Beauty basics: How to make nail varnish dry quicker

Freshly painted nails can be one of life's little joys, but if like me, you have the attention span of a 5 year old, waiting for them to dry can be seriously annoying. I've smudged my newly painted nails far too often through being so impatient waiting for them to dry, so have put together a few of my top tips to help speed up the process.

Quick dry top coats - not only do these usually offer a high gloss finish for nails, but they help polish to dry in record time. My favourite quick dry top coat is the iconic Seche Vite, which will make your nails touch dry in about a minute.

Drying drops - drop a couple of drops onto each wet nail and you'll have touch dry nails in under a minute. These do have a habit of feeling slightly greasy, so you might need to wash your hands after waiting a few minutes, but they really do the trick! I often use these as well as a quick dry top coat for extra speedy drying power.

Quick dry sprays - I hadn't tried a drying spray until recently, but Elegant Touch's has really impressed me. It's an aerosol based spray, which gives touch dry nails in just 60 seconds. Make sure you use this in a room with an open window - it works fantastically, but it's not something you want to breathe in. A can of this is a lot cheaper than a bottle of Seche Vite, but it definitely won't last as long. I like to use this for when i've been creating nail art designs, as you won't smudge the design because it doesn't use a brush.

Cold water - a bit old school, but plunging your fingertips into cold water for a few minutes will really help your nails to dry. A lot of the quick dry products only work on the top level of polish, so you can still smudge the bottom layers. By popping them in cold water for a little while, you'll help speed up the drying process - just make sure you wait until the top layer is touch dry.

What are your favourite tips and products to speed up the drying process?