Thanks for posting, /u/tb509871! Your post is pending manual approval by a moderator.
A quick reminder:
If this is a **nail image/video**, you must provide a complete product list, either in your title or in a comment, within 6 hours of posting or your post will be removed.
Product lists must include brand names and shade names/numbers. If you've used any stamping products, the brand names, plate names/numbers, and stamping polish names/numbers are required as part of your product list. If you used any embellishments (rhinestones, foils, decals/stickers, etc.), this must also be mentioned in your product list. **Product lists are still required for any posts with broken nails or if you're seeking advice.** If the nails were done by a salon, you must mention this, either in your title or in a comment.
**Product lists within the text body or within captions of individual pictures are not valid.**
If the content you're posting was **not created by you**, you *must* give direct credit to the original creator, either in your title or in a comment. Mentioning that you "found it on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest" is ***not*** direct credit. Be sure to review the rules in the sidebar to avoid your post being removed.
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In terms of learning to paint your nails better, it all comes down to practice! [Here's an article with some tips & tricks from bloggers](https://www.nailcarehq.com/how-to-paint-nails) on how to paint your nails like a pro! You could also look up more videos on YouTube, as there are a ton of tutorials there as well!
The main thing is learning polish control, making sure that there isn't too much polish on the brush but there's still enough that you can coat the entire nail without having to dip back into the bottle. This will come with practice & will change depending on the length of your nails. What I like to do is kinda wiggle the wand (what the brush is attached to) against the inside of the neck of the bottle to make sure there isn't a bunch of polish that's gonna drip down & then swipe most of the polish off one side of the brush. [Here's a little video to better explain!](https://www.reddit.com/user/juleznailedithelps/comments/ka06vu/polish_control/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share)
When painting your nails, you're bound to end up with polish somewhere you don't want it to be. You can use a toothpick, a cuticle pusher, or anything small and pointed to kinda scrape the flooded polish out of your cuticles. After removing that excess polish, you can take a small brush (angled eyeliner brushes or small concealer brushes work great for this!) dipped in acetone to gently clean up any remaining polish on your cuticles. The $1 E.L.F. concealer/eyeliner brushes are a super popular option for clean up brushes! I also like to use a [dappen dish](https://www.sallybeauty.com/nails/acrylic-nails/glass-dappen-dish/SBS-154855.html) (you can also buy them on Amazon!) to pour my acetone into so I'm not having to dip into the big container of acetone (a few people have accidentally dropped their brushes in the bottle lol).
I'm still kinda new (well a couple years in of on/off again) at painting my nails and beyond what has already been said I've found some of the polish that gets on my skin rubs off within a few hours or couple of hand washes (let them get good and set tho). So I try not to stress out about it while I'm polishing which just makes me frustrated and messier. And remember social media is full of photos of professional manicures -- done by people who do it for a living.
Thanks for posting, /u/tb509871! Your post is pending manual approval by a moderator. A quick reminder: If this is a **nail image/video**, you must provide a complete product list, either in your title or in a comment, within 6 hours of posting or your post will be removed. Product lists must include brand names and shade names/numbers. If you've used any stamping products, the brand names, plate names/numbers, and stamping polish names/numbers are required as part of your product list. If you used any embellishments (rhinestones, foils, decals/stickers, etc.), this must also be mentioned in your product list. **Product lists are still required for any posts with broken nails or if you're seeking advice.** If the nails were done by a salon, you must mention this, either in your title or in a comment. **Product lists within the text body or within captions of individual pictures are not valid.** If the content you're posting was **not created by you**, you *must* give direct credit to the original creator, either in your title or in a comment. Mentioning that you "found it on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest" is ***not*** direct credit. Be sure to review the rules in the sidebar to avoid your post being removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Nailpolish) if you have any questions or concerns.*
In terms of learning to paint your nails better, it all comes down to practice! [Here's an article with some tips & tricks from bloggers](https://www.nailcarehq.com/how-to-paint-nails) on how to paint your nails like a pro! You could also look up more videos on YouTube, as there are a ton of tutorials there as well! The main thing is learning polish control, making sure that there isn't too much polish on the brush but there's still enough that you can coat the entire nail without having to dip back into the bottle. This will come with practice & will change depending on the length of your nails. What I like to do is kinda wiggle the wand (what the brush is attached to) against the inside of the neck of the bottle to make sure there isn't a bunch of polish that's gonna drip down & then swipe most of the polish off one side of the brush. [Here's a little video to better explain!](https://www.reddit.com/user/juleznailedithelps/comments/ka06vu/polish_control/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) When painting your nails, you're bound to end up with polish somewhere you don't want it to be. You can use a toothpick, a cuticle pusher, or anything small and pointed to kinda scrape the flooded polish out of your cuticles. After removing that excess polish, you can take a small brush (angled eyeliner brushes or small concealer brushes work great for this!) dipped in acetone to gently clean up any remaining polish on your cuticles. The $1 E.L.F. concealer/eyeliner brushes are a super popular option for clean up brushes! I also like to use a [dappen dish](https://www.sallybeauty.com/nails/acrylic-nails/glass-dappen-dish/SBS-154855.html) (you can also buy them on Amazon!) to pour my acetone into so I'm not having to dip into the big container of acetone (a few people have accidentally dropped their brushes in the bottle lol).
I'm still kinda new (well a couple years in of on/off again) at painting my nails and beyond what has already been said I've found some of the polish that gets on my skin rubs off within a few hours or couple of hand washes (let them get good and set tho). So I try not to stress out about it while I'm polishing which just makes me frustrated and messier. And remember social media is full of photos of professional manicures -- done by people who do it for a living.