A lot of articles will tell you to simply face the fact that matte polishes aren't long-wearing, and that matte topcoats aren't quick drying (i.e. you're more than likely to wreck them within an hour of painting them, either by reading, putting a jacket on, or accidentally knocking your hand into something). And this is simply not the case! You can get days of wear out of your favourite mattes and glossies (under a matte topcoat), and you don't need expensive equipment or supplies.

Your first basic necessity for matte nails is a matte topcoat (duh). My favourite one is New York Color Matte Me Crazy! It is so inexpensive and affordable, and is only about $2 at my local Walmart. There are many options out there for matte topcoats, but I really like this one because it is cheap and it works for me. 

All you have to do to achieve beautiful and longer lasting matte nails is to apply your nail polish over a base coat like normal, apply a glossy topcoat, and then finish with your matte topcoat. This is so stupidly easy! Remember to wrap the tips of your nail with both of your topcoats after doing your vertical coat of the nail. This will better help protect your tips from chipping and fading. By applying a normal topcoat, your nails have more protection than if you only used a matte topcoat. 

I don't know what it is about applying a glossy topcoat before using a matte topcoat, but I find that it also gives my nails a nicer and even more of a matte finish. I don't know how to explain the science behind this and can't find anything that explains it, but it just works. 

Because matte topcoats take a little longer to dry than a standard glossy topcoat, you're also going to want to make sure that you avoid any accidental bumps and nicks to your perfectly manicured nails while they're drying. A simple and quick solution to this is to apply a cuticle oil over your nails and cuticles while they're drying. The oil basically acts as a barrier if you bump into anything, and you can avoid most damage to your wet nails this way. However, this isn't an instantly drying nail solution. You're still going to want to be a bit careful while your nails are drying, but this will prevent against most accidents. By applying a cuticle oil you're also moisturizing your cuticles and the skin around your nails. This will help your nails to become healthy and flexible, which is a better surface for your nail polish to adhere itself to (i.e. possibly prolonging the wear of your nail polish!). 

For those of you who were too lazy to read my article and just want to know how to get longer lasting matte nails, here's the low down: Base coat, any nail polish, glossy topcoat, then matte topcoat. 

How do you like rocking your matte nails? Let me know in the comments below!