Nail Polish

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Are you suppose to put two coats of nail polish on after the first coat dries? I painted my nails and I'm noticing that the 2nd coat didn't go on easily.

The best is to put one basecoat layer (so the color of the nail polish won't go in to your nails), two THIN(! !) layers of nail polish and than a topcoat.

I never let it completely dry before adding on the next coat. You may try to put on thinner layers.

When I was younger I used to wear nail polish a lot and it was one of the few "girly" things I actually liked doing. Maybe because one summer when I went swimming as a kid I could see the polish shimmering under the water and it looked so cool. Unfortunately, when you accidentally spill it on almost every other surface it's not so cool, and nail polish remover is just like paint thinner when you try to get it off furniture, and when the polish chips the second you use your hands for ANYthing it's just not worth it.

I always let the first coat get somewhat dry and then carefully apply the second coat. Then I apply that clear stuff so that it lasts longer and doesn't chip as easily.

Hope this helps.

In my experience, if I don't let each coat of polish dry completely, I end up with a mess on my hands. Literally.
I never use base coat, but it's supposed to be better, the polish is supposed to go on better and protect from staining the nails.
I use two or more coats, depending on how well the polish covers. I like 'liquidy' polish, so usually they have poor coverage.
Poish is usually a weekend job for me, I need at least an hour between coats, and I can't do anything with my hands while the polish is drying. So I put on a movie, polish my nails, and when the movie is over, I carefully check if the nails are dry yet. It is worth noticing that 'dry to touch' and 'bone dry through and through' ar two very different stories.
Also, sometimes mixing brands may cause a disaster. Since the formula is different, sometimes one polish could dissolve the other and the top coat ends up ruining the perfect paint-job.

I only use those "fast dry" nail polishes. They only take a couple minutes to harden, then I can do a second coat right away. The problem is these nail polish chip more easily but I don't care. Just wipe them off in a few days. I only use regular type of nail polish on my toenails nowadays.

Might be an obvious thing but did you leave enough time between coats? Might be easier if the first coat dries well. The other factor is the smoothness of the first coat, which depends on the type of nailpolish used.

I have a clear nailpolish that can be for base/top coat. If you use this first it will reduce staining of your toenails from cheap polish.
If I am doing it properly, I will follow this procedure:

Soak feet in warm foot tub with bicarb soda or commercial foot soak. About 15 minutes. Soak hands at this time
Dry feet and hands,, clip toenails and fingernails, push cuticles back. Use nail file or emery board to shape fingernails.
Put away soaking and clipping apparatus and bring out nailpolish colours, base coat, nailpolish remover, and cotton buds.
Paint a clear base coat on all twenty nails. Leave dry at least 5 minutes.
Choose your colours. You can choose classic colours - pink or red - or outlandish colours and go multi-coloured if you wish.
Paint on the first coat evenly. Leave dry for at least five minutes. When painting, go from base to tip, maybe three strokes per nail on average. No need to go to the very edge of the nail. If you get some on your skin, remove it with polish remover on a cotton bud.
Paint a second coat, and five minutes later, a top coat.

I like to pick a time when I won't be disturbed, play my favourite songs, and otherwise relax.