I’m a not-so-secret nerd – I blame it on being brought up in the Silicon Valley – and, as such, one of my favorite websites is Lifehacker. Apart from computer and tech advice, it also gives ‘life hacks’ – basically, small things you can do that will improve your quality of life, whether it’s How to Tell if Something is Really a Deal on Black Friday to 10 Stubborn Food Myths That Just Won’t Die.

OK, so the website Lifehacker has nothing to do with nail polish, but I love the concept of ‘life hacks,’ and there are some that are directly applicable to nail care. Here are my four favorite ‘nail hacks’ that will make your life so much easier:

Table of Contents

1. Use a White Coat for Bright, Opaque Polish

You know what I hate? Runny, thin nail polish. In my opinion, every nail polish should be 100% opaque by the third coat – hah, wouldn’t that be nice? Unfortunately, many of my beloved neon shades used to take 4-5+ coats to achieve this, which was a total pain.

Now, I can achieve an opaque look with three coats using any nail polish – as long as I use white underneath. Anytime you’re having issues with an un-pigmented formula, just use an opaque white (I like Essie’s Blanc, $6 at Amazon) and then put one or two coats of your regular polish on top.

The white polish provides a blank canvas and really shows off even the most un-pigmented formulas. Best of all, you can’t even tell a white coat was used – all you’ll see is perfect coverage!

2. Use Cold Water to Speed Up Drying Time

I really did not believe this until I tried it – really, you’re going to tell me something as basic as running my nails under cold water will help me dry them? But it actually does work!