Re: Are any of you still doing French Manicures?

shoekitty · ‎03-10-2010

I have nails like a peasant washer woman. No, I take that back. More like a potato digger. Havent had my nails done in years. i clip them, clean them. I am always digging in dirt, and tough on my nails. I also have RA, and poor nails. When I had fake nails they ate holes through my real nails, and when I wear polish, of any kind my nails peel, crack. If I have to look good, I paint them, then take polish off next day.

i dont have the time to get a manicure. But i have soaked, sugar scrubbed, do shaping and cleaning then run to salon to get them painted. I like DL, Just walk away Rene. A true crimson red. It is retired, I bought up left over stock.....and thats what I will use. It takes time to drive to salon, deal with people, get a mani/ pedi then drive home. I can plant some veggies, or pet my cat with that extra time. Lol

catwhisperer · ‎07-11-2010

@shoekitty wrote:
I have nails like a peasant washer woman. No, I take that back. More like a potato digger. Havent had my nails done in years. i clip them, clean them. I am always digging in dirt, and tough on my nails. I also have RA, and poor nails. When I had fake nails they ate holes through my real nails, and when I wear polish, of any kind my nails peel, crack. If I have to look good, I paint them, then take polish off next day.

i dont have the time to get a manicure. But i have soaked, sugar scrubbed, do shaping and cleaning then run to salon to get them painted. I like DL, Just walk away Rene. A true crimson red. It is retired, I bought up left over stock.....and thats what I will use. It takes time to drive to salon, deal with people, get a mani/ pedi then drive home. I can plant some veggies, or pet my cat with that extra time. Lol

@shoekitty...you go girl. You are my kind of gal. I do my own nails. I am in my 60's and do a lot of house work and am a caregiver, so nails are not a priority for me. I keep them short, filed, and clean. If I feel like polishing them, I do it myself.

I promise to remind myself every day that I am strong, courageous, and resilient.

catwhisperer · ‎07-11-2010

@Jacie....I am not one who cares what other people think. I like FM. If you like FM, then go for it.

I promise to remind myself every day that I am strong, courageous, and resilient.

juperier · ‎10-21-2014

@shoekitty Nothing wrong with digging in the dirt. But it's definitely rough on nails. There are definiitely people who are not good candidates for fake nails. But the majority of damage is due to the techniques used. Unfortunately, there are many nail techs who do not have sufficient knowledge regarding nail anatomy and the chemistry involved to minimize the risk of damage and/or development allergic reactions. Clients can also enocurage problems by not properly maintaining the mani and/or improperly removing it.

I guess the big question is whether a mani that involves more than clean, neatly trimmed nails is important enough to you to cosistantly do a few extra things as far as nail care goes. I didn't place much focus on my nails until I retired. Now I can honestly say the I have the most free edge on all ten nails that I've ever had in my life. While I'll probalby see uf they'll grow a bit longer, I know that I personally don't want to try to function with super long nails. And fake nails don't have much appeal since I like to change color frequently, have the time to do so, and can most likely grow my nails longer than I would want them to be. On the other hand, if I was still working, a mani that would look good for a couple of weeks would definitely have more appeal.

I would suggest at least minimizing the soaking. Exposure to water can be very rough on your nails. It sounds like your nails might lean towards being dry/brittle. If so, be very careful with nail strengtheners/hardeners. They are typically formulated for soft nail and will only make matters worse (breaking once free edge develops, peeling, cracking) if your nails are already dry/brittle. A good cutilce oil multiple times a day can work wonders.

september · ‎03-09-2010

@catwhisperer wrote:
@Jacie....I am not one who cares what other people think. I like FM. If you like FM, then go for it.

Same here. 99% of the time, I go for the pink and white French. A few times a year, I get color put on, and usually end up hating it after a few days. The color (even with gel polish) chips on me after a few days. I use my hands...do house chores and gardening and my French mani always stays looking very nice.

Lipstickdiva · ‎03-10-2010

Funny that I tuned in to The List last night on HSN and Colleen is sporting what I know to be an American manicure and that I used to wear years and years ago.

With this, it's not the white tip and white nails, it's more muted. It's more of a super light beige or natural tip and nail. More along the lines of this:

Image result for american manicure polish