As we approach our fourth week in partial lockdown, you may be aware that your gel manicure is slowly creeping up your fingernails. While there are ways to safely remove gel polish at home (more on that here, FYI), you may have had a gel manicure just before lockdown and will want to stretch out your shellac for as long as possible.

Thankfully, there’s a simple way to do this and it only requires one product. Beauty blogger and hairstylist Olivia Smalley posted a video on her Instagram account, in which she shared an easy trick to covering up outgrown nails using a glitter nail polish.

In the video, Smalley dabs an Essie polish along the outgrown part of her nail. “I’m going right where my cuticle is, tapping right on that area,” she explains. When she’s done, all signs of outgrowth have completely disappeared.

If you’re going to try the hack, Smalley advises opting for a glitter polish that’s slightly chunkier, as this will make it easier to completely cover the outgrowth.

Another way to overcome outgrown nails is with a negative space manicure. This involves exposing part of your natural nail in the design. While designs differ, most negative space manicures tend to display the natural nail at the bottom – making it an easy way to incorporate your outgrown shellac into the look.

Want to give it a go? Here’s a round-up of some of our favourite negative space manicures…

Main image: Getty