Gel Nails

I got my nails DID! Seriously, I took this picture in my car in the parking lot with my cell phone...LOL...I've never done a zebra print or any animal print before but I've seen it on others and thought, it actually looks kind of nice. So I chose a zebra print, and of course since it's me and I love SPARKLES and TWINKLES, I decided to have them add in some silver glitter stripes too. :D

Anyway, there is a point behind this post, I promise. I'm not sure how many of you out there can relate, but my nails are...SPECIAL. I have wider, flatter, and smaller nails, so in the past, everytime I went to go get my nails done (a full set), they wouldn't last more than a couple of days before the sides start lifting. I've tried EVERYTHING that everyone has suggested and still the same. A lot of people have also told me that it's depending on the nail artist and how skilled they are. Well, I've been getting my nails done on and off since I was sixteen and have always had this problem. :( In fact, I've never gone to the same nail artist twice because of this.

A couple of years ago, a new trend started, the gel polish top coat. Because it was newer, it was an additional $5-$10 just for this polish, but it was sold to me as the following:

1. NO LIFTING

2. Much faster drying time

3. Longer lasting

4. Looks more realistic

5. Healthier for nails

Honestly, in my case, the only thing that became true was #2. It did dry A LOT faster, almost instantly in fact. It was dried and ready to go before I even paid. So that was great because you don't need to worry about carefully getting your keys and making sure not to get it scratched, etc. But as for the other selling points, they did not make a difference to me between gel polish and no gel polish.  Now, this leads me to the newest sensation...gel powder instead of acrylic powder.

This is a recent trend but a lot of people have been trying gel nails and have agreed that they're a lot better than regular old acrylic powder. With acrylics, the natural nail needs to be buffed prior to applying acrylic powder so that it can grab on and hold onto the nail, whereas with gel powder, it stays on easier and does not need as much buffing, which is great news for your natural nails. Also, gel powder makes the nail look more realistic and the staying power is much much longer than regular acrylics. Yes, I know, same ol' story as with the gel polish. Here's something else though...with gel powder nails, you can actually paint over your design with nail polish and change the style however you want it and if you don't want it, you can use nail polish remover and remove just what you did. That seemed interesting enough for me.

When I went into the salon and talked to the nail artist, she explained to me the "differences" but pretty much stated that it was all about preference because it was pretty much the same. However, since I've already done all the other options and there wasn't a severe price difference between acrylic and gel, I decided to try the gel ones. So...we will see...She also told me that if my nails lift before the two weeks is up, I can go back and she will fix for free. So, once again...we will see...I'll keep everyone updated!