Fingernails question

[Anna_Marie]

My fingernails look awful. They are never the same length. Some of them start a crack on the side, down under where the "quick" is, and then slowly rip up the nail until I have to clip it off, leaving a jagged edge.

I never paint them because it peels off too quickly. Plus being so many lengths they dont look good anyway.

I would love to have fake nails. But I have heard so many horror stories about them. My previous supervisor wore them but she said it wore the originial nail down to a very thin piece of nail. I have heard it is easy to get a fungus.

I don't know whether to just quit growing them out (although thats the look I love on the rare occasion they are all the same) and keeping them short and all one length or try fake ones. What about the ones at walmart? Are they pretty much as good as a salon?

(Maybe it matters but I type all day long.)

HELP! I want pretty hands !!

 

[Tinkermommy]

I used to have the same issues with my nails but I have had gel nails for about 10 years. Never had a problem with them.

They are super strong and my polish never chips.

You do have to maintain them. I go every two weeks for a fill in (and pedicure). That typically costs me $42. It's a steal compared to a lot of places but we have nail salons on every corner in my area.

 

[Belle0101]

My fingernails look awful. They are never the same length. Some of them start a crack on the side, down under where the "quick" is, and then slowly rip up the nail until I have to clip it off, leaving a jagged edge.

I never paint them because it peels off too quickly. Plus being so many lengths they dont look good anyway.

I would love to have fake nails. But I have heard so many horror stories about them. My previous supervisor wore them but she said it wore the originial nail down to a very thin piece of nail. I have heard it is easy to get a fungus.

I don't know whether to just quit growing them out (although thats the look I love on the rare occasion they are all the same) and keeping them short and all one length or try fake ones. What about the ones at walmart? Are they pretty much as good as a salon?

(Maybe it matters but I type all day long.)

HELP! I want pretty hands !!

The nails on my left hand always grow out so nice and long. The right? Not so much. They get just past my fingertips and break. I've always attributed it to being right handed so you might be right in thinking it could be because you type all day long.

I've found that with nail polish you really get what you pay for. I started wearing Zoya brand. It's much more pricey than what I usually pay but I went 3 weeks without having to touch up the polish. This last time I only made it 2 weeks but I had done a quick polish so I wasn't expecting it to last long at all.

 

[Anna_Marie]

Where can you find Zoya?

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I love my fake nails, love them!!! Yes if you get them done in the salon, your real nails will be badly damanged, but they do grow out and once they do they are fine. If you type all day long you will likely want pink and whites, whcih means they use white powder on the tip and pink in the back. If you get regular acrylic or gel, the polish will wear off very quickly with a lot of typing.

You can try the over the counter type. I have done this. I found Kiss brand to be the best. But they only last about 5 days, then they start popping off.

I prefer the salon type myself. I pay:

35 for a full set - (only done once if you keep them on)
18 for a pink fill
25 for a pink and white fill

you alternate between the pink fill and the pink and white fill. I am able to go about 3 weeks between each fill.

 

[Kae]

If you have some length to them you might want to try Shellac by Creative Nails. I know there has been a few threads about it on the dis.

Kae

 

[Darth Boeder]

I used to have acrylic nail and loved them. When you do get them taken off your real nails are thin. It grows out. If anything maybe you should get a manicure every two weeks. That is what I do know. I am on the computer all day for my job as well. I have yet to have problem with the polish chipping.

 

[kathie859]

I mean they are thin, grow downward if they get any length to them....I mean just not pretty. Several years ago I decided to investigate artificial nails. Went into the salon I was interested in, asked to speak to a nail tech and asked a bunch of questions and made observations about cleanliness, etc.

Now I sport short even nails, usually pained a happy, bright color and only need an acrylic overlay over my natural nails. It usually takes awhile to convince the nail tech that I don't want long nails but I really like the way that I wear them now. They are pretty, easy to type and work with and keep clean underneath. FWIW, I am not a fan of long claws--looks cheesy to me!

 

[okeydokey]

If you have some length to them you might want to try Shellac by Creative Nails. I know there has been a few threads about it on the dis.

Kae

I love shellac. You keep your natural nail underneath. I do mine at home. Bought the stuff I needed on amazon and watched a few youtube videos on how to do it.

 

[Belle0101]

Where can you find Zoya?

http://www.zoya.com/content/salon/

That's a link for the salon locator. I bought mine right from the website when they were having their "Buy 3 (free) and pay only s/h of $6.95" sale.

