These days, base coats are anything but basic. Now, there are many different formulas that allow you to customize manicures and pedicures according to your client’s specific needs—whether they want to promote nail growth or create a smoother surface for polish. Josephine Allen, head manicurist at the Essie flagship salon at Samuel Shriqui Salon in New York, always applies two base coats prior to polish. Frequently, she uses Essie First Base Coat to protect nails from chipping and prepare them for polish, while at the same time strengthening and nourishing them. She uses other base coats—Essie Sensitivity, Grow Stronger, Ridge Filling, and All In One—to treat specific issues. Allen also created her own custom application that she uses on clients.“I recommend applying the Sensitivity Base Coat halfway through the nail and finishing with the second coat of the Grow Stronger Base Coat all over the nail,” she says. “This will prepare your nail for a long-lasting, beautiful manicure.”