Are Dry

For some reason, the urge to paint my nails always strikes exactly five minutes before I have to be out the door. But I mean, it's been like 90 seconds, they have to be dry by now. Somewhere between putting a jacket on, sending a text, and fishing for your car keys, that manicure is totally ruined. Now you get to go out with smudged, chipped, and smeared polish. Cute!

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Images: Pixabay; Amazon