I’m bored, Ivylad is taking a nap, it’s not time to make the sauce for the angel hair pasta for dinner…so I thought I’d find out how you did your nails.
I don’t bite my nails, but there very thin, so I often have nails of different lengths. However, once every so often, they’re all of a relatively same length for me to paint them.
I buff out the ridges with an emery board, then use my battery-operated manicure tool to smooth the nails. Then a base coat of clear polish and at least two-three coats of the color, followed by a topping of clear polish.
I don’t like blues, blacks, and greens, (YMMV) so I tend to stick to the pinks and reds and corals. Right now my nails are painted with Revlon’s Deeply Chili, kind of a brown-red. It’s the darkest red I’ve ever used.
Same thing for my toenails, except I don’t buff them. I make sure they’re trimmed, then a base coat, two coats of paint, and the top coat.
I’ve only had a professional manicure once, and I’ve only had one fake nail. Ivylad was coming home after a six-month Med run about ten years ago, and I treated myself to a manicure. One of my nails had broken off, so she tipped it with a fake one.
My manicures tend to last a week, my pedicures last until I take the polish off and change it. Since I live in Florida and wear sandals most of the year, I think having pretty painted toes just completes the look.
I do mostly the same as you for a manicure but after buffing I use a coat of Sally Hansen ridge filler. I usually stick with neutral colors. Every once in a while I’ll decide to be bold and try Rocket Red. I always take it off aftre one day. My hands are out in front of me all day eithre at the computer or showing customers samples and the intense colors distract me. I had a professional french manicure once and it was the same thing. Those little white stripes just about drove me batty.
I don’t bother often with pedicures because my toes have no business being seen by others. I agree with you though that when they are exposed painted toenails are a nice touh.
For my toes, I like to use those nail decals on the big toes. I have an excellent set of five polishes that are toe specific for me, they last and last. If I am REALLY spoiling myself, I’ll do the whole thing, soak, buff, file, pumice and cuticles.
As for my nails, I don’t poilsh them veyr often, as I hate it when they chip, but often will file them and moisture and treat the cuticles.
I’m spoiled. I get mine done.
When I used to do my own, I’d cut them all to the same length, put all the coats on, and then do something fun, like stripes. after your nails are dry, put tape on them where you don’t want the paint, and then paint the stripe, wait to dry, and remove the tape. It looks so cool, and people get an expression of awe when you say you did it yourself. Don’t forget a top coat. Have fun.
I, too, am spoiled and get mine done. I have acrylic nails and I have them filled every three weeks. (The fills only cost $13, plus a tip.) I finally decided to do this because when I’d give myself a manicure at home the polish would start chipping in a day or two. With my acrylic nails, the polish looks great until I take it off. (I like to change the color once or twice myself between fills.)
About every other fill (once every month and a half, or so) I also treat myself to a pedicure. The salon I go to has “spa chairs”, so it’s really a treat! The chairs give you an amazing back massage, and you can program the chair to massage in several different tempos and degrees of hardness. The foot-pool has whirlpool jets and little nubby things on the bottom to rub your feet on. They pour a lovely aromatherapy scent into the water. After your feet have soaked for awhile they dry off your feet and give a wonderful foot and lower leg massage. Then it’s on to the pedicure and nail polish. (All this for only $20, plus tip.) For a couple of bucks extra, you can have a decoration (ie: flower) painted on your big toes.
What an amazing treat! I leave feeling like the luckiest and most pampered princess in the world!
it’sjustme, don’tcha just love acrylics? I have the same problems you do with my real nails: chip, break, can’t hold polish. I get my acrylics done every 2 weeks, or else they start peeling off. Looks like you get the better price though. 'Tis to be expected, I live in yuppyville. Do you get 'em round or square-tipped? And I get my toes done too, but not as regularly as you do, just when they’re in dire need, because I’m poor, and acrylics are my main conceit.
Another acrylic addict checking in! I get mine done every 3 weeks with a “Permanent French” - which involves soaking the previous ones off completely (I don’t have tips put on as my own nails are pretty long, just weak) which takes about 20 minutes. Then the nail tech paints on one lot of white acrylic across the top, and then covers the white with a clear / pinky acrylic.
It looks great and lasts the whole 3 weeks usually without me losing one at all, and means that I don’t ever have to paint them!
Ivylass keeping your nails filed all to one length might help the breaking a bit. Sort of the tall poppy syndrome, the longer ones get a bit of extra abuse because they stick out. YMMV but it works for me. I’m lucky to have good nails but I give them a good bit of abuse, so I make sure they always have a coat or two of polish on them. Sally Hansen’s teflon stuff works for me. My thumb nails were always getting trashed before I started using it.
For my tootsies, I use my Dremel drill. I’d run screaming if someone in a salon tried to use one on me, but I guess I’ve given myself permission to break the rules on this. It gets the job done on calluses lickety split. Pretty feet are very important here where it’s summer nine months out of the year.
My Ideal Manicure (meaning, I actually have the topcoats, et al, because they can get pricey for my budget):
1 - remove any previous polish with 100% acetone bought from Home Depot and rinse nails
2 - rub lotion into nails and let soak in for a bit
3 - file anything that needs filing and wash hands
4 - apply 1 coat of “Diamond Strength” or “Maximum Growth” by Sally Hansen
5 - apply 2-3 coats of desired colour (depending on sheerness)
6 - apply 1 coat of 60-second dry top coat
7 - apply 1 coat of colour again
8 - apply 1 coat immediately after colour of “Mega Shine” by Sally Hansen
If I can’t have my “ideal” manicure, switch the Diamond Strength for Maximum Growth, and again exchange the Mega Shine for Maximum Growth.
This technique guarantees that my polish does not chip. I had the same polish on for 2 weeks before I removed it, and that was only because I was itching to use a new colour, otherwise it was still perfect.
Please note: I don’t spend all my time doing my nails! I usually do steps 1-4 and part of 5 during the evening, and then 5-8 can be done in the morning before I go to classes. Each layer dries quickly enough for me to get laundry done, etc around them.
[sub]Trust me, I know what I’m taking about… says the girl with 200 bottles of nail polish…[/sub]
Lynne_kilii, yeah acrylics are great! I justify mine because I’m a nurse and I start IVs all day and I feel like I kinda owe it to my patients to have well manicured hands (yeah, right, they really care about that! ) The pedicures are more difficult to justify, as relating to patient care–I’m still working on that one.
I’ve always liked the look of squared-off nails. And as far as the great prices at my salon, I live in Southern California and most of the salons in the city where I live cost a lot more. The one I go to is really nice and new, so I guess what they lose by not charging more, they make up for by being really busy, since their prices are so low.
I know this is a hijack, but if it’s okay with ivylass, can I ask if other girls like their nails squared or rounded? And how much does a manicure and/or pedicure cost in your neck of the woods?
I usually do steps 1-4 and part of 5 during the evening, and then 5-8 can be done in the morning before I go to classes. Each layer dries quickly enough for me to get laundry done, etc around them.
) The pedicures are more difficult to justify, as relating to patient care–I’m still working on that one.