Did my own acrylic backfills today!!!

[Marilyn]

Okay, when we were getting ready for the cruise, I got a pedicure so I could be comfortable wearing sandles. While I was there I decided to get a manicure, but I had a broken nail, so they suggested I get overlays. They could tip the one broken nail and overlay them all so my polish would stay on longer. They looked really nice when finished. Two weeks later, of course, I needed backfills. Didn't want to pay the $20, but went ahead, just once, then figured, I'd remove the acrylic and go back to my ordinary nails in two weeks. Well, I really liked having nicer looking nails, and here we are, time for backfills again.

All the nail places looked really crowded yesterday, before Easter, and really didn't want to pay $20 every two weeks ($520/year) for pretty nails. Sooooo, I went to Sally's Beauty Supply and bought an acrylic nails starter kit, $20, and got a little battery powered nail thing, like a Dremel, at HEB Plus for about $7. There's enough acrylic powder in the starter kit for probably 4 months or more of backfills. There was even a little DVD enclosed to show you how to do it.

Early this afternoon, I decided to give it a try. I didn't do as good a job as a professional, but I'm pleased with the results. Hubby says they look nice, too. I even put a couple of little stars on my ring fingers. Not sure what the nail salon would have charged to add those. I'm sure I'll get better with more practice, so for now, I'll keep the acrylic.

[Janet]

Good for you Marilyn...we all have hidden talents...lol. I had never needed acrylic nails. Mine were always as hard as rocks and when one would break it would jar my finger and hurt.

For some reason...for the last 6 months or so, they break and split all the time. I don't really like the longer nails, always so hard for me to type and call someone....roflmbo!!!!! Maybe if I ever go somewhere really nice, I may consider acrylic nails, but until then I just carry my clippers and file with me.

[Marilyn]

Originally Posted by Janet

Good for you Marilyn...we all have hidden talents...lol. I had never needed acrylic nails. Mine were always as hard as rocks and when one would break it would jar my finger and hurt.

For some reason...for the last 6 months or so, they break and split all the time. I don't really like the longer nails, always so hard for me to type and call someone....roflmbo!!!!! Maybe if I ever go somewhere really nice, I may consider acrylic nails, but until then I just carry my clippers and file with me.

Janet, my natural nails are pretty tough, too, and mine aren't too long now, just about 1/8 th to 1/4 inch past the tip of my fingers. I don't want talons, I type too much, too, however, you can type pretty well with the tips of your fingernails if you need to.

The main reason for the overlays is so that the polish sticks better. On my natural nails, the polish is pretty chipped in a week. On the overlays, it can last with only a little wearing on the tips for over 2 weeks.

The acrylic isn't real thick either. I don't like thick nails. They actually look pretty natural. The tip of my right index finger needs a little touch up though. I decided to clean the refrigerator last night, and used the scrubber some, of the edge of the nail has a bit of polish worn off. I'll wait till later this evening to touch it up. Tonight I have to bathe the dogs. The work never ends and our hands are always in water.

[Tiramisu]

I let my daughter and g-daughters talk me into getting "solar" nails when I took vacation with them on Spring Break. I started beating myself up immediately thinking about the cost of upkeeping them. I guess my nails grow slow because they lasted a few days over three weeks. I'm still waiting for them to fall off, but I stopped in at a Wal-Mart to have them refilled and only paid $10. I don't polish mine and keep them real short, so few people even notice that I have fake nails! I probably keep them through the wedding and then take them off!

[DianaB]

I'm like you, Marilyn, in the fact that I figure out what it costs to maintain them for a year. If I worked outside of the home I'd probably have my nails done but since I'm home and nobody sees them I don't worry about them. I keep mine short and once in a while in the summer I might polish them. I'm not good at keeping them done though.

I'm glad that you'll be saving some money and I'm sure that you'll be proud of what you've accomplished!!! We can do so much if we just put our mind to the fact that "we can"!!

[Marilyn]

Originally Posted by Tiramisu

I'm still waiting for them to fall off, but I stopped in at a Wal-Mart to have them refilled and only paid $10.

I'll have to check and see if the Walmarts here do this. There's a Super Walmart right near my office and one in the town where I live. I'll still do my own, but there will be times when I'll be in a time crunch, and $10 I can do once in a while. Thank you for mentioning this!!

Diana, you are right. We can do a lot when we try. Too many people just won't try. They are missing out on so much, IMO. To each their own though. I just like to try to do different things.

[Janet]

I've not heard of solar nails....what are those? I do most everything myself around here so nice nails wouldn't last long I'm afraid. Very seldom am I not busy doing something. I do like to polish my toenails now and then in the summer time, but just when I think my nails look decent, I'll polish them and then it will either split or break. I just don't understand why they've been doing this, they didn't use to.