birchbox:

Along with makeup artists, hairstylists rank pretty high on our list of people we’d like to have around all the time. That’s just one reason we’re so excited to have hairstylist Kate Bryan guest blogging for us today. The other reason? We’re obsessed with her blog, The Small Things, which covers beauty, jewelry, and — you guessed it — the small things in life. Today’s her last guest post but we’ve love having her on the blog!

One of the most frustrating things in life is getting a chip in freshly manicured nails. (And it’s even more frustrating when you’ve shelled out money for the manicure.)

I had given up on polished nails years ago since my hands are in water all day shampooing my clients. I also happen to be very crafty, so projects at home would inevitably always take their toll on my polish. I had tried everything, from Axxium to Shellac manicures (which I enjoyed), but I didn’t want to take the time and money necessary to maintain them.

Recently though, I discovered a nearly chip-proof at-home formula for polished nails that lasts me five days! And if it lasts me that long, you will no doubt get a lot more mileage out of this manicure. Read on for the chip-free nails in six steps.

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