The 5 best products for nails

From beautiful cuticles to cleaning up mistakes and messiness...

Flawless finish foundation, £13, butterlondon.co.uk

Some people hate being seen without lipstick, others feel naked without mascara – but it's all about nails for me. Mine have rarely been polish-free since leaving the draconian uniform rules of school behind.

I never managed to get into the elaborate, intricate and arty nail designs of recent years, though – far too intimidating for someone as cack-handed as me, and regular salon visits are too much of a time commitment.

But the current vogue for minimal, negative-space and free-hand doodles is far more appealing, not least for the low-key colours which hide all manner of sins.

Beautiful cuticles

£12, ciatelondon.com

Keeping cuticles nourished with marula oil and vitamin E means they're easier to push back, revealing more of your nail bed for decorating.

4-way nail buffer

£2.99, modelsownit.com

Filing is the secret to a neat finish and should never be sacrificed for speed; use the buffing side to create a smooth surface for your designs.

Flawless finish foundation

£13, butterlondon.co.uk

Sheer, matte and almost invisible, this creates the perfect base for nail designs and stickers without making you look like you have mannequin hands.

Dotting tool

£3.99, Bourjois, superdrug.com

Scary-looking but simple to use – the metal balls on the ends create different sized, delicate dots and can be used to draw, too.

Clean-up brush

£4, WAH London, boots.com

A narrow, angled brush dipped in nail-polish remover is a far more precise way to clean up mistakes and messiness than cotton buds.