Short or long square manicure?

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glamour-girl

glamour-girl

Joined
Apr 10, 2014
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I used to bite my nails like crazy and started growing them out cuz i was so fed up of looking at my hands and feeling disgusting.. i wanted to have beautiful nails like most girls do. So anyway, i found having them long( although they looked pretty).. they were getting in the way of my daily tasks and they also felt a bit unhygienic cuz bits used to get stuck in them like food etc (gross!) ... now i have them short with a squared off edge.. i love them like this as i feel it gives them a classy yet chic feel.. especially when i paint them white or use neutral colours... i guess i just want peoples opinions on what look they sport.. Are you short square classy? or do you prefer the longer french manicured look?.. and give reasons why :D /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> 

 
I keep my nails shorter too. I like how they look when they get long, but then I just tend to break one. Plus, I have two kids (a 4 year old and a 2 year old) and if my nails get too long I start stabbing them by mistake! I used to be a nail biter, too, so maybe I just never got used to keeping long nails out of the way. But I find shorter nails work better with my lifestyle.

 
This! I feel bad whenever I catch my son with my nails. My thumb, index and pointer nails always break so I end up just cutting them all to be even. Short and square is the way I go.

Quote:Originally Posted by sldb /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I keep my nails shorter too. I like how they look when they get long, but then I just tend to break one. Plus, I have two kids (a 4 year old and a 2 year old) and if my nails get too long I start stabbing them by mistake!


 
I like my nails longer...but not too long.  I used to have a horrible time with biting my nails, so I could never keep them long, but I managed to get over that with a lot of work!!  so now I really enjoy keeping them long.  But I must admit, I spend a lot of time with them, keeping the edges smooth and the cuticle soft and clean.

 
I used to like mine a bit longer, just a bit past the end of the finger. Kind of on the long side of medium, but I started playing ukulele and had to trim them. Now, I keep them short-to-medium so I fret the strings and they're not in the way. I kinda miss having them longer, though.

 
I tried growing mine out and trying to keep them a little longer with gel. I liked it but doing facials you can't have long nails! Nothing would keep them from breaking. So I finally gave up on trying to have long nails so now I have short squared/ rounded edges a little so I don't stab myself.
biggrin.gif


 
I too use to be a nail bitter, but when I went and got fake nails that ended.  With the fake acrylic nails, I could keep them at a medium squared off length.  But now that I just have natural nails, I keep them just past my finger tip.  All of them are squared, except for my pointer fingers, those have to be slightly rounded so I don't split the nail (and have to start at ground zero again).

 
Quote: Originally Posted by Megan27ist /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  I too use to be a nail bitter, but when I went and got fake nails that ended.  With the fake acrylic nails, I could keep them at a medium squared off length.  But now that I just have natural nails, I keep them just past my finger tip.  All of them are squared, except for my pointer fingers, those have to be slightly rounded so I don't split the nail (and have to start at ground zero again).
Ugh! acrylics ruined my nails. I had them on for years. My nails are now like paper. I have to do my gel myself because I have to build up the base to give it strength!

 
Quote: Originally Posted by Esthylove /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Ugh! acrylics ruined my nails. I had them on for years. My nails are now like paper. I have to do my gel myself because I have to build up the base to give it strength!

I did too, but luckly mine seemed to grow back just fine.  I tried an at home gel kit a few months ago, and not only did it not last for more than 24hrs, but it also ruined my nails.  Now they have a tendancy flake :( /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />  I just noticed one on my pinky

 
Quote: Originally Posted by Megan27ist /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I did too, but luckly mine seemed to grow back just fine.  I tried an at home gel kit a few months ago, and not only did it not last for more than 24hrs, but it also ruined my nails.  Now they have a tendancy flake :( /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />  I just noticed one on my pinky
My nails did that when I had a bad habit of peeling off the gel. When I do soak my nails and it off i soak them with a nail oil, I try to do it over night but sometimes I have to settle for a few hours. I use a nail drill and only file off the color and leave all the layers of base coat under it and that has helped my nails a lot. I was getting my nails done so often that I knew how they did it by memory and just taught myself. I've now been doing it for years. It's a pain in the ass sometimes but it ends up saving a bunch of money!

 
Quote: Originally Posted by Esthylove /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  My nails did that when I had a bad habit of peeling off the gel. When I do soak my nails and it off i soak them with a nail oil, I try to do it over night but sometimes I have to settle for a few hours. I use a nail drill and only file off the color and leave all the layers of base coat under it and that has helped my nails a lot. I was getting my nails done so often that I knew how they did it by memory and just taught myself. I've now been doing it for years. It's a pain in the ass sometimes but it ends up saving a bunch of money!

I found a home kit at Walgreens that I tried, and hated.  It lasted less than 24hrs for my thumbs and my left ring finger, so I thought I did those wrong and just redid them.  Then it started to look really worn on the other nails after 48hrs (the box promised up to 2 weeks). At that point I was just annoyed with them and peeled it all off while watching a boring movie.

I typically don't wear any polish, but I've gotten pretty good at doing a french manicure on my nails, so I do that on occassion and it lasts me from 4-6 days.

 
Quote: Originally Posted by Megan27ist /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I found a home kit at Walgreens that I tried, and hated.  It lasted less than 24hrs for my thumbs and my left ring finger, so I thought I did those wrong and just redid them.  Then it started to look really worn on the other nails after 48hrs (the box promised up to 2 weeks). At that point I was just annoyed with them and peeled it all off while watching a boring movie.

