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What nail and hand do you start your manicure with?


What nail and hand do you start your manicure with? Any rhyme or reason?

I always start with my left thumb and work my way to my left pinky finger, and then I move to the right thumb and move outwards to my right pinky.

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Carrie Avatar

I generally start at the left thumb to left pinky, than right pinky to right thumb. Occasionally I’ll do my right hand first, but habits are hard to break!

Rachel Avatar

The nail artist at my local hair/beauty salon does the same thing! It’s weird, and makes no sense. If it was from the outsides in, I could understand, because you’re more likely to bump the longer fingers if they’re done first.

Jennie Avatar

so glad it’s not just me that got confused by that, lol. I asked her why she did it that way and she said she didn’t really know, that she just always had done it in that order. Hmmm. :/

Miss J Avatar

I always paint my left hand first, and I always start with middle fingers then go to the ring finger then pinky then thumb then pointer. LOL. No rhyme or reason to that part, but I’m right handed, so I think it’s just natural to start using that hand to paint the left first. Then I’m like oh, shit, now I have to figure out how to paint with my left hand and not incredibly mess this up.

jessica Avatar

hahaha I do that too!! except I start at my left pointer, then work to the pinky, and then the thumb. but half way through that left hand I’m like CRAP!! just once I’d like to remember to do my right hand first! lol

Christina Avatar

I always paint my nails straight across (starting with my left pinky to my right pinky) unless I am doing “accent nails” in which I will paint them first so that I don’t accidentally paint the wrong color!!

TygerKitty Avatar

I start with my right pinky and work towards the thumb, then left pinky to left thumb. I’m right handed and it’s easier to paint with my good hand while those nails are wet than the other way around!

Audrey Avatar

Begin on the left hand (being a right-handed) and on the pinky, because usually most of my fingers require only one brushstroke, but my thumb two full ones, hence needs more precision.

LMM Avatar

Right pinky first across to right thumb, then left pinky to left thumb. I do it this way so that I can’t smear a freshly polished nail getting to another. And I am right-handed so I start on my right hand to make the next one easier!

Raquel Avatar

i always start with my right hand and .. middle or anelar finger. i always double coat before i do my thumbs, which are the last ones always because i use them do clean the edges of the other nails 🙂

Wwendalynne Avatar

Since I am left handed, I always start with my thumb right hand and work clockwise to pinky and then over to left thumb and counter-clockwise to pinky. I used to seriously suck at doing my left hand, but I have to say, my nail painting skills have become much better with steady practice. I have very little clean up to contend with.

Tigerlily Avatar

I am right-handed and I start painting my right hand’s nails first, so I can use my not-manicured-yet left fingers to clean up any mess I’ve made 😉 I usually start by the thumb and move towards the pinky.

Chrissy Avatar

I go right pinky to right thumb, then left pinky to left thumb. sometimes I start with the left though. I kind of just switch back and forth, but i always start with pinkies.

Alexis J. Avatar

I start with my left hand, thumb to pinkie. I’m left handed, so I prefer to paint my right hand second. That way, my dominant hand is already painted and I’m less likely to smudge.

Vivian Avatar

That’s funny, I always start with my left pinky to the left index then right pinky to right index. I leave my thumbs last because I never know if I need my thumbnails to clean up edges (like how the manucurists would do when they give you a manicure).

QuinnFace Blog Avatar

I always start with my left hand because I’m right handed so the left is always easier, of course. But for some reason I always start with the middle finger, and no rhyme or reason, it just seems to be where the brush wants to land first!

Jen Avatar

I do it just like you do, Christine, and I have no idea why. Looks like a majority of us in the comments do it that way (but that may change as more comments show up).

Sedem Avatar

I start with my left hand and middle finger.Then I go on with my ring and pinkiy finger, than index finger and finally my thumb. And same order with my right hand. It’s kind of strange I know :D, but I don’t have any particular reason for it. It’s just how I do it. 🙂

Jade Avatar

I start with my index nail on my left hand, do each nail until my pinky, then do my left thumb. I then do my right index nail, work my way to the pinky nail, then do my right thumb. Funny, I’ve never thought about it before!

Safyre Avatar

Left pinky to left thumb, then right pinky to right thumb. Sometimes I do thumbs first and then work to the pinkies but thumbs first usually makes more of a mess :/

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