Nail Mystery's Revealed

I have taken great comfort that I am not alone with the mystery of how to make the polish last - you know, longer than a day.

Many suggestions about the fake nails - not so many positive comments about them or the process or the cost - except that they look really nice.

I have had some revelations that I can share.

First, one trick seems to be to choose a questionable color. I painted my fingers iced blue - no base, one coat. It lasted for about 3 days with no chips. This did make me wonder if we have a tendency to paint in thick layers and that makes it more likely to chip - since one coat lasted so long? I mean 3 days is like a world record for me.

Do they reinforce ugly colors more? Not sure - but you have to wonder.

Next, in my preparation for St. Patty's day and with my new hope of ugly color longevity...I choose a glittery lime green. I did a base coat and two coats and a top coat. It lasted for most of the work week. I did have some chips and needed to reapply.

What I did realize about polish in a glittery color - the chips are not nearly as noticeable. They may be there, but the sparkle distracts your eye. After looking at my polish collection - I quickly realized this was not such wonderful news for me - as I tend not to be a glittery polish kind of gal. Maybe I will have to start...

With all this success - I thought I would try again with a dark, mildly sparkly color. Base, 2 coats, and a top coat. This weekend, I was on a baking mission for a fundraiser. This meant some hand washing of dishes. Which, of course, equals disaster. The paint lasted 2 days and was damaged so bad it could not be repair.

For now, I'm back to naked nails. Hope these tips help some...

And almost like magic (or like a cruel joke of temptation) I got a magazine today with an ad for a new polish from Sally Hansen (complete Salon Manicure). It is an all-in-one product that contains base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, color, and top coat. I plan to give it a try should I find a shad that steals my heart. Maybe if I'm only doing one step - reapplication won't be such a hassle? Because I notice that it doesn't make any claim to be long lasting.

I'm beginning to wonder about the idea of merging polish with sharpie markers? In more normal "nail" colors. And of course, this would require the invention of a pretty amazing base coat. Since we want semi-permanence. But if it can be accomplished with hair color...can nail polish really be that difficult?

Holding onto the dream...

Revoking My GIRL Card

I'm not sure what is wrong with me - but some of the easiest girl things are just beyond me.

For example - I love the look of painted nails. LOVE. Them.

So painting your nails is like - what - a 3 hour process? You have the base, the polish, the 2nd coat polish, the top coat. And allow for time for the impossible painting of the right hand. And allow time for drying - because there is nothing that thrills me more than doing all that work to see that I went to bed too soon and have wrinkled / smudged polish before I've even left the house.

But with all of those steps. With all of that time. It would totally be worth it - if it would just LAST. Like for more than 1 day would be nice. One week would be an absolute dream!

Let me clarify. I have used a variety of products - speed dry, super strength, variety of costs for polish, smoothing base coats, vitamin fortified...it doesn't seem to matter. Additionally, the closest my hands come to "hard labor" or machinery on a daily basis is my pants zipper. Seriously.

Yet time and time again- I have a lovely paint job, waste hours of my life, and can't make it through one stinking day without a chip. It truly amazes / bewilders me when I see ladies with good polish jobs. Much less to see them multiple days in a row - with it lasting. My grandmother almost always had painted nails - and she gardened, she constantly was doing dishes by hand, she was always working on something - and she kept her nails painted.

Is there a secret to this? Are all of these paint jobs on fake nails? (which I have so far avoided for a few reasons - cost, fear of fungus / infection, and lack of time to commit on a weekly basis) Is it better to just skip the multi-steps and go straight for polish? At least then if it chips in a day I've only wasted 30ish minutes.

What is a girl to do?

Seriously in danger of never having adorable nails again...
Regina