What do you do with your nails? Come tell me, even if it’s nothing.

[Goandplay]

I used to have BIAB regularly but stopped this year for a variety of reasons.

I have been painting them myself. They chip too quickly, literally two, three days. I have used top coats, I’ve given plenty of drying time between coats, a few different brands of polish and I cannot get any longer out of them.

So now I am thinking maybe it’s not realistic to think I can have painted nails continuously and I need to do something else.

What do you do with your nails?

Weekly trim to keep nails short, file, buff, push back cuticles, apply cuticle oil, one coat of clear nail strengthener, one clear top coat with a gel-like finish.

Whole process takes less than 15 minutes for both hands (including 5 minute wait between coats) and I do it at home on Sunday evenings, for very little effort it sets the tone for the following week.

I can’t be arsed with salons anymore.

I mainly paint mine myself, I do it every three days or so. Usually Essie polish. I keep them really short.

I get gel once or twice a year if we’re going away, then spend three months trying to restore my nails after it. I did try BIAB but my nails grow so fast I needed to go every two weeks and it was too much time and money to maintain.

Finger nails - short and bare.
Toe nails - painted in the summer, bare in winter.

Exactly the same as @Prombles - clip them neatly every couple of weeks and very occasionally file them if the corners are too sharp, keep them very clean, that’s about it. If I have anything on the nails like varnish or clear coat, they feel heavy and like my fingers can’t breathe!

No manicures for me! I absolutely love a pedicure though.

I used to bite them viciously but trained myself out of it with an effort of pure will -

Nothing - short and unadornef.

I have biab every three weeks on fingers, I do my toes myself normally with Essie or Nailberry thanks to the recommendations on here. I’ve tried the Mylee nail wraps recently and they’ve last 3 weeks on my toes with a couple of coats of OPI Shine Pro Stay (which I’m amazed at).

DIY gel every 3 weeks, usually have a break a few times a year though.

Cost of getting them done at a salon was crazy compared to the cost of doing them myself.

I hate nail art (on me) so only ever do a single colour.

My nails are very short.
I trim them with nail clippers.
I am not allowed to wear nail polish in my job in health care, so I never wear nail polish.

Used to love having long natural nails but now prefer short, bit of white top, practical and more hygienic.

Never been one for false nails, did try once but I felt they limited me and the amount of gunge underneath, ugh!

Typing, flipping pages marking, opening a can, most daily household tasks, cumbersome.

Having false/acrylic nails needs maintenance and I'm low maintenance. Xxx

Keep them short with nail clippers. That's it.

Literally nothing apart from bite them. I just don't have the time or inclination to. I get my hair done, look after myself, wear nice clothes and make up but just don't bother with nails. I like to think I'm channelling Carrie Bradshaw!

I can't do much nowadays with my nails. I used to have long, strong, beautifully shaped nails, that I've always done myself, and that people used to think were false.
Now, I have hypothyroidism. My nails break down the nail, as well as sometimes the usual way. They're still long if I leave them, but they grow misshapen these days, and I can never seem to get a nice curve on the edge. I've got all the gel kit, and can do it well, but I rarely bother now. I still push the cuticles back, and trim them, and that's it. Can't stand the feeling of anything - cream, etc - on my hands at all, so they're not really looked after 😳

Despite having "old hands" ( see a couple of previous posts) I love having painted nails. At 75, knocking on 76, it's my only vanity and I'll stop doing my nails when I'm cold and in my grave.

I use Glaise stick on nail varnish. It lasts two weeks and if you remove them carefully, they don't damage your nails

Nothing at all. Keep them cut and clean, that's it

For hands I've stuck with Jessica polish in "I Do"" colour. It's for brides so a hint of pink, then a coat of brilliance on top. It doesn't chip but just wears away.

More importantly I keep a basket next to the sofa and try to remember every night to put Loccitane shea butter hand cream on massaging into the cuticles. That stops my nails splitting and breaking as nothing else does.

Every two months my hairdresser trims my hair and does a mani pedi. I like colour on my toes in the summer and a professional manicure.

I agree that I don't like bright polish on my older hands though.

2 hours?!?! What was she doing for that long?? I have BIAB every 2-3 weeks. In and out in 45mins.

I leave them, just nice shape, not too long and clean. If going out I'll buff them into a shine, but can't do that too often. I did always used to paint toenails but sadly getting older and nail varnish has made them go brittle, so they're on a TLC kick at the mo.

This.

BIAB every 2-3 weeks. It’s indestructible and I’m happy to pay rather than be faffed with painting them myself (badly!) only for them to chip within days.

I must be one of the lucky few for whom BIAB (and before that, gel nails) hasn’t ruined my natural nails. I have a ‘break’ from getting my nails done usually around Jan/Feb and my natural nails are fine.

Nothing. Never have done. They usually break off but if one does occasionally get longish I'll just bite it to a reasonable length. I don't know what people mean about pushing down cuticles. I don't know what they are meant to look like.

I paint my nails weekly. I'm hard on nails and like previous posters used to chip in a day or two. With proper prep, polish lasts all week. Prep is file, shape, tidy skin if needed, wipe with a rubbing alcohol (I use isocol, not sure if that is in the UK), apply base coat, apply 2 to 3 coats of polish, decorate, apply two coats of top coat. All polish layers should be thin, which is why for really light or less dense colours you need 3 coats.

Decorating nails is very fun. I really enjoy stamping and there's so many designs available. There's also stickers - I prefer the water ones as I find the others can lift off. You've got dotting tools, styles like ombre - there's so many ways to use your imagination.

Was going to say the same. Honestly don’t think she’s really that good if it’s taking her 2 hours. Mine take approx 50 mins to a hour depending on what the finish is. And the lady I go to is fantastic. One of the best in the locality hence her being booked out weeks in advance and being about 10-20% more expensive that everyone else.

i Have BIAB and do a fresh set every 3/4 weeks. But I’m very hard wearing on nails and but only polish I’ve ever had longevity with is Essie

I have BIAB in a very natural, pale pink every 3-4 weeks. My nails haven’t been this long for decades. I got sick of painting them (badly) only for them to chip and peel off within days. Nothing seemed to work, and I tried all kinds of polish.

I love the look of my nails, so shiny and fresh looking especially for the first couple of weeks after each appt.

I use handcream and cuticle oil/balm like crazy and shape with a crystal file. I wipe my nails with remover to make sure they're grease free. Base coat Opi Nail Envy, 2-3 coats of polish, Sally Hansen or any topcoat then Opi quick dry drops. My nails usually last a week. They're too long at the moment, so I have a nude polish on. I usually keep them shortish and painted in red shades. I always use gloves for cleaning and put spf 50 on my hands every day (multiple times on holiday).

I do nothing other than clip and/or file them when they're too long. The thought of nail polish on my fingers makes me feel a tiny bit queasy, I know that's not rational! Especially when I always have my toenails painted (only by me though).

As a teenage goth I was wedded to a navy blue or purple nail colour (hi Boots No17!) - maybe I overdosed then.