It’s frustrating when a well-done manicure starts to chip, peel or break, so read on for tips on how to make your beautiful gel nails last longer:

• If you’re getting just a gel application without the full manicure and cuticle work, before your appointment, push back your own cuticles. The reason for this is because even a slight overlap of the gel polish and your cuticle could cause the gel polish to lift off the nail bed.

• If longevity is what you’re after, then try keeping your nails short and slightly rounded. This would make your gel nails less prone to snagging and breaking.

• Whilst oily nail beds are the main cause of gel polish peeling and chipping, applying a generous amount of cuticle oil or almond oil the night before your appointment helps keep the skin around your nail moisturised making it less prone to peel later.

• Noticing cracks and lifting? Every couple of days, add a layer of clear nail polish to seal in the gel, keeping any chips or cracks at bay.

• Carry around nail glue…it could be your nail’s saviour! Either your gel polish can chip or your nail can actually break; in any case, applying nail glue as soon as the breakage occurs can save your whole nail by preventing it from chipping further.

• If there is a chip, file your gel nails down to stop it from breaking further or catching onto something.

• When handling hot water, use gloves! Hot water has the potential to seep into the nail plates causing the polish to lift and peel.