Nails - does anyone just do nothing? 😬

[Amberamethyst]

I’ve tried everything!

professional, different brands, hard gel, builder gel, extensions, normal gel!

I’ve done a course and tried to learn how to do them myself and spent a fortune and they still look shit.

I’ve tried ‘gel style ’ polish, Essie, Sally Hansen, OPI and it looks shit.

it doesn’t matter what salon does my nails it comes off within 2 days.

The only thing that is just about ok is pushed back cuticles and clear polish. Even a hint of colour and it chips and looks rank.

Im so envious of people with perfect gel nails 😭

self indulgent moan but does anyone else do nothing with their nails? 💅

Pretty much every clinical Heath care professional. You learn it’s not the be all and end all and nobody notices them anyway.
Spend the money you would spend on nails on a facial or a nice massage or a cleaner!

Me, pretty much. If I’m going out somewhere special I’ll bang on some nail polish but that’s as much as I do. It only lasts a couple of days so I usually remove it almost immediately. Also, having worked in a hospital and been through their employee induction, I can’t help but think how unsanitary it is, which kind of freaks me out.

Me. Had gels, came off within two weeks. Mine chip and split, get broken. Get to a nice length, something will happen and I'll break one, others follow soon after. No idea why so I've pretty much given up and just trim if they magically get too long!

Me! I play netball once a week so need to keep them short (there’s still a nail inspection!) so I just tend to push back the cuticles, and give them a buff and some nail oil. I used to have gel nails and they did look like delicious sweeties all glossy and colourful, but I’ve got used to them being short and natural now and am enjoying it. In fact, I’ve also stopped painting my toe nails.

Absolutely nothing wrong with short, clean, bare nails. Much better than chipped nails that are all different lengths!

only ever trim… what’s the point? Lol no one cares. I do too much cleaning etc and work with food. I’d think to think most people are like me, it’s not normal to have big false nails but the Kardashian’s promote it to be a necessity which isn’t the case

Me. It would be a waste of time and money as I am not allowed them in work.

I keep them filed and tidy and just paint them myself for special occasions. I don’t feel Like I am missing out in any way.

Are your natural nails very flaky? If so they will chip because the gel/acrylic/whatever attached to the nail will come off with the nail.

I would work on getting your nails into better condition - oil them at least once a day (solar oil is great), lots of hand cream, never use them as a tool. Some nails are just very weak though, and unfortunately if that's the case they will chip. Natural polish is fine, as is nothing at all.

I love having painted nails but it's pretty low on my list of priorities, so they're usually just as they come!

Me. And I don't work in health care or anything like that. I dislike the look of fake nails, and the thick look of built up gel, and nails that are too long.

I like them short, it is better for doing the things I like to do horse riding, dog walking, gardening and playing the piano. (I'm early 30s). They naturally stay short due to the abuse i put my hands through, but I'll sometimes file them into a "more intentional" shape for events/holidays. I often say I'll paint them and not get around to it.

In my 60s now but I have kept mine trimmed short ever since realising over 40 years ago that long fingernails and horses don't go well together. I also can't help wondering how much dirt is hidden underneath especially if the wearer is preparing food.
They do look nice though.

I wear my natural mist of the time, neatly rounded with cuticles push back

very occasionally I have shellac polish and it’ll last 2 weeks minimum

but it’s only for special occasions

Well, I cut them. If I did nothing they would grow long and at some point break of their own accord.

I don't like nail polish and I find fake nails grotesque.

Normal nails are normal. I see more women around who just cut their nails than the painted and fake nails crowd.

I don’t do anything, no one would notice but you.

I’ve always worked in roles that don’t allow nails or even polish. im in healthcare clinical role so absolute no no. But then my hands are knackered anyway thanks for constant washing. Nice nails wouldn’t really help😂I don’t really notice peoples nails unless filthy or awfully long talons

I never do mine, varnish just chips anyway and I have too much else going on with work and young kids to bother!

I just have short neat nails. They are very thin and flake. Nailpolish literally peels off them in a day regardless of the make, base coats, top coats, etc. They aren't the best shape to start with so as unnoticeable as possible is the way to go.

A beautician on here once advised that people with thyroid disease are prone to peeling polish and chipping gels/acrylics. No idea of the science behind it.

If I had nice nails, I'd wear pale pink nail polish on beautifully manicured filbert nails. I don't, so I don't.

Personally I don't think gel nails or acrylics are very attractive.

Me. Occasionally I'll wear polish if I have an event but generally they're just shortish, polish-free with edges filed to rounded-square after cutting. Luckily they're quite strong and don't flake, but that must be genes as I don't take any care of them beyond trimming and filing when needed.

I do have slight envy of people with perfectly-polished nails, but the faff/time/expense is enough to put me off. Plus you can guarantee I'll chip them within days despite my best efforts, then spend the next week hiding my hands before I can be bothered to remove it - so it's easier just to leave them natural!

Me. I am a hands-on single mum renovating a house. Salon nails would last about an hour and be a total waste of money for me.

So I shape and buff my nails myself, apply base coat and clear polish, then slap on hand cream and leave it at that.

They are neat and tidy. It's the best I can do.

I do nothing other than file to shape and looking at my colleagues round the lunch table, 3 in 4 have plain short nails.

I cba spending lots of money on something so small, so I either just keep mine clean and short, or will do a couple of coats of nail varnish for special occasions (usually gold or a nice warm pink, occasionally a deep red). And yes it chips super fast for me!

I use a buffer on mine and then a base and top coat from Nails.Inc and that keeps my nails looking nice.

I keep them trimmed down. Use a cutical gel, and have a healthful diet, oh and no alcohol-based products near your hands, let along the skin being porous it will dry out all your skin and nails.

Always wear washing up gloves, never let them touch cleaning products.

Cut them occasionally. Pick out the accumulated mud and manure lodged under the nails if I'm likely to meet anyone who might care (rare).

I do nails you need to rough up the nail bed with a course grit file (don't press hard / deep, just over the surface) to create a textured surface. Wipe down after filing with a nail-wipe to remove dust. You should also invest in an acid primer, you can get these online. This acts almost like a superglue to prime the nails and keeps the gel nicely in place! Applied well, gel should last 2-3 weeks. Obviously varies by job, how much you use your hands etc!

Me! I can’t have a professional manicure or gel nails as my natural nails are thin. All the therapists insist on filing the nail thickness down further and it is not only really sore but really damages my already-thin nails!

I make sure they are clean and I file them when they get ragged. I tend to bite them off and then file smooth if they get really long. I am a moderately fashionable woman in my forties with a professional job.

I really hate the feel of nail polish on my nails. I didn't realise that it was the "norm" to do something with them, despite the zillions of nail salons around these days. Life's too short, surely?