What happens when you «get your nails done”?

[BogstandardBelle]

My nails are a state. I bit them for years, so they are a funny shape, very wide at the top and not symmetrical. I don’t really bite them any more, but they are weak and I tend to nibble / pick any rough bits. So they are all different lengths. I have permanent hangnails on some of them. I don’t do anything regularly with them, except rub moisturiser in several times a day.

If I went to a nail place to get them “done” what would this involve? Do I have to grow them all long before I go? Or does it involves getting false nails stuck on? Enlighten a total nail novice here ;-)

Depends what you want! If you're going for extensions it doesn't matter, if you want a gel polish you can still go but they just won't look as pretty this time but they'll grow out and be longer for next time if you leave them alone

For a manicure you don't need any length at all. Manicurist will remove any old varnish and shape nails, soak fingertips to soften cuticles, push cuticles back and possibly trim any rough or snaggy bits (you can opt out if you don't like the idea of that), give you a hand massage and paint nails. Voila.

If you want something else (eg added length) there are a number of ways to achieve that, but if you're not used to having nails I'd start with a manicure and see how you feel about that before committing to anything else.

I would get acrylics but with short tips for an instant tidy up which looks great x

With weak nails the last thing you should be doing is getting acrylics. Which don't look great anyway.

When you have a manicure they'll cut/file them to same length, soak and push back/trim cuticles, they'll also remove dry skin around the nail/hang nails.

You can have them varnished or buffed. My nails look a billion times better after a manicure

I have nails like the op by the sound if it.
I would advise against acrylic or gel extensions as they file the nail to help the acrylic adhere to the nail. This damages the nail.
I have shellac which has helped me grow my nails without damaging them.

I was thinking about starting a similar thread - as in ‘talk to me about manicures (never had one)’. From reading on here about acrilycs & gel I think it just sounds too much for a novice, plus they seem like they leave damage?! I get pedicures every summer, but my hands are dry, hangnails, cut short etc. Really I just want them to look nice, but don’t know where to start. No advice OP, sorry - but thinking about just going to a nail bar & going for it, then maybe if they are tidy & look better they might grow a bit & I could finally have ‘grown up’ nails in my mid forties!

Ok so I started this account to ask about nails and what to do. My nails were horrible and I went to get them 'done'. The nice guy at the nail place explained that I should not get acrylics until my nails are healthy and that looking at the shape of my nails, he can only recommend shellac. I did that and over the last 3 months I can safely say that my nails are 100% healthy, clean and look amazing.

I've not got very nice nails really, I bite them a bit and they are not that healthy. Sometimes I get a manicure with shellac or gel polish and they look so much better. It lasts about 2 weeks, in which time my nails have grown quite a bit and then next one looks even better.

Gel or shellac is good in that it dries very quickly and does not chip easily. It can damage your nails underneath but I don't have very nice nails to start with so for me it's worth it.

I'm going to go this week on my day off now!

Mine used to be similar (not weak, but terrible cuticles and hang nails). I bit the bullet and went for my first professional manicure about three years ago. I would advise asking for recommendations amongst friends as to which salon to go to and maybe not go for the cheapest nail bars first time. I did go to a cheap nail bar and although the nail tech did a good job it was extremely brisk and business like and felt a bit brutal and very impersonal. I felt very nervous that she was going to cut me with the tools she worked so fast (she didn't). I go to a traditional beauty salon now where they take their time, work really gently and talk you through it all, the end result is the same but it's a much more relaxing process. I have learned from watching and asking questions so I only go once or twice a year for gels before holidays and Christmas, which offsets the added expense.