Polish with a bit of a shine

My personal favorite: Essie's light purple "Lilacism."

Manicures are definitely my guilty pressure. I know they're not that expensive, but spending an extra few dollars here and there really adds up. Plus, I have no idea how people keep their nails from chipping immediately after getting them done. Maybe it's my inherent impatience or my antsy-ness, but less than or equal to two minutes after the cosmetologist finished my nails at least one is chipped or smudged. And I always feel too bad to make her (or him!) redo what I had so quickly undone.

So I recently invested in some nail polish and I tried to do this myself. Thankfully, Martha had some tips on her site for perfect polish, general instructions to make sure I don't screw up too badly.

We'll have to see how long this lasts, but it looks good now... at least in my opinion! I made sure to take extra time to add base coat, and then two thin color coats and then top coat. Emphasis on thin coats - I usually glop on as much as I can but I tried to refrain. The hardest part was making sure I actually left the suggested two to three minutes in between coats.

Instructions (courtesy of Martha "a true lady never has chipped nailpolish" Stewart):

Always start by applying a base coat to your nails, which gives polish a better surface to stick to. Certain formulas also harden or strengthen nails, helping them to grow. Then put on nail color in two thin coats. Thick layers take longer to dry and won't adhere to nails properly, so polish may peel.

Let nails dry two or three minutes between coats. Brush across the tip of the nail as a last step; this helps set the polish. Avoid quick-drying top-coat formulas; they can seal the outermost layer before the other coats have had enough time to dry, causing polish to chip sooner. Instead, use a regular top coat and let your nails dry thoroughly -- about 20 minutes.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Your Best Body For Summer

I got my polish from Amazon - Essie is usually super expensive, but you can usually nab it for cheaper online. Essie Nail Polish Spring 2010 Collection - Lilacism #705