Anonymous wrote:
How do you make the polish last? I had a manicure on Thursday. Yesterday I chipped the tip and fixed it. Today I chipped another tip and fixed it. I’m lucky if I get 3 or 4 days out of polish. Am I just too hard on my hands?

1. Good quality nail polish.
2. Apply *thin* layers, and let dry more than you think is necessary (hence why people watch a show).
3. For the rest of the day, or at least a few hours, you need to be very careful not to knock into anything with your nails. Even though the surface feels dry, the polish still cures for some time after application.
4. Polish on reasonably short nails if you have trouble with chipping.

Taking care of my nails means leaving them alone, to be honest. They're almond shaped, and pink with white edges naturally.

I occasionally use traditional nail polish (not gel or acrylics), and it lasts about a week, with applications of 2-3 thin layers. I don't do manicures or pedicures in a salon.

The more I polish my nails, the less healthy they are underneath... so I let them "breathe" for long periods between polishes.

If your nails are naturally weak or pale-looking, you need to take care of your overall health - maybe you're hypothyroid, or anemic, or something else. I have a thyroid disease, and check my nails regularly for changes, because when my thyroid goes out of whack, my nails register the change and sometimes I can see a dip or a ridge.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I buff and shine them. No polish.

I didn't know anyone does that. Doesn't it weaken the nail?

I’m a woman who used to buff and shine that when I took better care of my nails. My nails are naturally weak and I use nailtique on top. When did all three regularly, my nails were strong and I got tons of compliments.

I cut and file them myself and use hand lotion. They always look nice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I buff and shine them. No polish.

I didn't know anyone does that. Doesn't it weaken the nail?

DP.

No, it shouldn't. Lots of people do this, especially men.

Anonymous wrote:I buff and shine them. No polish.

I didn't know anyone does that. Doesn't it weaken the nail?

Anonymous wrote:I buff and shine them. No polish.

Same and people ask me what I do to my nails to get them to look like that. The old nail buffer I got about 15 years ago! They think it’s some sort of gel.

I use gel wraps. They dry in 60 seconds under a UV light and last up to 2 weeks. When I use regular polish I always scuff them since I'm too impatient and think they're dry when they're not.

I have to plan painting my nails out, and I usually do it on a Sat or Sun. If I know I want to do them, I plan out the day -- if it involves cooking or cleaning, which it almost always does, or as we go into spring, gardening, or anything where I need my hands, I do all of that first in the day and then in the afternoon, after all of that is done, I paint my nails. It can't be too late, because they need hours to cure before going to bed. The exception to this weekend thing is that if I am working from home, which doesn't happen very often, and I have like a 3 to 4 hour virtual training or something where I can have my camera off, I'll paint them first thing, because I know I have hours to just sit there and let them dry.

Mine last around 4 or 5 days, longer if it's a light pink and I was careful and used a top coat.

I buff and shine them. No polish.

Anonymous wrote:I don't, I go to a salon every 2 weeks.

Which is sooo bad for your nails.

Do you ever go without doing your nails? Give them a chance to breathe?

I don't, I go to a salon every 2 weeks.

just use clear nail polish.

Make sure you give them a break to let them breathe. You don’t want painted nails all the time. You can do nails when watching tv.

I have started taking better care of my natural nails and have a manicure every 5 weeks when I get my hair cut and colored. In between I used cuticle remover, oil, and occasionally paint them myself.

When do you find time to paint your nails? Every time I think about painting them I realize I have things to do that prevent me from giving them time to dry.

How do you make the polish last? I had a manicure on Thursday. Yesterday I chipped the tip and fixed it. Today I chipped another tip and fixed it. I’m lucky if I get 3 or 4 days out of polish. Am I just too hard on my hands?