Er. False nail help please...

[BusyCee]

I get married in a fortnight, and as a result of a series of unfortunate events have broken or peeled every single nail I own. I'd like to have pretty looking hands on the day - I'm thinking fairly natural, oval - so need to get falsies done. But I don't even know the difference between gel and shellac. Please advise a what sort of false nail will look fairly natural?

If you are looking for any kind of additional length to be added you'll be looking for acrylic/gel nail extensions.
Shellac is a gel polish which is cured under uv light and lasts for a few weeks.

Bio sculpture is more natural looking then acrylic. Try popping into a proper salon (not the really cheap ones where masks are worn) and they can advise which would be best

If done well acrylics can look natural. They are very hard wearing and the least likely to drop off, it's pretty much unheard of. They're not great for your nails and have a bad name for that and for those that people wear and take too far, looking cheap and tacky. Mary Berry's nails are (I believe) acrylics with gel polish and always look good to me.

Gel polish and Shellack are often used interchangeably. I think Shellack was one of the originals so is used colloquially in the same way as Hoovering. There are lots of long lasting polishes out there which require a UV light to cure or set/dry.

I think acrylics are like voting Conservative, no one will openly admit to it but it's the most popular choice! You can gets "full set" for £25 with "colour", just normal polish. This will stay perfect for a week or so as polish clings much better to them than to natural nails. Fancier gel extensions will cost you twice as much and straight shellack on natural, in extended nails will cost you £20+ depending on the salon. Shellack on natural nails will knacker them when removed. It depends on what you want to spend, where you are and how worried you are about your nails after your wedding. Good luck and congratulations by the way

Shellac on natural nails won't wreck them what makes you think that another?

OP, I did the same and went with some cheap false nails that I glued on myself as I didn't have time to get to a salon (thanks family for offering to look after my kids for an hour or so ). DON'T do that! I hated the feeling and had bit them all off by the next day. They looked crap as well, I should have painted them but left them as French.

Thanks all. Off on a reccie to a couple of salons this morning and will be investing in nail oil etc too although think the damage may be too severe to hope for a miracle in a fortnight

full set is 30 at our local vietnamese place

who cares what happens to my natural nails - i cant seem em

A beautiful colour shellac on short nails with tidy cuticles can look far nicer than false nails to me. Especially for wedding pictures plus the bonus of lasting through the honeymoon too ??

Acrylics don't look fake if you go to an expert, my nail lady has won awards and hers are amazing. They are extremely hard wearing. Also ive had mine acrylic'd for nearly 20 years and when removed my nails are still stong and perfect so if removed properly they don't cause damage.

Gels can be a more bendy/less rigid, I couldn't get on with them, I felt they were more prone to snapping

If you have two weeks invest in some OPI nail envy and cuticle oil. You may be able to rescue them in the time you have depending on how fast your nails grow.

If you are going to have falsies please don't go anywhere they wear face masks, they use dental acrylic or MMA rather than the proper stuff which will destroy your nails. Ask whoever you go to to see their material. It should all be in branded pots. If they don't want to risk breathing it you don't want it touching your skin for a prolonged period

Short acrylics would work well and then they could be painted with polish. They can look very natural. Go somewhere good. Not a walk up nail bar. If they wear masks walk away and if they use a electric drill file on the natural nail walk away.
You preferably want somewhere that only hand files got the least amount of damage.
Alternatively if your nails grow to a length you are happy with then gel polish would be perfect. There are many greats brands not just CND shellac.
To care for natural nails and enhancements use cuticle oil daily, wear gloves when hands are in water and don't use nails as tools.
Always have acrylic and gel polish removed by the nail tech. Do not pick it off!

Clarins hand and nail treatment always sorts my nails out very quickly - in terms of strength and length.

Thank you again all. Love Clarins so will look into that. Have been recommended a local place that's reputedly v good, spoke to them and they've booked me a spot for acrylics two days prior and I can cancel if nails suddenly materialize.

Same thing happened to my daughter who is getting married soon. She had a bad shellac experience and the woman wrecked her nails getting the old shellac off. Afterwards a couple of nails kept splitting all the way down. She has had good results from religiously applying Opi Nail envy and solar oil and only having ordinary polish. She is booked in for acrylics before the wedding in case her own nails haven't recovered in time.

All techs are advised to wear masks really, it's for dust not chemicals. PPs mean the cheap, quickie nail bars most often staffed by oriental techs that often use drills without watching what they're doing due to trying to be as fast as poss - don't tend to do the most natural job.

Google or fb search local techs and see their before and afters lots of techs have different styles so you can find one you like the look of with good reviews

we only have Vietnamese here.

No one else does em

Tealfanclub where do you live?

south england

Tealfanclub then that isn't true.
There are many nail techs who care for the natural nail in the south.

Just wanted to thank you all for the advice. Went for a mani/pedi at a recommended spa yesterday and she was a) very reassuring about good growth for next week (and sold me some nail oil) b) gave me an excellent mani/pedi which already has made the nails look better and c) booked me in for some deep spa moisturising treatments next week along with an acrylics spot which she cancel if she doesn't think i need it (she clearly doesn't think I need it) so. Feeling reassured and grateful for all the guidance here and from her. Thanks all