How To Take Your At-Home Manicure To The Next Level

Nail artist @mannequin.hands shows us how to paint nails like a pro.

If you’re looking for a blank canvas to flex your creativity, and your nails are seeming a little bare at the moment, perhaps it’s time to give yourself an at-home manicure. Much like makeup or adding accessories to a look, a simple slick of nail polish can brighten your day and make you feel instantly ‘done’, but why stop there? We’re taking it one step further and adding a little character to our nails with the help of Sydney-based nail artist Victoria Houllis, aka @mannequin.hands on Instagram. Watch her cherry nail tutorial below, then try it on yourself at home.

What you’ll need:

- A few different colours of nail polish
- Dotting tool or equivalent
- Fine brush or q-tip to clean up
- Top coat
- Cuticle oil

Steps, simplified:

1. Apply two coats of your base colour.
2. Clean edges as you go with a brush or q-tip dipped in acetone.
3. Allow each coat to dry thoroughly before you apply another.
4. Use your fine tools and different coloured polish to create your designs.
5. Finish with a clear top coat and keep those cuticles soft and hydrated with oil.

Pro tip:

"Be patient – there’s no time like now to learn how to wait for layers of polish to dry properly! And there’s nothing that acetone can’t fix."

Finishing touches