Beauty SOS: Fix Your Everyday Nail Problems With These Top Tips

There's nothing worse - okay maybe there are a few things worse but let's just roll with the histrionics - than paying for immaculately manicured nails only to have them massively messed up the moment you leave the salon. Or when you spend bloody ages giving it your best shot at home, you're almost at the final hurdle of your baby finger, and then a toddler comes running towards you, jam all over their face - your nails inevitably get smudged and you can't even moan about it. We've all been there.

Fear not, dear Beauties, whether you've got chips, streaks, peels or stains, we've got some nail SOS at the ready.

• Problem: Your nails are weak and lack-lustre.

Solution: Try a nourishing treatment like CND Solar Oil. This cuticle oil is infused with jojoba oil and vitamin E, two of your nails' best friends. Repeated use, we're told, drives nutrients in deeper, creating stronger, healthier nails and a hydrated cuticle area.

• Problem: A day at the beach turned your once-shiny manicure completely matte.

Solution: Get rid of sunscreen and sand residue by swiping an alcohol-soaked pad across the nail. Follow up with a fresh layer of topcoat, and make sure to seal the tips.

• Problem: Your nail stickers are peeling up at the sides.

Solution: Refresh them by heating them up with a hair-dryer and using your fingers to press and smooth them down. Seal them with a gel topcoat.

• Problem: You're awful at painting your own nails.

Solution: You need a polish that's super easy to use. Use a brush that is on the longer side - these distribute polish more evenly than shorter brushes, and that allows for more precise brushstrokes. Nude colours are always a safe bet, but very dark colours can be just as easy since you don't have to worry about streaking.

Prop your arms on the table to help with shaky hands, and dot a tiny bit of baby oil on the skin around the nails so polish won't stick and clean-up will be a cinch.

Do you have any more top tips to share? What are you rocking on your talons this AW?