Kids, kids, kids!
Some of you are definitely on Santa’s Naughty Grooming List!
Boys, clip those nails or you won’t get that choo-choo train you asked for!
Ladies, spring for a manicure already, or give yourself a nice one!
I know that French manicures are passé by real fashion standards but I’m just a little small-town pastor and I don’t care. I think they look clean and pretty and this time I year I like to get one and use an iridescent sheer as a top coat for a little bit of sparkle.
PeaceBang’s Paw. Joe Cherry, this is for you.
I hope you don’t go overboard with candy cane striped nails or something horrific like that: what if you’re called upon to do a funeral? Keep it pretty and keep it simple.
This is the more classic of looks – just a signet ring, and not my usual style at all as I tend to prefer big silver rings. I love to wear a big pretty rhinestone ring on Christmas Eve – something with tons of sparkle.
I used O.P.I. Pearl of Wisdom as my top coats (2) over the French mani. These are a model’s fingernails, btw.
Pearl of Wisdom sounds like a very appropriate nail polish color! And it sounds like a great idea. I also like a french manicure, but they don’t stay gawgeous for long. Not on my hands anyway. Maybe a couple of extra top coats would help out? [Very true, they don’t last. I have fake nails so they last 2-3 weeks for me. There’s this new gel topcoat that works really well. If you love the French tips, you might look into it. – PB]
The gel topcoat is great, and lasts at least 3 weeks, but don’t chip it off yourself or it will tear up your nails.
I love a french manicure too.
Looking for advice on this topic–I can’t wear nail polish because of the demands of parenting, but what can I do to keep my cuticles from being all raggedy?
PeaceBang — GREAT nails, love that shimmer. For my wedding this September, I specifically chose a subtle pink shimmer instead of something really garish. My friends rolled their eyes, but I knew there would be tons of pictures and people looking at my hands, and I didn’t want my nails to be distracting!
Sarah! I hear you; I flail my hands about too much to keep nail polish on for long. I had a gorgeous manicure done two days before my wedding; it was chipping and I had to take it off the day AFTER the wedding! Sheesh!!
My suggestions: great cuticle cream (like the ever-amazing Lemony Flutter or Handy Gurugu from Lush Cosmetics), and a little cuticle trimmer. I got mine at CVS (I think?), and it’s just a little metal V for trimming down cuticles, with a hard plastic cuticle-pusher/shaper on the other end. Great tool.
I’ve been told that my ridged, brittle, and curving nails and ragged cuticles may be one of the results of psoriasis (I have a very mild case). Even after a good manicure, one of the nails will break or split within a week. Application of artificial nails usually starts by grinding down the natural nail to provide a level surface, and that gives me the creeps. Suggestions? [I love my fake nails and have no problem taking them off in the summers, but they’re toxic, expensive and why start? I think just keeping your nails as neat as you can may be the best you can do. If you have psoriasis you don’t want to go messing with a lot of products or anything that might further irritate the nails or your hands. You have an official PeaceBang dispensation for your raggedy cuticles!! 😉 – PB]
Check out Shellac at http://www.cnd.com. It’s polish, not artificial nails, and lasts at least 14 days with no chipping or peeling and zero dry time. You can get natural, french or color but has to be done in a salon. It costs a bit more than a regular manicure but even problem nails will look beautiful and require no maintenance for at least 2 weeks. [Yep. I’ve seen them and everything she says is TWOO! – PB]
Ooh la la! I love the French manicure look. Thanks for that Opi shade name, too–I always have a hard time choosing one so it’s nice to have a recommendation.
Sarah S, if you could only do one thing for your cuticles, I would think it should be moisturizing…I have some rich hand cream that I rub into my cuticles every night and I think something like that is key. Also, I just read in O Magazine that keeping dry hands/cuticles moisturized in the winter is also important for avoiding colds…evidently having very dry skin creates hundreds of tiny cracks on the skin’s surface that can let germs in. Who knew??
Second Wintry Mix’s tip re hazards of dry skin — my husband’s a doc and he is adamant about a) washing hands very frequently and b) using some kind of lotion or moisturizer to avoid cracked skin (and possibly, nasty infections). Winter is tough on hands.
I love a french manicure too but yeah, it doesn’t last all that long. To fake it, I use OPI Bubble Bath – it’s just sheer enough to let the whites of my nails show, and I can touch it up anytime.
I also use Aquafor on my hands all winter long – couldn’t live without it, and it’s great for dry cuticles too.
[I love Bubble Bath! That’s my go-to neutral. And I’m gonna get some Aquaphor because I keep hearing about it, and my hands are already drying and cracking like mad. – PB]
I have large, peasant hands: big veins, prominent tendons and absolutely no feminine fat on them. They really are “guy” hands. I do not want to attract any attention to them at all. I also wreck manicures within hours of getting them – in fact, the last two times I tried to get a manicure I didn’t even get out the salon door before marring the artistry. So I just keep the nails trimmed and clean, like a guy. Although our cold here in Florida is not as dry as when I lived up in Ohio, the moisturizing advice makes a ton of sense.
I have to just report that I became obsessed with shellac after reading this thread, and after some research am now sporting my first shellac manicure at the incredible price opf $15! Thx Marsha! We’ll see how it holds up!