I love nail art, but in order for the design to last, you need to have a good base and pretty/healthy nail beds to make the polish stick better, look smooth and continue healthy nail growth.
These are the steps and products I use to get healthy beautiful nails.
Step 1: Let fingers soak in a warm water and soap mix. I use a vitamin e or Aloe Vera soap. It leaves my fingers soft and moisturized.
Step 2: Use a cuticle oil around the nail bed. You can get cuticle oil from OPI called Aveoplex or from any Beauty Supply store.
Step 3: To brush the polish on smooth, push back the cuticles with a metal or plastic cuticle pusher.
Step 4: Most places say not to do this, but I do it anyway. Use a cuticle cutter to trim all dead skin away from the nail bed. Then, wash your hands with soap and water and make sure there is no grease on the nail.
Step 5: File the soft nail down to a length that you want. You can make it a blunt file by filing perpendicular to the nail or rounded to make sure there are no sharp corners.
Step 6: Use a nail strengthener or a natural base coat to bring out the natural nails' potential.
