Lighthearted - Nail polish nightmare!

Curlywhirly

The trouble with gel nails (or shellac varnish) is that they ruin my nails. Despite this, I decided once again to try (after 2 years) and had shellac on my nails for a holiday in June. Had the shellac removed by the salon, and once again my lovely nails have been ruined! Never again - I'm waiting for my dry, flaking and weak nails to grow out, then it's just bog-standard nail varnish for me 😔

I have this problem too - I like gel nails because they look good, don't chip and last for weeks, but my own strong nails are in a terrible state when the gels are removed. I had gel nails applied twice over Christmas and New Year, and now feel it is something I won't do again - like you my nails have taken months to recover.

I had strong healthy nails until I had gel polish applied for my daughters wedding. They lasted really well for two weeks then I went back to the salon to have the polish removed.My strong healthy nails were gone all mushy.Took many months for them to recover.I would never have gel polish again.

Boots have one for just under £10 at the moment that comes in a handy container so hopefully I won't drop it.

I’ve found the PERFECT solution as I’m allergic to gel and acrylic nails plus the chemicals used are dreadful.

Google Japanese manicure.

My DIL is a qualified beautician and facial specialist and her salon offers Japanese manicures.

They buff the nails then use some type of powder and wax to polish your nails to a deep shine and it lasts!

I’ve had mine for 2 weeks and they’re still shiny but I now have nail growth so will need to re-do it but she’s left me her kit.

Honestly, it will be the next Big Thing!

My nails were in awful condition after having regular gel nails so I stopped having them done to let them recover. I missed having painted nails though and bought Sistaco a couple of years ago. Lasts for ages on my toes (3 weeks minimum) and I apply every week or two on my fingernails (there are so many lovely colours!).

Yes, same as DamaskRose. It’s clear base and top coat, that works fine for me now.

Skullduggery

I’ve found the PERFECT solution as I’m allergic to gel and acrylic nails plus the chemicals used are dreadful.

Google Japanese manicure.

My DIL is a qualified beautician and facial specialist and her salon offers Japanese manicures.

They buff the nails then use some type of powder and wax to polish your nails to a deep shine and it lasts!

I’ve had mine for 2 weeks and they’re still shiny but I now have nail growth so will need to re-do it but she’s left me her kit.

Honestly, it will be the next Big Thing!

I remember my mother using something like this here back in the 50s. She put a pink cream on her nails and then used a leather buffer which brought up a high shine, just like nail varnish. I think these buffers were a common part of manicure sets then. I don’t know when or why this went out of fashion. It was probably much better for your nails than varnish and chemical removers.

I have a terrible nail-biting habit, and the only way for me to curb it (temporarily) is by having polished nails. I used to have gel manicures every 3 weeks. They use lightboxes with UV light which has been damaging to my skin. And as so many others have said, the whole procedure wrecks your nails leaving them very weak. I moved on to SNS (dipping powder) manicures which don’t use UV light and also give a much harder, incredibly long-lasting result. I would go back every 5 or 6 weeks to have it re-done. But this too ruins nails, just as bad as gels. Then I moved onto having Builder Gel manicures which are supposedly less damaging to your nails but frankly I think they’re almost as bad, plus a new problem of lifting slightly from the bottom and/or sides which introduces a risk of getting a fungal infection from water trapped between nail and the builder gel. I’ve tried breaking my nail biting habit in other ways but nothing seems to work (I have even grown to like the taste of Stop’nGrow!) The next thing I’ll try is going to be ordinary polish, applied myself, with base coat and top coat (thanks for your tips about brands!) I’m not thrilled about this because it’s so damn fiddly and time consuming…

I had gel nails done for a special occasion at what I thought was an exorbitant cost. My nails are naturally strong and grow quickly.
Within 2 weeks the colour had grown half way up my nails. I had to pay again to have it taken off. Then it took about 6 weeks for my nails to regrow as they were left rough and brittle. Never again!

Gel nails ruined my natural nails. I have found that a nail oil rubbed into the cuticles twice daily is a game changer.I use a base coat and top coat over inexpensive nail polish and it works fine.The Leighton Denny Crystal file is great and comes in a protective box- it’s quite expensive but is the best I have used.

