By Assistant Editor Shayna Spiker
Perfectly manicured hands are one of my favorite things. I just can’t seem to keep nail polish on my nails past walking out of the salon, so I tend to not wear nail polish very often. I envy women who do – especially those who keep it on for 7-10 days with barely even a single chip. I have tried many different methods and products to see what stays on the longest without causing my nails to weaken, here are my results:
The New Gel Polish Craze
Cost: $30-40 every 1.5-2 weeks
Okay, it’s not that new, but still. I absolutely love the fact that this nail polish stays on for at least a week, if not a few days more. Since its initial launch, OPI’s gel line has greatly expanded their selection of colors and many other brands have come out with similar products as well. The gel polish dries right away which means NO SMUDGING!!! This is pretty huge for me. I will, without fail, smudge at least one nail every. single. time. The polish is super shiny much like regular nail polish. However, there are two downsides to this product – It’s true that it doesn’t really chip, but I have found that the edges start to peel up and they get caught in my hair, on my clothes and other things. Plus, for me personally, it’s a compulsion to pick these peely bits off…not good. The other downside is that it leaves your nails weak and brittle. This may not happen after one use – it might be 2 or even 3 – but it will happen.
Shellac
Cost: $30-40 every 1.5-2 weeks
Okay, admittedly I haven’t exactly tried shellac. It is similar to the gel polish in that it lasts 7-10 days on your nails, is shiny, etc. My boyfriend’s mother swears by this stuff. She has had no problems with her nails weakening and breaking or anything else like that. The shellac also comes in a variety of colors and shades. I will get myself into a place to try this one day I promise!
Plain Ol’ Manicure
Cost: $15-20 every week, or just a couple of bucks if you do it yourself at home
You ladies should know how this one goes. Soak your hands, clip or push your cuticles, file your nails, base coat, two coats of the color of your choice, top coat, dryer. The risks of this kind of manicure are smudging and chipping. If you’re me, you’ll do both within the first hour so make sure you bring a color you own at home and can touch up yourself. There are tons and tons of colors and brands to choose from for this type or manicure as well as other types of topcoats and basecoats and everything in between. When I do this at home, I use OPI’s Chip Skip first followed by a base coat, two coats of my color of choice, and Essie’s No Chips Ahead top coat. Sometimes, this really lasts and sometimes it doesn’t. I would imagine that would vary depending on what brand of nail polish I use, how thick or thin I coat my nails with each layer of polish, and how rough I am on my hands that week.
Acrylic Nails
Cost: $30-40 every 1.5-2 weeks
I have also never gotten acrylic nails. I almost did once, but then the manicurist convinced me not to because they’re terrible for your nails. Whatever the gel polish does to your nails, these are far worse. And they’re really difficult to remove, so you risk even more damage to your nails that way. I can’t tell you whether you should get acrylic nails or not, and I won’t judge you if you do, but please take Biotin or some other supplements to help strengthen your nails if you do.
The best place to get these services in the Baltimore area and beyond is About Faces Day Spa & Salon. The atmosphere is completely relaxing and indulgent, the service is FANTASTIC, and while you’re there pampering your hands, you might as well get the best massage of your life (totally not kidding – best massage ever). Who can say no to that? They have six locations throughout Maryland, including Canton, Annapolis, Timonium, Towson, Salisbury and Pikesville.
I hope this was a helpful guide to some of the options available to you for your nail care. Whatever you choose to do to your nails, just be sure that your manicurist sanitizes everything. I mean really sanitizes it. With an autoclave. Or you could get a fungal infection.
Yeah, exactly.