How often do you get your nails done?

[elderflowerlemonade]

I am just wondering what the average/norm is?

I have gels every two weeks, sometimes three.

acrylics, every 3 weeks for infills and every 6 weeks for a new set

I've only bothered with mine in last ten years. I love the look. And it's fun

elderflower, they are only nails, which is why I suddenly thought, why do I do this? As I say, it was fun at the start, so if you find it fun, great.

The "self conscious because everyone else does it" thing made me lol a bit because in ten years you'll be telling your child not to follow the herd for that reason. But I know what you mean. I'm new to mumsnet and came to S&B thinking it would be a bit of fun. Now I find there's a whole bunch of terminology I've never heard of and a lot of it is very important to people. Fair enough - I just wasn't expecting that. It's been an education.

Never only paint toe nails hands not good enough I like bare

I've just bought a gel kit from ciate, has a uv kamp and a clear top coat you can use to make any of your varnishes into a gel. My fingernails are now bright orange and holding up well after a week! Was on offer for under £30, maybe worth thinking about going by some of the prices on here?

The thing is that I am with a group of very well groomed women who regularly get their nails done. I used to cut my nails with kitchen scissors so it's fair to say it's not really a thing I've always been into.

I'm feeling like I have to justify myself now and I shouldn't have to!

I will never tell my child not to follow the herd. I'll tell her to do what makes her feel happy and secure

Lamp, not Kamp, that sounds plain wrong!

I don't think it goes with how I dress lots of my mates love but I never have! I see the odd person where it looks lovely but mostly I think it looks like an extra accessory and I am v minimal in that dept. Certainly never felt pressure among my friends who do.

I have had gel nails for years, love them! I bet them done every three or four weeks. I also get a pedicure every two months or so. I'm in Australia though and mani pedis and pretty much compulsory. And with wearing thongs all year, the pedi is pretty much a necessity.

Elderflowerlemonade (making me thirsty, I love that stuff)

you shouldn't have to justify yourself, agree

I see what you mean about telling your child to make herself happy. I suppose I was thinking of that key moment when you say "just because everyone else does it, doesn't mean you have to".

one of my early posts here was "feeling like I have to make a decision about my looks". I'm 39 and have hit a point where friends are spending a lot of time and money on what they look like and are surprised I am not. I battled with it but came down on the side of "don't bother". I don't want to do all that stuff some people seem to enjoy. Whether or not you enjoy it is the vital point, I think.

I get mine done every two weeks elderflower - with shellac, no extensions or anything. I have them filed short, but I have a long nailbed so there's still plenty of nail iykwim.
I pay around £30 for mine, but I can afford it, I get them done because I like it - how they look, being able to have colour that doesn't chip, the actual business of going to the salon and sitting having a chat - the owner is a close friend.
My nails underneath are perfectly healthy, possibly because I keep them so short.
I get my toes done about once a month.
I don't think I'm following the herd......lots of my herd don't get their nails done at all, as their profession doesn't lend itself - I tend to be gently mocked for being "high maintenance"' but I don't actually care!

I came on the thread because I find it absolutely fascinating how other people live. (Nosey? Me?)

Every 3 weeks? When do you find the time??? Hair every 6 weeks?? wax every few weeks too??? Fake tan? Eyebrows threaded, eyelashes tinted, teeth whitened - the list is endless. Clearly I should spend more any time on my appearance, but when? Do you take one saturday a month and go round each shop in turn? Or find one parlour that does it all? Or do one thing each saturday morning?

Genuinely interested, not being sarky. I lurk on the cleaning threads too for the same reason - washing towels after every use? Really? Im hoping it'll rub off on me and I'll clean more out of guilt. :-D

Rarely. Am fascinated/ in awe of people who make the time to have all these beauty treatments done so regularly.

I've had my hair highlighted and cut every 5 weeks or so since I was a teenager. I hate roots.

I knew some people would come on here with just an air of superiority - I don't 'get' that. I wear foundation and mascara; as I look better with it, and i have my hair highlighted and styled as it looks nicer. I also have my eyebrows waxed every 3 weeks as they do get overgrown.

I've never felt this detracts me from more lofty interests it takes seconds to do my makeup and five minutes every 3 weeks with eyebrows. I actually do a lot of reading at the hairdresser. Umm - what else do I need to justify?

I don't get waxed as it hurts but I Veet my ahem sensitive areas and shave my underarms and legs. Five minutes every other day with legs and arms; ten minutes once a week elsewhere?

Theres no superiority here - I dont wear makeup because it takes about an hour to put on and looks stupid when I've finished. The answer is practice, I'm sure, but its a viscious circle. I had my nails done once but it was a horrible experience - the lady wouldnt offer any advice, just kept pointing at a shelf of about a hundred bottles of different colours and makes and told me to pick what i wanted. No idea what all the types were about. Felt quite stupid really so havent been again :-(

no superiority, heck, I did my nails for 20 years! (not continuously, lol).

I am fascinated because I shocked myself worrying about hitting 40 and "what do I look like and how I will age". I didn't think I'd ever be that person. Then I realised how much of my concerns were about what other people were doing, then I began to wonder how much of it is about following the crowd....and how many of us end up doing certain standards of grooming because it's expected of us, rather than genuinely wanting to do it for ourselves.

I thought it was going to be a shock to look at uncoloured nails because I have only ever seen them without colour during a major illness. I put something on them - clear polish - because otherwise they'd break every five minutes, but I've got used to the "no colour" thing surprisingly fast.

I have vastly reduced my pedicure habit at the hairdressers since buying my Clarisonic pedicure brush set. It is amazing! My feet are in great condition all the time with a couple of minutes of work per day. I change my nail polish every couple of weeks.

I quite like natural finger nails but have a manicure for special occasions.

Shellac every 2 weeks, am considering buying a lamp and CND polishes but am wary about removing them myself without damaging my nails. When I've tried with acetone I'm not sure I'm doing it right. Any tips from diy-ers please?

depends. If I'm going out/special occasion etc then it's then, if I can afford it and want cheering up then then too.

I've heard and seen horror stories about i think infills or Shellac from a Vietnamese/Thai salon locally that has ruined my friend's nails but I only go there for paint/polish.

Also there's one salon I went to locally that did such a rubbish job (a starter deal/offer) on mani/pedi that I wouldn't go again!

I can also paint toenails better than most manicurists… just need help with the rhino hide on the soles/heels!

Elder I used to be like you re highlights - you need 6-8 weeks and also a hairdresser told me once what YOU can see is more obvious re roots to what others can see.

You also need a hairdresser who's good at getting close to roots and doing fine highlights. Since I did this about a year ago its been great.

I really like my hairdresser and I think she does a good job. Maybe it sounds silly or frivolous but my hair looking nice has always been important to me. I think others feel the same about their nails; I don't really but I do think I need to make the effort.

I don't get my nails done as a lot of the places around here are Vietnamese. Many of the women working there are trafficked and made to live and work in brutal circumstances. Think carefully about what your money is paying for.

It takes an hour or so out of my week. I usually get mine done Saturday morning first thing. It doesn't impinge upon the weekend at all. If I can't do that I get it done during the week. I work for myself so that's easy to do.

The lady who did my nails was as English as fish and chips