It takes me just over an hour to do my nails when I do it right. I wash my hands really good, brush my nails with a nail brush thing, push the cuticles back, dry them really good, file if needed and then I use 2 - 3 coats of polish, making sure that each coat is fully dry before I apply the next. It sounds like a long time but I do it at night while I'm watching my favorite show(s).

I know some of my friends will put on a base coat of clear, then 2 layers of polish and then a layer of clear top coat. That works really well for them. I think, the top coat especially, must give some extra protection against chipping.

 

[mom2aandj]

If you have some length to them you might want to try Shellac by Creative Nails. I know there has been a few threads about it on the dis.

Kae

I can not say enough good things about Shellac! I tried it for the first time last month when my nails were brittle and broken, and just as promised, the polish did not chip AT ALL for 2 weeks. It's not like having a fake nail on, it goes on just like normal polish, and is set for 2 minutes for each coat with a UV light. When you're done with the manicure, you're DONE. No drying time!! Then, in 2 weeks you soak your nails in acetone for a few minutes and the polish comes off very easily, no hard scraping or drills or anything like that. And my nails grew like crazy the two weeks the Shellac was on because they were so protected. I could see how healthy and strong my nails looked once they took the polish off too. It's more expensive than a regular manicure, but considering it does last longer I feel it's well worth it!

 

[Agri]

My fingernails look awful. They are never the same length. Some of them start a crack on the side, down under where the "quick" is, and then slowly rip up the nail until I have to clip it off, leaving a jagged edge.

I never paint them because it peels off too quickly. Plus being so many lengths they dont look good anyway.

I would love to have fake nails. But I have heard so many horror stories about them. My previous supervisor wore them but she said it wore the originial nail down to a very thin piece of nail. I have heard it is easy to get a fungus.

I don't know whether to just quit growing them out (although thats the look I love on the rare occasion they are all the same) and keeping them short and all one length or try fake ones. What about the ones at walmart? Are they pretty much as good as a salon?

(Maybe it matters but I type all day long.)

HELP! I want pretty hands !!

It sounds like you need to spend more time on your nails and that maybe you need to take a multivitamin. (My nails frequently do the same thing when I'm not keeping up with them AND when I'm not watching what I eat.)

In order to prevent your nails from breaking and splitting and all that, you have to take care of them. File them so they are all as even as possible and trim them as soon as there is a split or tear (chop off the longer ones, they'll all grow back). A clear or light colored polish will work well while nails are growing. (I think very pale or very dark polishes look best on short nails.) I really saw a difference with my nails with the Sally Hansen maximum growth and nourishing polish when my nails are particularly bad - which is usually after I get home from WDW. I almost always use a top coat, too.

I don't like fake nails because you have to keep up with them - otherwise, when you get rid of them you'll have thin, brittle nails and have to grow them out.

I also prefer to have my nails a bit shorter as I do a lot of typing, too, and sometimes I play the piano and the clicking of my nails when they are longer gets really annoying!

(I say all this making the assumption that you're asking about Wal-Mart because you are concerned about $$.)

 

[joviroxx]

If you have some length to them you might want to try Shellac by Creative Nails. I know there has been a few threads about it on the dis.

Kae

Ive been doing the shellac for almost a year now. Love them. My nails (which I could never keep from breaking) always look great now..

 

[KimR]

My nails are horribly thin and I've found a product called Nail-Aid that works wonders (either the formaulation for peeling nails or instant wrap). I use either one as a base and then the instant wrap as a top coat. My nail are so much stronger and my polish looks fantastic. The top coat really enhances the color and makes my nails super-shiny. It lasts for a week or more before they start to chip.

I'm going to have to check out the zoya polish, though. I can't imagine getting 3 weeks out of my manicure. I typically use OPI.

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

i used several different types my walmart sold(i used to work in the cosmetics dept, so it was habit!). the ones i found to be the best were the broadway ones. there is several different styles, length, patterns on them now etc. i bought a set and put them on and covered a shift in housewares. which involved ripping into boxes to put stock out and the such. i didn't loose one. so i bought and did some up for my wedding in a polish shade and with some of the bridal decals they sold. i put them on and they lasted about a week. some started falling off while we were in jamaica, but i attrubite that to the salt water, we were in all day long. i really liked those and always suggest them to friends. i've done the salon gel nails too and i just find it very hard to get used to with them being so thick. my nails are a wreck too, esp. this time of year with the weather being so brutal.