Question for the Ladies

[BrenJaLee]

I've had acrylic nails in the past and while they are great for having your manicure last throughout a full 2-week Negril vacation they are hell on your nails. I've been hearing a lot about this new "gel manicure" that supposedly makes a regular manicare last longer but isn't harsh on your nails like acrylic. I was contemplating this for my next Negril vacation but wasn't sure how it would hold up to the salt water and sand. I'm in the ocean daily so if it's not going to be much better than a regular manicure, no use doing the gel thing. Anyone get a gel manicure for Negril? If so, how did it hold up?

[irieworld]

curious also as to the answer to this. I got acrylics only once in my life and I have to say that while they lasted for weeks and held up with no chips etc even when I was super active in Negril, when I had them removed my real nails were killed. Seriously took a lot of time for my nails to recover. Plus they weren't that comfortable for me. Now I just keep my natural nails short.

[Seveen]

let acrylic nails grow out and file the ridge - don't pick or soak them off - you can actually grow your own nails in if you have them coat your nail and not add tips - - one month you will have your own nails

gel nails work the same way . . . more or less

[Cands]

BrenJaLee - I did last year and it was absolutely great!!! It looked as good on the day I left Negril as the day I got them done. I was in water all day long - both ocean and pool - no problems at all. I can go three weeks before having to get them redone (sometimes longer if I'm too lazy to make an appointment).

[BrenJaLee]

Seveen, my nails grow pretty slow, are very thin and break easy. I never had acrylic tips, I only had them put acrylic on top of my own nail (basically to make them harder and the polish last longer). I've had them off/on for 3-4 years and every time I had them taken off to let my own nail "breathe" a little, it would take a solid 6 months to finally get rid of the damaged nail bed. I have no desire to go back to acrylic again.

Cands, thanks so much for this info! I may just give it a shot. I'll be there for 2 weeks and would love to have a nice manicure but didn't want to chance it if the gel didn't hold up to the salt and sand.

[Sadiekat]

I actually gut my first gel manicure two days before our last trip and it held up great! I was in the water, not careful at all, all week and there was no chipping or breakage. My nails have never been stronger- but one tip: NEVER, EVER try to peel it off. I just destroyed my nails by giving in to the temptation of peeling off the gel as I was too lazy to make an appointment to have it removed. Never again- it will take a month for my nails to grow out again. My own faul, not the gel's.

[suzengrace]

Because of my work I can only have natural nails..but i have a few friends that swear by gel manicures-and they do some rough stuff with their hands and they seem to hold-up very well...I

[MissBlue]

GEL MANI's ROCK! bulletproof manicure and no nail damage or breakage.... as long as you have it removed properly, as mentioned above. (manicurist removes it at the next manicure, and re-applies fresh) You have to watch your scheduling and don't let them go too long - no longer than 3 weeks between, or your nails will grow out too far and it will start to peel, and that's when it damages the top nail layers if you either try to peel it off, or it starts to get pulled off as you do daily activities.

this isn't the same as the old nail gels either, the thick gel that was heat-cured, took forever, and HURT. this is an entirely new product; a combination gel-polish, cured with light, and lets the nails breathe. So it's also not nearly as damaging as acrylic; since the product doesn't starve the natural nails for oxygen, they don't get damaged and weak underneath. When done (and removed) correctly, the mani lasts beautifully for a whole 2-3 weeks, no chipping, breaking, or nail damage. the one and only drawback is there's not a huge color selection; hoping that changes as it gets more popular.

[garysteph1018]

This is an awesome post! I didn't even think about the gel nails possibly being an issue! I don't do nails because of my job, but when I informed my husband I was getting nails for our trip he said "WHY?! The last time you got those things they tore up your real nails!" MEN... they don't get it! I want to make sure my hand looks pretty wrapped around that Red Stripe!!!!

[MissBlue]

well - you can't "get nails" with the gel -- it just goes on top of your own nails; it's like a super strong polish.
It can't give you any length like tips do, although if you start with very short nails it can protect them as they grow out, so they can get nice and long.

and i really hate to tell you but i agree with husband on this one - i tried acrylics one time maybe 20 years ago.... never again.