We all know how annoying a chipped, dented or smudged nail can be, so I thought I would share a few tips and tricks for an easy and quick fix. All the problems below can be solved using the same concept of smoothing out your base, but how you do it and what you choose to do after that varies.

Of course, you could always just wipe off the nail and start over (use a Q-tip in this case to avoid damaging your other nails), but why waste the polish and time if it can be fixed easily? Below, I’ll outline quick ways to fix three common nail polish mishaps:

Table of Contents

1. Chipped Nails or Tip Wear

Chips and/or nail tip wear are among the most common problems to run into after you paint your nails. If you don’t have time to repaint all ten nails, but want to repair the damage, here are some quick fixes.

Take a Q-tip soaked in remover and run it over the tip or chipped area to create an even surface to work on and minimize the bumps. Don’t go overboard – just rub it on until it is smoothed out.

At this point, there are two options to choose from. You can either paint over the whole nail again, which could save time, but I usually opt for painting a light layer over the tips where it’s bare instead.

Be careful not to put too much on to avoid any discrepancies. If one layer is too sheer, feel free to paint on a second light layer and finish off with a top coat to blend everything in.

An extra step could also be added – painting over the whole nail after the chipped spots have dried, then using a fast drying top coat – but it would take a lot more effort, especially if you have more than one nail that needs fixing.

Another quick fix – if you find just a little bit of wear on the tips rather annoying, you can always slightly file the tip to get rid of it.