Curlywhirly

The trouble with gel nails (or shellac varnish) is that they ruin my nails. Despite this, I decided once again to try (after 2 years) and had shellac on my nails for a holiday in June. Had the shellac removed by the salon, and once again my lovely nails have been ruined! Never again - I'm waiting for my dry, flaking and weak nails to grow out, then it's just bog-standard nail varnish for me 😔

It all depends how they move the gel. It should never be removed by filing, just removed with the special solution they use and then gently scraping. I have never had such good nails as I have now. I have my nails dipped in a powder first then set in the machine before she applies 2 coats of gel, drying in the machine between coats. Then a coat of top layer then oil, Mine lasts 6 weeks and never ever chips. I do everything without gloves and am thrilled to bits I have at long last gone decent nails now. I used to have them done in a Chinese salon where they used an electric drill to get the Gell off with, disastrous it ruined my nails for a few years until they gradually grew out again and we started from scratch.

i have acrylic nails. i have never been able to grow my fingernails as they tended to split.
whether acrylic nails are good for my nails or not i just love having long shapely nails and won't stop having them.
i go every four weeks for infills and my lovely nail technician is very painstaking at getting my nails just right.
i take my own nail polish - i like gold with a sparkly coat on top - and my nail polish never chips or flakes thanks to the top coat which is used.

I have gel nails done only for special occasions. It’s expensive! I also have a kit which I use at home. It’s simple to remove gel yourself - no need to pay for it. Just use the foil wraps which you can buy, soaked with polish remover.
Solar oil is good for restoring nails after gel.
For drying ordinary polish, I’ve found Leighton Denny drying fluid is good - just put a drop on each nail. I’ve also found a similar product in TK Maxx.

My nails are feeble. It’s the acetone remover for gel and even acetone free removers that wreck them.
But I still paint them! Just have a few weeks off every now and then to allow them to recover.
I love the HoloTaco brand developed by the Canadian YouTuber Simply Nailogical. I always use a base coat and quick drying top coat. Because part of my job is packing parcels a manicure doesn’t last more than a few days but they never scuff!

I’m not in a position to advise. I had a pedicure and tripped over the step on leaving the beauty parlour !

Fairislecable

I use rimmel super gel and find it lasts a few days ( not the 14 days as claimed!)

www.rimmellondon.com/en-gb/nails/nail-polishes/super-gel

I also use Rimmel Super Gel and love it. It lasts about a week and by that time my nails have grown so I need to manicure them again.
In between I use NailsInc Superfood Repair Oil on bare nails. Usually overnight for a good soak

Just to add I have a Leighton Denny file and it’s fab. The whole family has one each.

My ddl has a beauty salon and I have had gel polish every 3 weeks for probably 15 years, my nails are still strong and healthy and I couldn’t go back to ordinary polish

My favourite colours for hands -
everyday: ballet slippers which is a pale pink (Essie)
Summer: I also like a sea blue with sparkles (Sally Hansen)
Christmas: Rouge noir or something festive in silver gold or red (Chanel)

For toes I’m a bit more adventurous and I like reds and corals, whites and light pinks also, depending on my tan. All year long as I swim.

I paint my nails myself and use a top coat - Sally Hansen is excellent. Cuticle oil is a must too.

Yes also to the glass file.

I must be the most boring gransnetter cos I hate nail varnish with avengeance. My hands have never been steady enough to paint them myself and I can "feel" the varnish weighing my fingers down. I have occasionally worn it for a special occasion and remove it immediately afterwards. I'm much the same with make-up - too clumsy and make a mess. Nor can I tan - my fair skin just burns in patches - and I can even feel fake tan on my skin.

I also hate spas and massages. The latter make me cringe at the thought. I've been on two World Cruises and lots of the ladies I met spent fortunes having such treatments. I was plain jane by comparison to others but it didn't stop me having a whale of a time and making lifelong friends (one of whom spent a fortune on treatments).

I've much better things to do with my time and money.

However, I'm not meaning to preach to those who love it cos they look fantastic and it's a luxury they are entitled to choose. A friend of mine stipulated her requirements for make-up etc on her death and her sister made sure her wishes were carried out. It was important to her, so fair enough.

Just not for me.

Best thing I ever bought from Aldi online is a gel nail manicure set; curing light, nail prep file, cleaner, primer, base, no wipe top coat and several gel nail Polish colours! I enjoy doing my own manicure and pedicure and the mani lasts 3 weeks or so, pedi ….well forever (until I get bored/nails grow)!

couldn't agree more with everyone's comments re shellac orgel nails. I'm never going to go down that route again!!
I would highly recommend Opi or Essie nail varnishes - they both do a lovely range of colours and if you use their base and top coat the nail varnish lasts for almost a week with me - even with hairwashes/washing up etc etc!! Pedis last much longer.

I get top coat from the Poundshop for £1. It really works and my nail varnish stays on with no chips

I bit my nails for 58 years but now have great strong nails that I have gel or shellac on every now and then Polish lasts well and I remove it myself using proper method after 3 weeks when regrowth spoils the look