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As with many beauty treatments, the most important part of the process is the prep work. The most radiant, natural-looking makeup looks require a cared-for and hydrated canvas upon which to apply moisturiser and primer, while a blow-dry will look a million times better if hair is conditioned and protected from high heat.

The same can be said for your nails. The neatest and longest-lasting manicures are those built on solid foundations: softening and trimming the cuticles with cuticle oil, removing your previous nail varnish choice with one of the best nail polish removers, lightly buffing the nail bed and shaping the top of the nail with a glass nail file and, perhaps most importantly, applying a good base coat.

Think of base coat like a primer

When it comes to choosing the best base coat for nails, "it's exactly like discovering a good primer," explains Natifa Mai, nail technician and author of So You Wanna Be A Nail Tech?. "Once you use one, you think to yourself, what on earth have I been doing all my life! The same goes to using base coat under your nail colour. Buying a good base coat is a one off, small expense that changes your entire nail polish look and longevity."

Celebrity nail artist Lucy Tucker agrees; "Base coat is one of the most important parts of a manicure, it creates a primer for the nail. Without it, nails would go yellow, dry out and the nail polish would get stuck in all the little groves, which is then hard to remove."

Base coat can fill ridges for an even, glossy finish

According to Natifa, base coat is far from a superfluous extra step; "Base coat can fill any ridges in the nails and it helps the colour adhere to the nails," she says. "It’s kind of like baking a cake, without first greasing the pan. It can be done without it but you just wouldn’t, especially if you actually wanted the cake to look good."

Remember to wash your hands and buff nails before applying your base

As for application tips? "My advice is before you even apply base coat, wash your hands, don’t apply hand cream, then buff the nail slightly with a buffer to take off the oil on the surface of the nail. This will prevent the polish from sliding off and chipping really fast," she says.

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