So a while back I had a gel manicure done. Oh... just about a month back.
And guess what? They're still on. And not a chip. And still as glossy as ever. Amazing.
As far as not-chipping is concerned, my gel manicures have held up their end of the bargain alright.
But would I get it done again? No. Never. Read on to find out why.
(Bewarned. Gross photos after the jump.)
This is why.
In the last week or so, my nails have evidently outgrown the manicure. I should have been good and got them removed at the salon. But I've also been so insanely busy these two weeks, finishing work at hours where no self-respecting nail salon would still be open for business.
So what's a girl to do but peel the manicure off herself. (Okay, I shouldn't have, but I did. So sue me.)
Besides revealing extremely damaged nail plates, the manicure also proved to have rather super-glue-like qualities as it nicely ripped off a section of my nail on my right thumb as well, going dangerously close to my nail plate.
Having previous similar nasty experiences (where the chipped nail got caught in something and ripped into my nail plate), I have decided to be safe and just tape the whole thump up until the tear grows to a length where I can clip it off painlessly.
I've buffed my nail plates a little to smoothen the surface, and furiously rubbed Papaw ointment on them at night, hoping they'll look better in the morning. No dice.
While I absolutely love how well the manicure held up to all sort of abuses (crab-eating, major dishwashing etc), I really have no desire to put my nail plates through such an experience again. They are badly scratched, dry and frankly, very abused.
My poor nails. Ah well, time heals all things.
In the meantime, for the remaining four fingers on my right hand, which I did not peel the manicure off, I think I'll be a good girl and let the professionals do the job.
Sorry, but I'm guessing gel manicures are not for me.
17 comments:
Hello, you can soften the gel polish in nail polish soaked cotton pad and wrap them in Aluminum foil for about 10-15mins. Then the gel polish would be softened and you can push them out with a cuticle stick and buff the top. Remember to put some moisturizing cream after.
I don't have a entry with the steps but you can refer to this link for the step by step guide: http://uniquevera.pixnet.net/blog/post/27644536
hope this helps =)
i'll be good and just stick to my normal nail polish.
hope your thumb heals fast!
poor thing. this is also my biggest fear. no matter how they rave about gel manicure, i would never ever get one
That was exactly what I was afraid of with gel manicures! But they were pretty while they lasted tho... :)
This happens to me (on a lesser scale) with normal nail polish. Hence you'd rarely if ever see me with polish on! Hope they heal up nicely
Oh my! I never try Gel manicures and after seeing your after photos, I don't even think I want to try them :( I guess there's a better way to remove them but for something that sticks so hard on your nails, there will definitely be a con Hard to remove!
oh my goodness you poor thing! that looks so painful! I'm so glad i didnt get the gel manicure, but i didnt get it because i know i'll take ages to remove it then there'll be that huge unmanicured gap like in your 1st pic
Ouch, poor Lisa. Oddly enough I'm still keen. I'll just be sure to let the salon remove it. And as the nail grows up, it may be time to try the reverse french manicure where your paint a half moon around your cuticles a different colour. ;)
Oh my!
Yikes! Thanks for sharing this, Lisa. I'm getting mine done next month before my trip to Sydney. Was thinking of removing them myself because I'm too cheap to get it removed at the salon. But after seeing this, I think a trip to the nail salon after the trip is compulsory >.<
Hope your nail heals soon!
thanks for sharing Lisa! hope it heals soon. i am very curious to try gel manis and i probably will have to just so that i can say i've tried it. but i guess i have to be ready to fork out $$$ to remove it too :S
I do gel manicures pretty often without taking breaks, while my nails are definitely thinner before, they were no way as damaged!
I think professional removal for gel polishes are definitely the way to go to prevent damage to your nails.
Don't give up on gel polishes because of this bad experience! I used to have terrible nails that peel easily but gel nails have made my nails stronger by allowing them to grow out and I now have strong nails that don't peel even when I'm on breaks in between gel polishes.
But definitely get professional removal! (:
couzzy!
you're not supposed to leave on gel nail polishes for so long! i think max is 2 weeks and then you either go to the saloon to remove it (by soaking it in some chemical) or by wrapping cotton pads soaked in nail polish remover and covering it with foil for a good 15 minutes or so...then scrape the gel off!
that looks nasty but i've been through the same experience, but mine were on my toes!
hope it'll be better soon!
If you don't mind me asking...did you use OPI Gel?
I remember when U first started using gel I was using OPI and it ruined my nails...to the point where I had nubs for finger nails!! I backed off for a while & when I returned to using gel I started only using the Gelish brand or CND Shellac. Those are the ONLY two that have not runied my nails. OPI takes off the top layer of your nail causing it to be brittle and weak. I have NEVER had that problem with CND or Gelish. Also, make sure you are not picking and peeling the gel off. You need to let it soak in acetone until it has completely disolved. Peeling and picking can cause your nails to be weak and brittle as well, since you are pulling off that top layer of nail.
You are NEVER supposed to rip off gel polish. Your post is VERY misleading. You can take it off with acetone and while that would dry out your nails, the layers wouldn't have been ripped off like this. So basically, you are blaming the gel manicure but really you should be blaming yourself. Sorry, but it's true. I've had many and my nails are just fine (I removed the polish with acetone).
http://athomeinthenorthwestblog.com/2012/05/how-to-remove-gel-nail-polish.html
here's some good how to remove gel polish instructions.
Exactly! It’s not the manicure’s fault but the way she has removed them herself. The fact the manicure lasted so long and still looked great (other than regrowth) showed that it was a good manicure. Very misleading.
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