All of the amazing nail polish tips on xoVain aside, I simply can’t seem to get my manicures to last more than three to four days. I’m a bit of a chronic nail biter--I know, I know, not good--and once I spot a single, solitary chip in my polish, all bets for keeping my teeth off my digits are off.

So, for the sake of my nails, I’ve been super aggressive about finding ways to camouflage chips and grown-out, exposed nail beds. Here, two of my glitziest tricks.

FOR GROWN-OUT NAILS: Glitter Beds

Truth be told, on the rare occasion that my polish lasts long enough for my nail beds to grow out, I find it almost more annoying than chips. I mean, come on! I did so well not biting, and then this happened anyway?!

Thankfully, the exposed strip of nail at the bottom of your mani no longer has to mean the end of its life. All you need is a glittery polish of your choosing – preferably of the more glittery, less liquid-y variety. I’m obsessed with all of Deborah Lippmann’s fab glitter polishes, such as Happy Birthday, which I’m using here.

Here, the method is key. Using the brush, dab the glitter at the bottom of nail beds, concentrating the particles as closely together as possible. Then, lightly pull some of the polish upward, creating a gradient effect: heavy on the glitter on bottom, light on top. Finish with a top coat and you’re good to go!

FOR CHIPPED NAILS AND WORN EDGES: Gilded Tips

Simply covering up chips with more polish has never quite worked for me--the edge of the chips always seems to peek through. I had all but given up on discovering some snazzy trick for disguising them.

That is, until Rad Nails Cuticle Tattoos came into my life. Here, I’m using the gold With The Band set which, at $6 a pop, is a great, cheap staple to have around should chips or worn tips ever come knocking. 

The process is simple: 1. Cut out a strip of your desired design, 2. Pull off the clear film and lay flat over the tip of the nail, and 3. Wet a cloth and hold it over the tattoo for about 30 seconds, like you would with a regular temporary tattoo. Peel off the tat and cover the design with a top coat.

So cool, right?! I especially love these hacks because they make my manis last at least twice as long--and I’m all about the lazy girl approach to beauty.