Nails, Anyone?

When I originally started this blog, I was going to stick to strictly recipes and crafting projects.  Wellllll.....I've decided if I find something else to suit my fancy, I plan to post it as well!

Today's topic?  My nails.

I have really horrible looking nails - they are brittle and dry, crack and peel at any given moment.  I'm seriously embarrassed by them, and I LOVE to have my nails done.

Enter paying for private school tuition times four boys (two of which are in high school), and the nail thing goes to the bottom of the expense list.  Actually, it's not been on the expense list for a very LOOOONG time.  I used to get my nails done when the first two were younger, and I did for about six months about five years back.  But, for the most part, I've suffered through crappy looking nails.

I am sort of a weird type of girl.  I don't necessary enjoy shopping.  I don't wear a lot of makeup (if any), and, up until recently, I didn't own many shoes (I still don't really).  I do like purses (can't figure that one out), and I love to have my nails pretty.  It does make me feel more ... girlie.

I think it comes from living in a house full of men.

Anyway, a friend of mine posted some awesome shots of her nails, and I got to wanting to do mine again.  So.  I did.

(image from Amazon)

This kit was very easy to use.  I was skeptical, I can tell you.  First thing it had you do was attach the fake nails with the "gel".  I have always used glue any time I've attached a fake nail, and if I had had nail glue, I would have used it.  But I didn't, so I used the gel, and it worked perfectly fine.  I followed the instructions on the box, and my only complaint was that the stuff didn't completely "dry".  it always felt sticky.  In hindsight, I could have just painted over it, and it would be fine (I had to repair a nail, and did that, and it worked fine).  I went to bed with my nails "sticky" and woke up with my nails "sticky".  So drying didn't happen at my house.  Once I put clear coat on it and a drying agent, they were fine.

Durability - I work in a field where I wash my hands a lot and I use  rubber gloves.  My hands get a lot of abuse.  They worked fine - but I did have to glue nails down periodically (I finally got some nail glue).  However, a week and half in, and the nails are peeling off.  They are not hard like acrylic (they are gel afterall...), and I will probably remove them completely, instead of doing a fill (I had a friend recommend product to me, that I plan to try next time).  Overall, they worked well, but didn't last long term for me (again, I have a job that is hard on my hands...)

Here is a link to Broadway Nails website:

http://www.broadwaynails.com/products/professional-kit/real-life-brush-on-gel-nail-kit/

I purchased the kit from a local drugstore.

Now pictures - I was trying out new paint techniques as well, so that's why only one nail is blue - but I do like my nails, and I love the blue:

And because I love the color on my toes, I present my current toe polish:

This is Sally Hansen's Insta-Dry Fast Dry Nail Color in Co-Bolt Blue and a heavy coat of Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Strobe Light.  The blue nail above is also Co-Bolt Blue with a streak of the Strobe Light.