Nail Art Facebook group.

[randomness]

Anyone know if these folks are sponsored by anyone? Some imaginative and colorful designs appear there (mixed in with stuff I don't like, of course) but I'm not all that interested in "liking" it if it's going to end up trying to sell me something. On the other hand, if it's just people showing off cool stuff they've done, that's great.

Just thought I'd see if anyone had more information on this than I do.

Comments

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

Yup! I have some recent insights about how to be busy but keep my nails done. But these are because I'm having fun with it right now and I don't have the energy to do a lot of the manual labor I normally spend time doing. It had to wait until gardening season was pretty much over.

1. Do manicure at bedtime, literally after _everything else_ you have to do before crawling into bed. Turn the covers down first if you need to.

2. Use a quick dry topcoat so that the surface is dry to the touch quickly, and will better resist picking up impressions from your blankets. Then sit for the 2 minutes it takes for those topcoats to dry,

3. If the surfaces of your nails look good but you splashed onto your skin a bit, wait until morning to clean those bits up. It's easier to clean off your skin once the polish on your nails is dry.

4. Use gloves when doing dishes, cleaning, or doing any chores that involve rough or sharp objects. My nail polish was pretty much fine from Sunday night through Friday last week, because I was too busy to do anything that didn't involve computer work or reading, and because I did very little cooking.

But yes, it requires a rather impressive amount of forethought, or an impressive lack of manual labor, to pull off. I think a lot of people who do manage it are getting their nails done professionally most weeks, or they're using those ultra-hard enamels that won't come off with acetone, or whatever.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

I think a lot of people who do manage it are getting their nails done professionally most weeks

Yes. Having them done professionally makes a big difference. For one thing, drying time is something you can take into account when you're figuring out how long your appointment is going to take.* And the professional nail drying machines they have at salons really do reduce drying time.

*You can certainly leave as soon as the polish job is done, but why wouldn't you wait? You've spent the money to have them done already, so you definitely have incentive to stay. Also, if you're having other services done, they can happen after your manicure, which then gives more time for the polish to dry.

[agrimony.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth, I rarely ever get an actual professional manicure. Once in a whole to tidy up the cuticles, but we're talking once or twice a year. My nails are not always long, though I can maintain them for a couple of months before I trim them down and start over.

Judging by the YouTube nail art tutorials I watch there are a looooot of people out there with a heck of a lot more skill at nail art than I have, but I still manage things that come out okay. Really, most people doing their own nail art I imagine only expect it to last a week-ish, anyway.

Acrylics and their designs can last longer from what I understand. I don't know though because I've never had them.