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?

@Goandplay
A few months back I realised I'd become allergic to shellac, I do my own nails, I'm a bit of a dab hand at it now with loads of practice.

Ive since swapped to a nail dipping kit, doesn't require use of the UVA lamp.

Manicista is the brand I'm using, it's so easy, base coat, dip, brush off excess, repeat if necessary, then activator, then top coat, dries really fast and I'm not allergic to it.

A novice would find it very easy, I've moved up to doing a French tip, I'm really impressed with myself 😁

Last 2-3 weeks

Nothing. I bite trim them short and leave them bare. Lots of hard moisturiser. Occasionally trim my cuticles.

I spent years - and hundreds of pounds - on shellac in the last but I really don’t like that look anymore, and I don’t like how it looks on other people either.

Do you mind linking what you get? I tend to keep my nails shortish and either bare or I use a clear base and top coat but I really like the look of the Japanese manicures

Do my own about weekly.

Push back and trim cuticles (essential to get the salon look), clip and file the nails (never just clip or you’ll end up with very sharp edges) and then paint a layer or two of some form of nail treatment followed by a layer of top coat.

I find it relaxing to do with a cup of tea and the radio on.

Tools I love are Tweezerman cuticle clippers. Other than that I buy orange sticks, nail files etc from Boots.

Products I love - Rimmel Nail Nurse which is a treatment but has a lovely pale pink shade, OPI cuticle remover and all the Sally Hansen range.

And every time I can, put some hand cream on. In my late 40s now and I can see how dry and thin the skin on backs of hands is getting.

BIAB every 3 weeks, occasionally stretch it to 4 weeks. Been doing it 10 years.

I just paint mine every few days, it doesn’t take very long and I find it quite relaxing

Anything on my nails seems to destroy them, they end up weak and brittle. I have long almond shaped nails that looks lovely with gel but I prefer them with nothing. I used to do my cuticles every day but I’ve found if I let them grown and keep them soft with several cuticle oil applications a day, my nails are happier.

I go to bed with a thick coating of oil on my hands and cotton gloves every night too.

You could trip nail wraps. Zero damage, in fact they probably protect your nail. My friend always has them and her nails look pretty.

I've never really understood the cuticle thing. Do they really need messing about with? I leave mine alone. I have always just kept my nails short and clean. They never break and i don't think about them much.

Nothing. Just file them.

I cut them very short, that's it. Can't understand how people can manage daily life with long nails, and I don't like the look of painted nails.

I cut them very short with pingers.
Is it only my family who call them pingers?

I have nice nails but keep them short for practical reasons

• nail scrub every day in shower - keeps clean and helps keep cuticles back
• Massage cuticle oil on after showers - quick dab, takes two seconds
• clip / light file and shape every 2-3 wks
• Use manicurist active glow nail varnish. Treats nails and looks amazing. Makes them very hard

Same. Also, the whole witchy nail look really puts my teeth on edge. The last few years have been quite challenging 🤣

I prefer natural looking nails (love a gel pedicure in the summer though!)

Once a week I give them a file and buff and apply a clear nail strengthener, it doesn't really matter if it chips because it's clear anyway but gives them a nice shine. I use hand cream every evening when I'm watching TV. My nails are in really good condition this way..... I've had gel manicures a few times but always felt they wrecked my nails. I don't care as much about my toes and gel pedicures last longer on me, I can easily get 6-8 weeks out of one as my toenails don't grow as quickly as my fingernails so they feel better value for money.

I just file them into a soft almond, try to keep cuticles pushed back and do a sheer nude peach polish, chips aren’t noticeable as it’s sheer.
I get my nails done like once a year for a bit of fun and I’ll do gel with a colourful french tip or something but it’s not something I want to maintain either time wise, financially or the affect on my nails.

I’ve started to put collagen powder in my coffee every morning and it has significantly improved the strength of my nails. Previously flaky and easy to break. For colour, I use OPI nail envy in a nude like bubble bath. Occasional gel nails for holidays.

I paint my own nails and usually do them around once a week. To prep I use a nail oil from essence, trim and file into a round shape, sort my cuticles with a pusher/trimmer if its needed, and buff any crap away from the nail plate. Then I use the 3 in 1 top coat/base coat/nail hardener from Barry M, and a Barry M polish (literally about £4 a bottle!!).

If I want a quicker job, I’ll just use this from manucurist (no base/top coat needed): https://uk.manucurist.com/products/active-glow-blueberry

Either way I get around a week of wear and sometimes longer with a bit of touching up! Its taken me a bit of practice but I’m pretty happy with the job I can do myself these days!!

I do this as well !! I was having russian manicure where they cut cuticles and it's super clean then she would do the p shine japenese manicure nails just look super clean and neat ! But then I read up about removing cuticles and u shouldn't do it so yesterday I soaked nails pushed them back gently filed nails and I bought a Japanese manicure phone kit of Amazon and done them myself they look just as good and I saved my £44 quid took me a hour but that's fine x

Nail wraps, i change them weekly but have had them last over 2 weeks when on holiday and I’ve used a gel top coat.

BIAB with gel every 3-4 weeks - more like 3 as I can’t stand it growing out too much.

2hrs is ridiculous though OP - I’m less than an hour for an infill and new gel.

Which collagen do you use please?

Nothing. Eat well, make sure thyroid is right take vitamin D (and multi) omega 3 keep short.

They’re flaking at the ends at the moment as thyroid was out of wack 6 months ago. But I know will be ok in a couple of months.

I cut and file them short. Nothing else. I don’t like long nails at all.

more protein is more effective than collagen, for hair and nails.

Eat a can of sardines 1-3 times a week on top of usual food. 60p each