I do Russian manicures with hard gel every three weeks and my nails have never looked better.

I’ve painted my own nails at home since I was 11. I do them every week on Thursdays or Fridays, depending on what I have going on. 1 hour of uninterrupted relaxation while I read, watch tv, or play a computer game.

I’ve tried nail wraps and press ons but I always come back to regular polish since it’s easier to fix/remove. I don’t find salons relaxing at all. So I get peace and quiet, and I can try lots of colors and finishes out, all while saving money. In fact I recently discovered I was allergic to acrylates, so I shouldn’t do acrylics or anything involving nail glue anyway.

I have discovered that keeping them neat and trimmed and moisturizing my cuticles well pretty much always looks nice, and then when I want to do something special for a night out or a wedding to something, I just paint my nails a fun color the afternoon of (thin coats, quick dry top coat to make sure it finishes clean) and then remove it the next day.

Basically I think of my nails the way I think of my face -- focus on skincare, not makeup. Color on nails is for fun when I want to amp up my look but it's not an every day thing. For every day, I just make sure my nails are tended to and the skin on my hands is well moisturized and in good shape.

I periodically get a regular manicure. I've never gotten gel or anything else. Same with my toes.

Anonymous wrote:Do you own nails. The natural look is better, cleaner looking.

For you, dear. For you. I like something different and will continue to have long nails.

Do you own nails. The natural look is better, cleaner looking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear you OP.

I tried a bunch of press ons and settled on the brand called Nail Refarmation. Their nails and amazing quality and come in all sorts of lengths and shapes. I get this glue different glue from a company https://www.curvlife.com/products/semi-solid-glue-new-upgrade-super-strong-quick-drying-with-remover-kit-johnny

They last me weeks at a time and I do all of the normal dish washing and house cleaning stuff.

I too do press ons. I can get KISS Impress to last me 2 weeks, which is a week longer than advertised.

PP from above and I used to do those too before I discovered this amazing glue. I get them at marshals for $9.99.

Anonymous wrote:I hear you OP.

I tried a bunch of press ons and settled on the brand called Nail Refarmation. Their nails and amazing quality and come in all sorts of lengths and shapes. I get this glue different glue from a company https://www.curvlife.com/products/semi-solid-glue-new-upgrade-super-strong-quick-drying-with-remover-kit-johnny

They last me weeks at a time and I do all of the normal dish washing and house cleaning stuff.

I too do press ons. I can get KISS Impress to last me 2 weeks, which is a week longer than advertised.

I hear you OP.

I tried a bunch of press ons and settled on the brand called Nail Refarmation. Their nails and amazing quality and come in all sorts of lengths and shapes. I get this glue different glue from a company https://www.curvlife.com/products/semi-solid-glue-new-upgrade-super-strong-quick-drying-with-remover-kit-johnny

They last me weeks at a time and I do all of the normal dish washing and house cleaning stuff.

I keep my nails short and use UV gel wraps. I prefer solid colors but there are flashy designs if that's your thing. A pack of gel wraps runs about 10 or 15 bucks and I can get two manicures out of a pack. One manicure lasts about ten days.

My favorite brands are Ohora and Polish Pops.

I have finally begun doing my own nails. It's a PITA, but the savings are huge.

I keep my nails cut short. I paint them a soft white pearl color (toes too) when I want to look fancy.

I go through cycles every few years of getting sucked into some sort of professional manicure, usually gel of some sort, that I can't easily break out of. It's very addictive. This past year between about January through May I had beautiful nails thanks to getting Russian manicures every 3 or so weeks. I finally forced myself to stop going, but doing so meant I had to find a different salon wiling to take the gel off and leave my nails bare (not easy), and now my nails look pretty sad. Worth it to me though to save the time and money, plus I worry about exposure to the lights even though they're LED. My conclusion is it's really only worth it to have expensive manicures if you have a forward-facing career that really demands a fully put-together look and you can't manage your nails on your own.

I keep mine clean and my nails cut. Cost about $20 every five years for a new set of clippers

my acrylic nails are topping high prices each month what do I do? medium sometime long not XL french tips is what a mostly get. thinking about something at home that is cheaper. what do you do for your nails?