I typically don't wear any polish, but I've gotten pretty good at doing a french manicure on my nails, so I do that on occassion and it lasts me from 4-6 days.
Ohhhh ok I've never tried the ones from there but I've always wondered. But now I'll steer clear of those. The one I do is with a light. I try and do french tip and it takes me FOREVER because I'm too picky. But I got these nail sticker things that are in the shape to do french tip and chevron. I used the french tip guide the other day on my toes and it worked perfectly! Minus getting white polish on my fingers since I reused the same guide.

 
The kit I picked up had a light thing too, it was from Sensationail.

I thought about buying some of those french tip guides, but everything I read said they were not that great, so for a while I was cutting a curve out of some scotch tape and using those to guide me, but they never seemed quite right.  So I bought a special brush that was suppose to be perfect for the french smiley and it wasn't pretty at all.  Then I decided I would just try q-tips, and they worked like a charm.  So cheap, but just too obvious to try that first.

 
I used to use q tips too! But now I have a set of manicure brushes that I use. I still think an eye shadow brush worked better though!

 
I've used the sensationail kit. It's more like gelish it shellac than hard gel. It peels off to easy. I use IBD builder gels and build up the base and it lasts (without doing fill ins) for 2 weeks. I keep them on the short side of medium length. If I didn't do then this way, the harsh hospital sanitizer would wreck my nails.

 
I only wear my natural nails short. I don't like them long, and I can't really say why. That being said, I will wear longer fakes -- if I get a gel set my nails are always longer than I would ever wear my natural nails, even though I could easily grow my natural nails to that length.

 
I think the square nail tip looks beautiful and is excellent for a lot of nail art as you get a bit more surface area to work with, but for me it isn't practical. 1) Hubby hates square tips (not that that prevented me from trying them), as he feels they look unnatural (it's true the average unpainted normally trimmed nail will have a slight curve that follows the fingertip shape), 2) I can't sustain them as they tend to get caught on things, and 3) my natural nails are too weak, and the corners will bend, causing polish to lift (regular or even gel polish), and causing the nail to eventually break. So I tend to round mine off a bit. The weakness at the corners generally determines how much, and whether they end up being squoval or round. Usually they don't go as far as oval. Mine are usually in the range of 2 to 8 mm beyond the tip of the finger. 5 mm is quite 'long' for me, with my track-record, but I enjoy that natural-but-slightly-elongated look. When I was playing a lot of piano, I couldn't think of having long nails; career and activities can end up influencing certain grooming choices.

What helps me with the nail weakness is gel polish. (As would gel nails, I imagine.) Regarding the drugstore kits, I have the Sally Hansen one, and have used it with the SH and Gelish polishes. A mani will usually last for two weeks or more. I have one thumb right now where Gelish Sheek White is lifting in under a week, but as it's only one finger, I suspect it's my fault. I might not have applied a complete layer of Foundation Base Coat. They say 'thin' coats, but it still needs to be a complete, 'non-scratchy' layer (by that I mean not dry or partial or patchy anywhere on the nail; the brush should be lightly coated with base coat, not dry). Obviously, it will not work well for everyone - body chemistry can be a factor. But never peel them off, as you will be peeling off part of your nail with it, which will definitely make your nails more thin, brittle, and breakable. < I say this sheepishly, as there is that temptation to peel when you get a bit impatient with removal, or you're not by the acetone when a little edge has come loose, or when the first round of wrapping for 15 minutes wasn't quite enough. Resist! I showed the damage on one of my own nails in a photo in the 'nail polish you're wearing' thread. I try to let the acetone do its work.

I think nail shape is fully subjective. Do what you enjoy, and rightly what will keep you healthy.

 
Monika1 said:
I think the square nail tip looks beautiful and is excellent for a lot of nail art as you get a bit more surface area to work with, but for me it isn't practical. 1) Hubby hates square tips (not that that prevented me from trying them), as he feels they look unnatural (it's true the average unpainted normally trimmed nail will have a slight curve that follows the fingertip shape), 2) I can't sustain them as they tend to get caught on things, and 3) my natural nails are too weak, and the corners will bend, causing polish to lift (regular or even gel polish), and causing the nail to eventually break. So I tend to round mine off a bit. The weakness at the corners generally determines how much, and whether they end up being squoval or round. Usually they don't go as far as oval. Mine are usually in the range of 2 to 8 mm beyond the tip of the finger. 5 mm is quite 'long' for me, with my track-record, but I enjoy that natural-but-slightly-elongated look. When I was playing a lot of piano, I couldn't think of having long nails; career and activities can end up influencing certain grooming choices.

What helps me with the nail weakness is gel polish. (As would gel nails, I imagine.) Regarding the drugstore kits, I have the Sally Hansen one, and have used it with the SH and Gelish polishes. A mani will usually last for two weeks or more. I have one thumb right now where Gelish Sheek White is lifting in under a week, but as it's only one finger, I suspect it's my fault. I might not have applied a complete layer of Foundation Base Coat. They say 'thin' coats, but it still needs to be a complete, 'non-scratchy' layer (by that I mean not dry or partial or patchy anywhere on the nail; the brush should be lightly coated with base coat, not dry). Obviously, it will not work well for everyone - body chemistry can be a factor. But never peel them off, as you will be peeling off part of your nail with it, which will definitely make your nails more thin, brittle, and breakable. < I say this sheepishly, as there is that temptation to peel when you get a bit impatient with removal, or you're not by the acetone when a little edge has come loose, or when the first round of wrapping for 15 minutes wasn't quite enough. Resist! I showed the damage on one of my own nails in a photo in the 'nail polish you're wearing' thread. I try to let the acetone do its work.

I think nail shape is fully subjective. Do what you enjoy, and rightly what will keep you healthy.
Click to expand...
LOL my hubby used to HATE my acrylics. So he bought me stuff to do my own gel at home. Now he has created a monster :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

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