Summarize:

A sparkly or glitter polish requires less accuracy since the base of the polish is mostly clear with flecks of glitter added in. When painting with a glitter polish, the polish that runs onto your skin is most likely going to be clear, or a sheer shade, which makes it less noticeable for mistake. Also, if a fleck of glitter finds its way onto your skin, it is very easy to pick off and fix the mistake. Compared to solid colored polishes, mistakes with glitter polishes are harder to see, and less messy to clean up. Creating a polish barrier for your dominant hand is optional, but it could be very useful to people who are particularly unsteady with their weaker hand. This step is usually taken once your opposite hand has already been painted using your dominant hand. Use a Q-tip to apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly around your cuticle line, and sides of your nail bed. This creates a barrier that will prevent the polish from sticking to your skin if you paint off your nail. When all of your nails are dry, wipe off the surrounding layer of petroleum jelly and any nail polish color on the jelly, for an even, clean finish. Open the nail polish and wipe one side of the flat edge of the brush on the inside of the neck of the bottle. Then, tap the other, opposite flat side of the brush (the side you didn’t wipe) on the neck of the bottle to remove any excess polish that could drip.  Your brush should have a small dollop of nail polish on only one side of the brush, and the other side should be relatively free from polish. The best nail polishing is done with a few light layers of polish rather than one or two gloppy layers. Light layers dry easily are less messy, and give you more control when painting on the nail polish. It could be awkward holding the small nail polish brush in your weaker hand, so experiment in finding a position that gives your support and comfort. Rest your elbow on a hard, flat surface to add stability to your hand while painting. Try to use your thumb and pointer finger to hold and grip the brush, using your middle finger for more support if need be. You want to hold the brush firmly but lightly, so your hand doesn’t shake with the pressure from your fingers. Place the brush in the center of your nail a few millimeters away from your cuticle. Touch the brush onto the nail, and push the brush up to meet the cuticle. Then pull the brush downward to the end of your nail, coating the entire middle section of your nail with polish. Repeat this process by adding a strip of nail polish on either side of the initial middle strip, to coat the entire nail in polish. Each side stroke will start where the first stroke did (in the middle of the nail), but they will follow the natural curve of the cuticle and sides of the nail. Repeat this painting process with the rest of your nails.  Rather than moving your painting hand (your less coordinated, non-dominant hand) to paint your nails, let your painted hand (your more controlled, dominant hand) do the moving. Try rotating your dominant hand, and tilting your fingers their side to reach all surfaces of the nail with polish. This allows for more control, and less movement with your weaker hand. All your coats of polish (but especially the first coat) should be thin coats. You can increase the opacity of your nail polish with more coats of polish later on. If you have applied too much polish to your nail, tap the tip of the brush on the inside neck of the nail polish bottle to the remove excess polish on the brush. Then try to spread out the rest of the polish that’s already on your nail. Instead of maneuvering your weaker hand to paint your nails, keep your weaker hand still in one, steady position, holding the brush, and pull your nail underneath the brush to cover it with paint. Have your weak hand resting on a hard surface (like a table) as you hold it still, and paint the your nails by dragging them underneath the brush. This method requires no movement from your weaker hand, while your dominant hand does all the controlled movement. Allow your thumb nails to remain free from any nail polish until the rest of your nails are painted. Your thumb nails can be used to help clean up the rest of your nail edges by swiping and scraping along the sides of your cuticles and nail beds, precisely removing any excess polish. If you have wide thumbs, you may need to add more paint to the brush while painting, in order to coat the entire nail. Remember, you want thin coats of polish, so even if you have to dip the brush into the nail polish again, only add a little bit of polish. A top coat seals your polish, and gives a shiny smooth finish. You only need to do one top coat layer, but make it a good one by covering all areas of your nail, including the sides.  To help your polish last longer, try swiping the top coat over the front tip of you nail. This helps prevent the tips of your nail from chipping. Again, just the like the base coat, the top coat clear in color. Any mistakes you make painting the top coat with your weaker hand, are less visible.
Try using a forgiving polish. Create a polish barrier for your dominant hand nails. Minimize the amount of nail polish on the brush. Find a comfortable position for your non-dominant hand. Paint your nail in sections. Try painting your nails by dragging your dominant hand. Paint your thumb nails last. Apply the top coat.