Acrylic or gel nails?

I’m pretty sure that both varieties are bad for your natural nails. I know quite a few people who’ve started wearing them, decided not to anymore, and had to go back to wearing them because their own nails were ruined. :(

I have had acrylic for years. I tried Gels recently and they are just not as pretty. I do short “pink and whites” so it was hard to get the gel to look right in those colors. It also tended to yellow more than the acrylic.

Neither! I’ve heard such horror stories about women’s nails after using either acrylic or gel nails – from the bacteria they can harbor to the fact that women can’t go back to their natural nails because they’ve been so damaged. I say – get a jar of some good nail strengthener (I like Philosophy’s “Save the Nails!”) and stay away from the fake stuff!

Listen to the advice, but make your own decision. I get so many compliments on how beautiful my nails are. Most people don’t even realize they’re acrylic because they look so natural.

I’ve had acrylic nails many times, and while my nails were temporarily weakened, they weren’t ruined by any means.

Typically, the manicurist will file down the top surface of the nail both to eliminate major ridges and “rough up” the surface of the nail so the acrylic will bond to the natural nail easier. This will make your nails seem weaker when you first have the acrylics removed, because the nails are thinner but it is by no means a permanent condition. Your nails will continue to grow normally, and once they have grown out completely, there would be no difference in your nails then compared to before you got the acrylics!

@jesslc323 if you’ve never had your nails done, do you mean fake nails or manicures in general? Because even just getting a manicure is way way nicer than what I can do on my own. It makes enough of a difference to me.

@haleth i havent ever had a manicure or fake nails lol

@jesslc323 Ooh, treat yourself to a manicure. See if you like that enough to keep your nails as is. As a bonus, manicures are much cheaper than acrylics.

I’d be scurred to have the surface of my nails filed down for fake nails. I already don’t like it when they mess with your cuticles. :(

@emmalily I CONCUR (:

@Haleth It’s just like what I’ve had done when they buffed my nails for regular manicures Ive gotten, except they don’t do the actual buffing part, just the first step. It doesn’t hurt and I’ve never had a problem with it. I also hate having my cuticles messed with, though.