In case you’re someone who loves the feel and look of perfectly polished nails, you most likely also know the heartbreak that comes with them chipping or breaking. (We definitely do.) The fear of ruining your recent manicure may need you wanting to cover your fingertips in bubble wrap or on the lookout for recent methods and products to delay your nail look. We wish to make it easier to with the latter.

We spoke with nail experts who shared their tried-and-true methods for maintaining that recent set look — even three weeks after your appointment.

• Hemi Park is a California-based nail artist and educator at LeChat Nails.
• Anastasia Totty is a nail artist in Florida and the owner of Artistic Beauty Studio Salon.
• Joseph Cincotta is a cosmetic chemist and adjunct professor of chemistry at Housatonic Community College.
• Miss Pop is a Latest York City-based editorial nail artist.

Nail Prep

The important thing to a long-lasting manicure starts before a single drop of polish hits your nails. Based on nail artist Hemi Parkwhatever the polishes you employ, proper prep will set you up for fulfillment. The artist, who can be a LeChat educator, recommends calmly buffing your complete surface of your natural nail and using a nail cleanser.

“These steps not only cleanse any oil and residue off the nail, but in addition they dehydrate them, which can assist [polishes] adhere to nail surfaces very well,” she says. We recommend the Ulta Beauty Perfect Match Cleanser for this due to the way it sweeps nails clean of debris using isopropyl alcohol.

Cuticle Oil

Brittle nails are susceptible to chipping and breaking, and experts say that cuticle oil is essential to maintaining healthy nails. “It doesn’t matter what variety of enhancement you’ve got or for those who prefer just a daily nail lacquer — cuticle oil is a must,” says Florida-based nail artist Anastasia Totty.