It’s been 3 months since I first got my gel nails, so I thought I’d give you a bit of an update and interview myself, because if there’s nobody else to talk to I often do talk to myself (one of the hazards of working at home!).
Do I love having gel nails? Definitely! I love how “polished” I feel (pardon the pun) with beautiful nails. This is the first time in 46 years that I’ve had nails to be proud of. And I love that they are pretty much indestructible!
So explain again how it works? Because I had short scrappy nails to begin with, I had a tip glued on, and the gel was applied over that. After about 2 months my own nails grew underneath so the tip was taken off. HOWEVER, my own nails are so fragile this wasn’t such a great idea (as you will see with Exhibit A, below) so I had new tips put on again last week.
Any downsides? Like many things beauty, there is some pain involved. I’ve had one technician who was a bit too enthusiastic with the little sanding tool and I had friction burns on the tender skin around my nails!
It stings too if you have any open cuts when they apply the primer. And pulling the tips off can also be quite painful.
Of course, they require regular maintenance – getting them refilled every 2 weeks – which is boring (yawn) and costs about $30 each time. I find it best not to stretch it out to 3, as that’s when damage tends to occur. Presenting Exhibit A:
Ooo that looks nasty – did it hurt? Are you stupid or something? Of course it did. YEEEEE-OOOOUUUUCCCCH!
How did you do it? I was trying to pry some batteries out of a remote control and using my nails as the tool to pry them out with.
How did you fix it? I didn’t – I just held it together with a bandaid and got me to the nail salon pronto!
So how did they fix it? They glued it back together and gelled over the top – which also meant it didn’t hurt anymore. BUT, it was only a temporary solution – within a week it broke again in the exact same spot, I think when I was making the bed (see Exhibit B below). Fortunately this time it didn’t hurt at all as my nail had grown out that little bit more, so I was happy and just left it like that until my next refill.
You’ve had some interesting colours on your nails! What has been your favourite? I don’t have a picture of it but I think probably blood red. It’s a colour that just doesn’t work when you have short scrappy nails, so I really relished being able to show it off with my gel nails!
I noticed you’ve also had some different nail shapes and lengths – what is your favourite? I know square nails are fashionable but to me they just scream fake (see Exhibit C, below). I prefer my nails to be rounded – and also a little bit shorter, or they start getting in the way for the essential tasks in my life – you know like typing up blog posts, flossing my teeth, pushing the button on the toilet (but not all at the same time) …
Sounds like you’re a gel nails convert – will you ever get them taken off? I’m thinking when these tips grow out in a couple of months it might be time to give my nails a rest …
Finally, thank you so much to me, myself and I for “filling” us in (yes another pun), on the story behind gel nails!
