<p>Mafool: I totally need that nail polish!!! We <em>heart</em> our Needle. :)</p>
<p>I normally do not color my fingernails, because I occasionaly work with solvents that make great nail polish removal. :)</p>
<p>I am tough on nail polish and I HATE chips. So rarely does a manicure last more than 24 hours before I remove the polish and start over or give up. I usually give up. But I closed a drawer on my thumb and will have a very obvious black mark for months. The polish looks great at his moment.</p>
<p>I get regular pedicures and manicures but instead of having them apply polish to my fingernails (it starts chipping on me within a day or two), I have them buff my nails. They will stay shiny for at least a week. I have some of the cream at home and can re-buff them as necessary. Toe nail polish, OTOH, can last up to a month on me.</p>
<p>I use the same approach, MomLive. But now with this ugly black thumbnail, I am reconsidering!</p>
<p>I use a color on my toes, usually a reddish or coral shade, and a nude shade on my nails. I still like a weekly manicure to get my cuticles in shape, but I abuse my hands and colored polish won’t last more than a few days.</p>
<p>Shellac manicures are practically indestructible. Not a chip in sight for 3 to 4 weeks. After each coat the nails are put in a UV box for a couple of minutes. Its like auto paint but it’s really great if your manicure never lasts longer than a day.</p>
<p>As D discovered, removal of shellac nail polish adds a significant $$ to the price of manicures. At least at our favorite salon it does, because it takes more time. I’m not sure if these semi-permanent nail solutions (shellac, glue-on nails, etc.) are healthy for nails in the long run. As I said in my previous post, I do not paint my fingernails, but I usually use muted colors on my toenails: light salmon, dusty rose pink, cream, coral, etc. that work well wih peep-toe footwear.</p>
<p>I was talked into a shellac manicure at my regular salon recently. I didn’t know anything about it and went ahead and let the manicurist do it. After about 5 days I started getting some chipping and decided to remove the polish myself. Uh…big mistake. I had to soak and soak and soak my nails in remover and then pry the polish off. My nails looked horrible, thin and rough for days afterwards. I’m not sure that stuff is very good for your nails either but in any case, it’s too high maintenance for me. I want to be able to remove my polish when I want, not have to go to to a salon to have it done. I will just stick to my cut and buff routine.</p>
<p>I buff my fingernails & use a nude color on toes- but sometimes go for a coral.
Buffing should help the polish stay on better as well- mafool, not sure if polish might interfere with healing of your nail bed.</p>
<p>I also keep my nails really short- a hold over from when I did massage & since I now always have my hands in soil, it makes it easier to keep them clean. Some people wear two pairs of gloves to keep their manicure, but I don’t .</p>
<p>I find polish on my fingernails just destroys them. I can have a nice manicure and longer nails for a month or two, but then my nails will just split and peel and be very weak. Maybe it’s the polish remover when I’m in that cycle. So I don’t do fingernail polish. </p>
<p>I like a bright color for toes–hot pink right now.</p>
<p>One of my favorite products for my nails is TIPS nail treatment. I order it online and it really makes a difference on my cuticles and nails when I use it regularly. The tips of my nails stay really white with this product. I am reluctant to buff my nails, it just seems like that would gradually weaken the nail - I don’t know - just my reaction. </p>
<p>I am also one who skips the manicure (unless something really special is on the calendar) as my nails are so much healthier when they are bare. I have a pedicure about every other week in the summer. I will occasionally have a manicure, but skip the polish. Oh dear, that is really hard to convince the manicurist of my intentions. In fact I would probably do it more often except I don’t feel like explaining several times that I don’t WANT polish. </p>
<p>Mafool - those darn bruises take forever to grow out!!!</p>
<p>Ladies, can you help me with a dressing need?</p>
<p>I am attending a wedding the end of November in SoCal, it is an afternoon wedding at an outdoor venue so no formal. I don’t live in SoCal any more and find it tough to plan that far ahead, but am going to be working in an area with no stores for the rest of fall so I need to decide this now.</p>
<p>I have an outfit which has a lightly beaded high neck sleeveless light knit top with matching black and white flowing pants, they are sort of palazzo pant looking, wide flowing almost skirt like. Too fancy? If so, what do I find instead?</p>
<p>That sounds like that would work for SoCal in November. You might want to find a brightly colored shawl/wrap to cover yourself with as it is outside. </p>
<p>In my view, unless you are wearing a formal gown, it is hard to overdress for a wedding. Most people these days underdress, and it is very sad.</p>
<p>Somemom- end of November is hard. Could be chilly or could be hot.
I find the quickest looking younger fix for me is to get my hair professionally dyed. I have been told I look much younger when my roots are not showing grey.</p>
<p>For anyone wanting to polish their nails, but not wanting to wait the hour+ it takes to let them dry, only to have them chip a day later, I just discovered a product that is unbelievable, its called Poshe , and its a top coat that dries in less than 5 minutes, protects the polish and adds gloss. Someone thought that I had shellac/gel nails because they were so glossy, and the polish lasts at least five days, before there’s any chipping.
I am very, very rough on my hands/nails.</p>
<p>Somemom - It all depends on the amount/nature/sparkle on the beading. If it’s non-metallic, I think you are OK.</p>
<p>jet black small cylinder beads on a black top, so I think that works</p>
<p>Target website is down. Wonder if there was too much traffic from the Missoni launch???</p>
<p>Momlive - you need 100% acetone to remove the shellacked nail polish which beauty supply stores sell - the usual acetone (nail polish remover) is only partial acetone. 100% removes it as easily as regular polish.</p>
<p>Have your manicurist sell you a bottle of polish to refreshen chips in between visits.</p>
<p>Somemom - I think it’s just going to depend on the crowd. If it’s movie people, or traditional industry, you’re fine. If it’s academics or the less traditional, I’d wear a simpler top. You could even just wear a tee on top, as Sharon Stone famously did for some event or other.</p>