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Before I started CDing I had no problem wearing nail polish just casually; it's just part of the Gothik fashion style, like spooky makeup or facial piercings. Now, though, when I'm enfemme I have a huge problem with people seeing my hands and esp. my nails which have a tendency to splinter and pick up dirt. I wear gloves a lot, mostly elbow length, and only take them off if I'm *really* comfortable with the people I'm around.

Does anyone have any advice on how I can keep my nails from cracking as I grow them out? I usually treat them far too utilitarian, like tools, but other than that, what can I do for this?

Dear Violet:
It's a cliche, but it's true: They're jewels, not tools. ':)'

I use Sally Hansen's "Hard as Nails" nail strengthener with nylon. I'm not sure how it works, but after a few weeks of using the stuff to keep your nails polished, they really do become much stronger. Best of luck.
.......Tamara Segunda

The Sally's works relatively well. Good nutrition works even better.

I would offer a warning that the longer/ more often you have the acrylic nails applied, the more damage that is done to your nail bed. I started wearing them in order to stop chewing my nails (it worked) but it took years before they were completely normal as bare nails again.

Sally Hansen

Sally Hansen actually recommends acrylic nails. But I think you are probably right that good nutrition, clear nail polish to add strength, and not using your nails as a tool for prying or scraping are the most important steps toward better nails. I use the Orly product, “Nails for Males,” to add a little toughness when I am growing my nails out. It gives a groomed look without the shine of most clear nail polishes.

Thanks for the info on Acrylics. I had panned on surprising my wife with a day spa treatment the day of the Formal, and thought about getting her nails done with acrylic. Won't now.

Wow! Thanx for all the advice! I love my gloves, but they're a bit awkward when it comes to eating, bodily functions, applying makeup etc. Plus I would kind've like long sharp claws to paint...

Sorry Love, that is what I meant

Plus a makeover. She does need help with makeup, but she's learning.

Love (SO) wrote:Hi all,

Jamie Ann wrote:Sally Hansen actually recommends acrylic nails

Well, yes, I'm not surprised that Sally Hansen would recommend acrylic nails, since that is their business (to make money) and to sell their products


Opposed to popular belief, acrylic nails do NOT give strength to nails, they actually make your nail weaker and also damage nails, they only give a "fake" sense of strength (like a crutch).

Hi Love (SO),

I really was not disagreeing with anything you had written. And I appreciate all the information you have provided.

Up until now, I have never worn acrylic nails. On a few occasions, I have gotten a classic manicure at a nail salon, but usually I just put on nail polish myself. After this discussion, I probably will not use acrylic nails.

In a sort of oblique way, though, I was raising the issue of the similarities between some nail hardening products and acrylic nails. Teflon is a synthetic material with a petroleum base; so is acrylic. Chemically, they are similar compounds. I am not an expert, but I wonder if the down side of wearing acrylic nails (except maybe temporarily on some special occasion) might not also be a down side of relying on nail hardening products containing similar compounds.

As for your point that healthy nails are a reflection of good health, and that we need to eat right, etc., that seems like an excellent point, and I will keep it in mind the next time I am at the salad bar!

Went and visted the spa/salon and purchased the mini day spa treatment for my wife. Haven't given it to her yet. It's in her car. She'll find it when she goes to work tonight, hopefully.

Now I hope she'll be out of there in time for us to be at the Formal before 6 PM. Thre will be a changing room at the Formal for those of us unable to leave home dressed. It doesn't take long to dress, but I don't know how long it takes to put on makeup. Guess I should practice a bit.

Hi Donna T:

In reference to your comment about practicing with makeup, I highly recommend it! I have had a hard time learning to make it look good. I wouldn't want to go out with makeup applied the first time. LOL

Missy

Missy wrote:Hi Donna T:

In reference to your comment about practicing with makeup, I highly recommend it! I have had a hard time learning to make it look good. I wouldn't want to go out with makeup applied the first time. LOL

Missy

It takes some practice, that is for sure. Even after you find a routine that produces an acceptable look in your bathroom mirror, when you see photographs of yourself that others have taken, you may discover areas where you need to improve. I recall seeing my eyebrows in photos, and wondering if the person portrayed there was Andy Rooney or me. The camera catches you in a way that you can easily “not see” when you are smiling at yourself in your bathroom mirror!

"...wondering if the person portrayed there was Andy Rooney or me."

oh, that was a great chuckle early in the morning!

But it is true, bushy eyebrows are often what is seen as what's "out of place" when a person is trying to look all dolled up. But they cannot be changed by makeup alone.

I was very lucky because a friend gave me a gift, lots of eyeshadow samplers in the blues and purples that make Violet Nightshade who she is, plus a full 'kit' of makeup brushes incl. a set of instructions on how to apply eyeshadow for max. effect.

I've been told that I'm a 'summer' when it comes to makeup. I have no idea what that means. Can anyone enlighten me?