Tell me about do-it-yourself artificial nails

My mother has given me an assignment:

IIRC, she’s been getting cheapie nails done at the local beauty school down in TX where she snowbirds. I know nothing about and have no interest in things cosmetic – my hairdo usually involves either a barrette, a ponytail holder, or a hat; I never wear makeup, use moisturizer, etc.; and I’m lucky if my nails are clean and somewhat filed.

Anybody wanna help out a cheap old lady (uh, that would be my mother)?

Is she thinking of doing acrylic nails herself, or using the stick-on kind? (Do they even make the stick-on kind anymore? They just don’t stay on very well.)

Either way, I found it not to be worth it. If she’s been having acrylic nails done, she has a pretty good idea of what goes into it - trim, shape, glue tip, trim tip, combine powder and liquid, brush on, grind smooth, file, shape, polish, dry. Takes about 45 minutes at a salon, and you don’t have to buy any equipment or polish.

The “grind smooth” and “file” steps are a bitch at home without that grinding wheel machine they have. It took me HOURS to try to smooth my nails, and they never did get as shiny and smooth as they do in the salon. Plus, I had messy junk partly covering my cuticles, or not reaching the sides of the nail - it was just not worth it. And the polish drying step never seems to happen at home. I can polish hours before bed, and still have sheet marks in the morning. That UV light they use in the salon really makes a difference!

If she has lots of time to kill and is fairly ambidextrous and has a very steady hand, then go for it. It wasn’t worth it for me.

No idea about acrylic vs. stick-on – but thanks, I’ve passed your advice on!

I have to agree with WhyNot - the money you save is not worth the effort and inferior end product. You end up constantly going to Beauty Supply stores for all the stuff, and the house will be filled with acrylic dust and a godawful smell. I am fairly ambidextrous, and my friends were impressed with the results, but it just ain’t worth it. They won’t stick as well, either - and there’s few things more embarrassing than having a nail pop off as you’re pointing something out on a blueprint to a superior.

I don’t know much about artificial nails. However, I do remember the motto of the first Goodwill Games; “Press On Regardless!”

I won a box of Lee Press-On Nails when I was on Jeopardy! They were desert mauve.

I suppose it depends how much manual dexterity you have.

I’ve had good success with the at home acrylics - smooth, attractive, etc.

However, I’m ambidexterious, and I took beauty culture so I’ve actually been taught how to apply them.

If she’s good with her hands she could give them a try. If she has arthritis or a tremor or anything, she should probably skip it.

I would also skip the sick on kind - they really don’t stick on.

Nope, no arthritis or tremors (not that age is a factor, but she’s 61), and she does a lot of knitting/crocheting and stuff like that, so dexterity shouldn’t be a problem.

Can you recommend any brands, either ones that are good or ones to stay away from?

Well, I used to use Sally Hansen’s. Worked well enough. Kiss also makes them - I imagine they’re very similar.

I’ve used them in the past. It’s a brand found in CVS and Wal-Mart, I can’t think of the name offhand. I’ll look the next time I’m in CVS and let you know. They are good as a cheaper alternative to acrylics for an event or a night out, you get at least two sets from the kit, and they’re not difficult to apply. The only drawbacks are the thinness of the nail, which contibutes to the likelihood of breaking off, and the line where the plastic nail meets your nail is visible under sheer polish.
I’ve worn them for a couple of weeks at a time, occasionally replacing one if it broke off. They are much less harmful to your real nail as opposed to acrylics because they come off much easier.

One thing that all salons use but most of the kits leave out is the nail dehydrator. It gets rid of most of the oils on the nail so you don’t have problems with the artificial nails lifting. I did my own nails for years, and I never had a problem with them popping off because I prepped them properly before I applied the acrylic.