We've all been there - you have a set of freshly painted nails, reach for a celebratory sip of wine and—smoosh—all of your hard work and meticulously applied nail art is ruined. So how can you get nail polish to dry faster? We spoke to celebrity manicurist Erica Marton to get her best advice. Follow these tips and say goodbye to your dented, smudged manicure. 

Use Less Nail Polish

While you may tempted to apply thick coats of polish to finish your mani with just one coat, it's actually the worst thing you can do if you want a smudge-free manicure.

"Your layers of polish should ALWAYS be even and thin," explains Erica.
 

Wait Between Each Coat

Applying a second coat of nail polish immediately following the first coat makes drying time last even longer. "Wait at least a minute in between coats, including a base and top coat," advises Erica. 

 

Skip Fans, Blow Dryers, and UV Lights

While some bloggers recommend using a hair dryer on the coolest setting to dry nails, we say to steer clear of this trick. Not only do you increase the risk of smudging polish while fiddling with your dryer settings, the air can cause bubbles to form if the temperature isn't just right. Same goes for fans in your local salon, too. "I prefer for my clients to wait and let nails air dry on their own," says Erica.

What about those funky blue or purple UV Lights? "For UV lights to work, a nail technician has to use a special top coat that hardens the polish, but most manicurists don’t use that top coat because its very expensive," she explains. For Shellac or gel manicures, however, drying by UV light is necessary.

 

 

Do Quick Drying Top Coats Work?

Beauty editors and manicurists alike swear by quick-dry top coats. This extra step can really cut down on drying time and help make your manicure last. "My favorite quick dry in the world is Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat," says Erica. "I would also be lost without QTICA Half Time Polish Drying Accelerator. It dries polish rock hard in 5 to 7 minutes. But, it’s a little pricey though."

 

No-Wait Manicure

If you're in a rush and can't be bothered to wait for your nails to fully dry, skip the polish entirely. "A buff shine will last for a month on toes and two weeks on fingernails," Erica explains. The best part of a buff manicure? No more chipped nail polish!