mani-monday: gel nails

Last week I was pretty sick and polishing my nails was the last thing on my mind, but on Friday I had a nail appointment so I pulled myself together (obv) and did the damn thing.  I love getting my nails done because I get to visit my old salon that I sold in late 2011 and hang out with my girls!  The salon is located downtown in the historic district on the 2nd floor of one of the oldest buildings in town.  Sometimes its still so strange to me that this isn't a place I go every day for work.

So the my nail story:  I rocked acrylics for years and it caused a tad bit too much damage to my digits.  I've tried vitamins & nail strengthening formulas, but nothing really helps these poor nails of mine.  They grow out pretty quickly, but they are so fragile and split easily- which in turn promotes nail biting on my part. Yuck!

That is where gel nails come in, now don't confuse these with gel polish.  Its totally different. Gel has the ability to take on the same characteristics as acryclics do, but without the damage, chemicals and lifting/grow out issues.  I owe a lot of how my nails look to my amazing nail artist Julia and the product she uses, which is odorless so you don't get that headache or high (unless you like that?!).  I didn't want to have chunky or long nails and told her from the get go that I would love for my nails to look as natural and manicured as possible. I love that I can paint over these no problem, my nail polish lasts longer and I can use acetone to take it off because it doesn't make it mushy like acrylics.  I get a fill on them every 2-3 weeks, and if you want to see how they look when grown out- check last weeks mani post and you can tell the edges by my cuticle just needed a little freshen up and that was at 2 1/2 wks.

If you have any questions about gel nails (how to wear them, how they are done, product used etc) leave a comment below!


NOW ITS YOUR TURN!

The link up Heather & I host is open Monday-Friday and we would love to invite you to join in.  If you don't have a post ready (or don't blog) use hashtag #maniparty on twitter or instagram to join in on the fun or post a photo on facebook and tag either of us!  
Mani-Monday
LINK UP AFTER THE JUMP

7 comments:

  1. Love the colour, very natural! I think I could get away with that for school...

    Laurne
    x

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  2. I haven't had gel nails before but I have the same brittle, dry and fragile nail problem. I love your nails and the color. I will have to look into this!
    XO Brooke

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  3. I get Shellac manicures and I'm not quite sure but Shellac is different from your manicure? I'm assuming so because I don't have the option of getting them filled. I'm going to have to find a place where they do gel nails.

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  4. gel is the way to go! i will never go back to acrylics for the reasons you've mentioned in the blog post.

    hope you feel better soon!

    xo - Crystal
    www.crystalncompany.com

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  5. I love my gel manicure! I used to get acrylic nails but let my nails grow out. I just wanted a more natual healthy looking manicure. The gel manicure lets me have exactly that no polish chipping and my nails are stonger. The best part they are completed dry when I leave the salon!

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  6. Looks great gel is absolutely the best. I used to bite my nails and now I am addicted. Check out the Christine Reed Lash Salon on Melrose they have one girl that specializes in the gel Felicia shes awesome. www.platinumimageservices.com

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  7. Gel manicures are amazing! My first one ended up lasting like three weeks and at the end of it, the problem was more that I had gotten so bored of the color! Part of me likes how often you can change your nail color with regular polish.

    Sarah
    Cable Car Couture

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