Acrylic Nails- yes or no?

http://queensofrandom.com/?p=1490
The craziness above got me to thinking about it.

I haven't had them in the last 3 or so years, but before that I would get them 2-3 times each year.
Of course, I'm not talking about things like the pix in the link above! I mean regular old acrylics.

I'm thinking I probably won't get them again- but you never know.

How do you feel about them?

them for years. SHe got an infection and had to have them removed, and her nail beds were a gelatinous goo. Not kidding. All those chemicals had completely obliterated them.

Now, this was about 5 years ago, so things may have changed. I know with me, I usually end up catching a nail on the washer or dryer or something and boy, that sucker hurts. Plus, I can't type that well and I need to at my job.

JMHO. For special occasions, they're awesome, but not long term. I'm freaky about my fingers anyway, though, so my opinion is probably biased. I slice open a finger with a knife and I'm ready to hurl.

before they even dry!

I'm with you about not wanting them long term.

I never had a problem with them for the 1-2 months I could keep them on (they start to annoy me and I pull em off) but my mother has really bad bumps and ridges on her nails from a f'd up job about 10 yrs ago.

The process hasn't changed that much either. WHen I go to get manicures, I can see that it's still the same procedure.

Did and it was gross and badly infected, she did them for almost 20 years and OMG the smell at the nail salon, it was like a superfund site.

Oh, the jokes to be made...

:eyes:

But that was an easy opening.

I got genetically lucky, my maternal grandmother had lovely naturally strong nails and I got them from her. For the last two years, though, I have been fighting with psoriasis of the fingernails. I finally found a nail specialist who has almost cleared it up for me with steroid shots, only two affected nails to go. Once she gives me a clean bill, I'll be able to grow these suckers to about 1/4 inch and keep them there and paint them a gorgeous navy blue.

One of them was an agent for my landlord and took down all my banking information and then promptly left the employ of my landlord taking $3000 of his money. I sit and I wait until all of a sudden my identity is stolen. I'm still waiting.... It is an awful feeling.

when the acrylics come off. They really do a number on my nails.

I was lucky though, because they always did grow out.

Just let your own nails grow long. Takes a little more patience, but the effect is much nicer. I find that typing with the tips of my fingernails makes them grow faster, and keeping a layer of polish on them helps keep them from breaking. The acetone polish remover damages the nail too, so go with a non-acetone version.

:rofl:

Maybe most people don't notice the phony part, but I do. I keep my nails short. I am very active with my hands, so keeping nails short keeps them clean.

:)

My better half got them, they looked like crap. I tried to be complimentary, but she saw right through it. I am a lousy liar.

The next day, she said "Jesus Christ, you're right."

Not worth the trouble or the expense.

I told him to just watch my hands
and it would be like having another
woman in his bed....

He said he NEVER wanted Barbara Streisand
in bed with him.

:rofl:

I kept them for about 2 months, peeling
them off was AGONY, and getting them
sanded and "re-tipped" was like TORTURE
and gave me a headache without fail.

JUST SAY NO!

I had them the summer of 1997, when I got engaged and then married. They looked nice, but really did a number on my natural nails underneath.

i've had them a (very) few times in the past, mostly for special occasions like my son's wedding, but i swore off them after that. they really mess up your real nails..

i've sworn off of everything fake, but i'm 53, so who cares, nobody's looking anyway :shrug:

When my mom was 53, she was in what is called the "Lifestyle." She was one of the most popular members of the clubs she frequented. I got surprised several times when I was at her house by her "gentlemen" callers, of which there were too many for me to keep track of.

Age has nothing to do with it.

You can make them quite sharp, you know.

As far as LOOKS go: NO.
A great big trailer-park "NO".

gross.

never

:scared: :puke:

of course, I work outside with livestock and a lot of dirt so my normal state is pretty :scared: anyway (dirty and jagged and they get worse the closer I get to town)

Since then, not so much and I've got more negative feedback from long nails and nailpolish than I have positive. I don't know, but they are expensive and really, short, well-kept nails with an excellent polish look more... real. Having said that, I live in Maine, far removed from the rest of the world. My opinion if valueless.

never say that again, silly!

I really liked them, at first. I wasn't going for the natural look, I wanted cool nails. And they were. But the upkeep was a bitch. My real nails grow fast and every week or so I had to get them filled, it was a pain in the ass and got expensive. I was sick one time and missed my appt. They looked so awful. Also I couldn't do certain things, like open a soda can, I had to use a spoon, my sis taught me that trick. Also they started to get a yellow tint to them.

When I had them taken off.....it hurt, and my real nails were awful for months. And when I first got them, it HURT, they basically sand off your entire nail.

I"m gonna say no. They made me feel pretty, but not worth the money, time and aggravation. Treat yourself to a natural mani/ pedi instead. :hI:

not a big fan of long nails.

I'm lucky to have strong, fast-growing nails, so I've never felt the need to try acrylic nails. Besides I hate the look of super long, over-the-top nails. I usually keep mine at a reasonable 2-4 mm length, although occasionally I let them get longer because I'm not paying attention to them.

Now I might consider acrylic toenails if I had money to throw away, because my toenails are just pathetic. They're tiny and funny-shaped and therefore hard to manicure.

I had bad, bad acne from the time I was 11 until age 20. I had every treatment my parents could afford, including injections in my ass, FFS. Tetracycline permanently dried out my lips; Retin-A burned my face (although I use it now on my skin voluntarily, LOL).
At age 20, starting a new job, I got acrylics.
The next week, I had clear skin. Go figure. I've never stopped using them since!
Guess I was picking not only when I was conscious of it, but when I was not.

Acryllics will damage the natural nail that your fingers have and it will get to the point that you will have to regularly get replacements in order to keep any form of fingernail on your hands.

I do get my nails done from time to time but when I know I have a special event, I put some nail strengthen polish on my nails and let them grow out a bit. And in about a week or so I can get a nice manicure done that doesn't require any harsh chemicals to create. In fact the place where I get my nails done refuses to do Acryllics - they say the smell & chemicals ruin the atmosphere of the salon they have created.

I do to much housework and yardwork to want to deal with the hassles of fake nails.

I did a lot of acrylic sets when I was in Beauty school. I did way more traditional manicures. If women would take the money they invest in fake nails and spend it on traditional manicures, they would have lovely natural nails. The trick is to not file down the sides, get the warm soak, never cut the cuticle and try to maintain a manageable length.

No.

But then, I think nail polish is freakishly weird and unattractive.
Also, makeup. Makeup is 95% of the time not a good thing.

now I don't. They harbor bacteria and difficult to keep clean, much less looking nice. Always made my already thin nails even thinner. Took months to get my nails back to "normal".