How to Save Your Fresh Manicure From Nail Polish Bubbles

Updated on 7/16/2015 at 9:00 AM

Few things look as good as a fresh, smooth manicure — so it's especially frustrating when air bubbles ruin the finish. MIMI tells us how to prevent nail polish bubbles once and for all.

Nothing is worse than giving yourself a mental high five after achieving the perfect at-home manicure only to realize at some point, pesky little air bubbles made their way into your smudge-free polish job.

What causes these annoying bubbles? We chatted with our favorite nail expert, Gracie J of The Editorial Nail, to find out how to avoid nail polish bubbles, once and for all.

According to Gracie, bubbles appear when the polish is applied too thick to the nail. While there's no magic number of seconds or minutes to wait between coats, Gracie recommends applying semi-thin, even coats to each nail, making sure the previous coat is completely dry before painting a second coat. Next time you're giving yourself a manicure, try pacing your painting so by the time you finish all 10 fingers, you can start back at finger one for round two.

Unfortunately, once bubbles appear, there's no quick fix. Removing your polish and starting from square one is the only real solution. To prevent this problem from happening in the first place, make sure the consistency of your polish isn't too thick before you paint a whole hand. The likely culprit? Your favorite polish you've had for years. If the consistency is dense and sticky, add a few drops of OPI's Nail Lacquer Thinner ($10) for a smooth, bubble-free mani.