Sunday 27 November 2016

Acrylic fingernails – seriously!

My penultimate trip to Toronto, I went to Nails on Yonge. Most of the staff (if not all) were from  Cambodia, I think. I forget. They were having lots of fun, and they were efficient.

It was a good time for my nails, they were nice and long. They applied the base clear coat, then two coats of polish, and a finishing clear coat. They lasted a long time.



after
Before
I was in Toronto, again, for a meeting in October. What the heck. I was alone and had lots of time.
They were too short to look any good in October, and they first glued a small extension on. (I swear it was crazy glue!) Then the woman applied a liquid, dipped into the acrylic powder, applied to the nail.  It took an hour and a half. I had my black dress, with reds, golds and yellows, and chose a red base, with a yellow/gold glitter on top. They looked fabulous. My client, who encouraged me to have it done, was most excited! I had to have something excellent to show her. She has glaucoma, and cannot see all that well.

This was a Thursday night, just before Thanksgiving. The thing about the nail stores is they are run by folks who don't speak the clearest English. Their accents were very heavy and I found it hard to communicate with my young lady. Plus, they wear masks, to prevent the inhalation of their work. The place was full, there was lots of laughter, and  it was quite busy. I found it hard to ask questions, which I should have.  I know what I was thinking... just for fun. 
You can see the before and after. 

I was unsure of the process, but now I know! They looked and felt wonderful. For a week. Quite long for me, it was rather difficult typing on the computer after a week. I did some research.




The problem with acrylic nails is they have to be sanded or filed off, after soaking them for 30 minutes to get off the 4 coats of nail polish! They were too long, by this point, and so I clipped them with the toe nail clippers. The snap is harsh. What a dumb thing to do for someone who is active outside.

Lesson learned!


Finally, I pried them all off. I reapplied polish, to give them some strength. I chose a soft pink. Then, spray painting something, I added some silver to them. They don't look so bad now! They are quite weak, however, and uneven. The nails are growing, about halfway down the nail bed, now.
I had no idea. I will never do this again. Lesson learned. They drove me nuts, and it's not a long drive!

11 comments:

Nancy J said...

They did look very glam!!! I tried to DIY once, but managed to get the super glue on my skin, and before I knew it, two fingers were stuck together. Grandson saved the day with nail polish remover to unglue them. Hope you are keeping warm, we have rain, squally wind, and for the second day in a row, have lit the FIRE!!! Summer arrives in two days down here..

NatureFootstep said...

never tried it and now I will not :)

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
When I first arrived in OZ, stuck between jobs, I entertained myself by adding another qualification to my name (it's a habit, what to do?!)... I am a qualified manicurist and nail technician. The acrylic nail business was in its infancy at that time and there were some folk making big money out of it. Not me. I was still set on top management in IT and Logistics. The thing is, the acrylic can be removed safely with minimum damage to the nails and it might have been worth your while to locate a nail bar in Ottawa.

Done now though. Eventually the nails will grow right through, but do be careful of the potential for infection. Wearing gloves for yardwork would be advisable. If the nail surface is without its top keratin, I would not recommend you keeping them painted either as the nail cannot breath, prolonging repair.

They were pretty though...!!! YAM xx

Red said...

Well, I'm surprised you would do this to your nails. Don't you know you're not supposed to handle frogs with those made up nails!!!

William Kendall said...

Well, consider it a lesson learned. That treat looks delicious!

carol l mckenna said...

What fun and a treat for you ~ lovely! thanks.

Wishing you a lovely week ~ ^_^

Kay said...

It's true that your nails look wonderful without all the fancy stuff put on. Still, the fancy stuff was pretty too. I've never had my nails done because... well... I used to constantly peel them. Bad habit. Now I don't, but I'm just too lazy to worry about them. I think you do a great job on your own.

Nancy Chan said...

Interesting sharing on your experience with acrylic nails. I guess they are not suitable for those who has lots of housework and gardening work to do. They may not look pretty but I have to keep my nails short.

Out To Pasture said...

Your post on nail treatment is a bit of a coincidence for me as yesterday I ordered some bottles of non-toxic nail polish. The brand I sent for is 'Zoya'. I really like nail polish but it makes my very thin nails flake. Apparently, most polish contains some strong and harmful chemicals so I hope the new brand I've ordered will be more gentle. By the way, I prefer the shorter look your nails have now.

Debbie said...

i keep my nails short and always have them done at a salon. it's 50 bucks and i go every six weeks so the cost for up keep is less than $ 10.00 per week. the girl who does my nails owns the salon and is a young, local girl. i enjoy supporting her and she speaks excellent english as she was born here!!

that's some good looking ice cream!!!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

They did look nice though. . Pretty much all nail techs in this country are from VietNam. I get a pedicure every 5 weeks but haven't done my fingers for years and years -- even a natural manicure. Its not worth the money because it just weakens the nails and I break one and/or badly chip the polish practically before i leave the shop. I can do them myself while I watch TV! (altho maybe not now -- they will be in bad shape by the tie my hands work wekk again).

But the ppedicure-- that's another story -- worth every penny and would do it weekly if I won the lottery!