Matte manicures are definitely a cool way to switch up your nail look without making things too complicated. They are sleek and chic but still fun and different, ya know? That’s the kind of balance I like to find sometimes (other times I like to get real over the top because IDGAFFFFF lol) The problem is that I have struggled for ages with how to make matte nail polish last. I mean it chips so quickly and this can’t just be happening to me.

I see all these gorgeous matte manicures on Instagram and Pinterest and my immediate reaction is “I WANT IT!!!” but then it chips in five minutes and my life gets sad. So after a lot of trial and error I think I’ve worked out a few rules to make matte nail polish last long. You ready? Let’s do dis…

1. STICK TO REGULAR POLISH WITH A MATTE TOP COAT - I’m pretty sure that part of the problem with matte polish chipping so quickly is that you inherently aren’t supposed to use a top coat. Top coat is a big part of making your mani last so we are just asking for trouble here. Instead I like to just take whatever polish I feel like using from my collection and then putting my matte top coat over it.
2. BUT THAT’S NOT ENOUGH - Matte top coats are also not THAT great for making your manicure last. It must be something to do with the way they have to be formulated to be matte, but they just don’t get the job done as far as longevity is concerned. But don’t worry, my first tip was not complete BS because we solve the problem by doing this…

Do your manicure like you normally would. Use a top coat that usually works well for you and makes your manicure last under normal conditions. I use the Essie Gel Setter because like I mentioned in my review of it, it makes my polish last super duper long.

Next let it completely dry and then …

Just apply your matte top coat over the completely manicure. This way you get the lasting power of the regular top coat but the fun finish of the matte top coat! Easy peasy. I still find that matte manicure wear a little more quickly at the tips, but as far as chipping goes this definitely extends the life of the manicure to almost as long as using standard polish.

So if you want a instagram/pinterest/cool girl manicure with matte finish, but haven’t been able to make matte nail polish last then give this a try! It works pretty damn well for me 🙂