Tricks and Tips for the Perfect Manicure Every Time

— -- Nailing the perfect manicure can be daunting, especially if it’s a DIY job.

Linzie Janis of “Good Morning America” teamed up with Joanna Douglas, Yahoo’s senior beauty editor. They both headed to Ten Salon in New York City, where Douglas – who appeared on “GMA” as part of the Yahoo Your Day series -- offered Janis some polish pointers.

The Tips

1. Use cuticle oil. Douglas says it’s the top manicure must-have. Keeping the cuticles hydrated is a good way to extend a manicure by at least three days, she said. “It’s great to do before a manicure, after a manicure and basically every day,” she added.

2. Don’t soak the nails for a long time. Soaking can cause the nails to pick up a lot the moisture and even flatten out, Douglas said.

3. Don’t shake the bottle. Shaking a bottle of nail polish can cause air bubbles to develop within the polish, leading to air bubbles on the nail and faster chipping. Roll the bottle instead, Douglas said.

4. With every coat – base coat, polish and top coat – always paint the tip of the nail. “Traditionally the end of your nail is where you will find the most chipping,” Douglas said.

5. If you’ve smudged the nail, don’t panic! “You can take a little bit of nail polish remover - just right on your finger tip, dab the smudged area gently to smooth out the nail polish and then you can do another coat of polish and top coat and you will never know the difference,” Douglas said.