To not know how everyone has the money and time to have their nails done

[Beckywiththegoodnails]

Cost of living crisis - have you cut down on having nails done?
I was surprised on the engagement ring thread how many people had nails done. I’ve had to cut back on loads and I earn pretty well- nails are now a luxury
my small town has about 6 pop in salons in the town and they’re always full
aibu to not know how such a high proportion of people have nails done so regularly

Complete waste of time and money imo. How difficult is it to paint your own nails?

It's not obviously, but if I paint my own nails they chip after a couple of days.
When I get them done professionally they last 3-4 weeks.

I save elsewhere - don't drink, don't get takeaways, don't get my hair dyed at a salon, don't spend loads on clothes, don't have the latest mobile phone or any streaming services. £30 a month for nice nails (BIAB and gel colour) is what I do spend my money on.

It's not about painting your own nails for me. I'm a qualified beautician, I can paint nails. After biting mine for years, I started getting build a gel two years ago and finally had a good length but they were paper thin and kept getting ripped and tempted me to bite them again. So continuing to get overlays now makes them strong enough they don't break and stops me biting them.

I admire other people’s nails but I think natural nails look better. i don’t like the sensation of polished or false nails so haven’t had them for years.

I wonder how much men spend on nails.

Used to have mine done and did like the look of them but hated the damage it did to my nails so I stopped.
Spend the money on horse riding instead which also feels a better use of my time.

There is a skill to doing a good manicure and pedicure.

It’s a lot more than just throwing polish on.

Your comment is insulting to people who do this for a living.

It’s hardly any time at all. As you note yourself, there are plenty of salons, so people don’t have to travel far to reach them, then it’s 40min every 3-4 weeks. That’s not much. And if nails are important to the person having them done, they’re getting dozens of moments of pleasure in each day, every time they look at their hands.

I sell stuff on vinted and that’s my nail fund. £26 every 3 weeks is what it costs me. It’s the only time I get to myself so I do consider it priceless.

£30 every 4 weeks and takes 1 hour.

It's only £7.50 a week if you break it down and who doesn't have 1 spare hour?

I also noticed that.

What point are you trying to make?

I tried shellac, ruined my nails when they took it off. Same with gels. So back to normal nail Polish and if I'm lucky it'll last one day before I've got a chip somewhere. I'm gardening, washing up etc so inevitable. I dont bother anymore cannot be bothered and no longer think oh need to redo my nails.

I have time and money, just don't see the point myself my natural nail colour is fine just a few minutes to shape them now and again to look fine.

I'd imagine as much as they choose to spend, the same as women who get them done.

My DD loves it, she sees it as pamper time. I see it as a claustrophobic and expensive 2 hours for something that doesn’t really matter, and probably contributes to trafficking and modern day slavery. My dd is convinced that it’s all registered and above board but it’s still cash in hand and they’re all immigrants with poor English who do it. Are they safe and protected by labour laws? How would we know?

Because everything revolves around men apparently.

My teenage son often comes with me and gets his nails done. Costs the same for each of us and it’s fun and relaxing.

Self selecting sample - for somebody to have taken a photo of their hand/nails/ring, they're highly likely to have got their nails done specifically because they were intending to take a photo of their nails/ring.

Not many of us would think oh, MN won't even notice the chewed down stumps where other people have nails, real or artificial.

I get biab (builder gel) which lasts 4 weeks, sometimes 5. Normal gel chips within a week. I used to do my own and now see nails and brows as my one regular treat. I don't buy coffees or lunches and don't go out as much as I did. I have friends who have nails, brows, lashes done monthly along with hair and now ever more so, botox. We are late 30s. I would not have fathomed budgeting for this before and it will certainly be the first thing to go if our other expenses become more squeezed.

I've actually upped my regularity as 3 weeks was too long and I was chipping, so I do every 2 weeks now. She comes to my house, it takes one hour, I do last thing on a Friday (so just knock off work an hour earlier, I WFH). And only costs £22. Just gels, I play a league sport so can't have long nails.

This is an insane generalisation on nail techs. Just because your daughter goes to some backwater hole in the wall joint doesn’t mean the rest of us are.

(Said technician is a friend, born here, definitely not trafficked but I will double check next week )

Do you realize how racist this sounds?

I don’t even know where to begin.

I think you are meaning to sound concerned but it comes off as really insulting.

I have mine done every 3-4 weeks and it costs £30 a time.
It’s my only treat really. I don’t go out, I don’t drink or buy myself new clothes/shoes/make-up.
I’m an avid nail biter when I’m anxious so it helps put a stop to that too.

Not everyone is skint

How will you ask her if she barely speaks English?