What Do Your Nails Look Like?

In high school I had long, beautiful nails that I painted. Since about my early 20s I've worn them shorter, neat and filed and polish-free. First off, I can't be bothered with the polishing and chipping cycle. Second, I am concerned about the formaldehyde and other horrible ingredients that are in nail polish. I recently found a formula that is free from Toluene, Formaldehyde, Dibutyl, Phthalate, and Camphor so I've started painting my toe nails again. Toe nails don't seem to chip nearly as much as finger nails :)

Now this is one subject I look damn good in! I have had long, strong nails all my life. People have always asked me if they are real and yep! They are! I like my feet too. I always have them short and painted red or orange. I have a small butterfly tattoo on the top of my foot a little under my little toe and they look great in a pair of strappy sandals! O! I believe I need a new pair!

My fingernails are pretty short, like 1/8 to 1/4 in. of white. I am the same way if one breaks, I have to cut them all. I usually put clear polish on them. I think mine look weird with color because I'm not used to it.
I keep my toenails pretty short and if I'm going to be wearing sandals (all Summer) I keep them polished with a nice red or coral color.

Up until a couple of years ago I felt exactly the same way you do. Then, for some reason, I think I had a wedding to go to or something, I decided to get a set of tips put on. I kept up with them for several months, but then financially it just wasn't responsible for me to keep spending $50/month on my fingernails. About a year or so ago, I took all of the fake ones off & went through the horrible time of letting my natural nails grow back in, then what I started doing was buying 1 or 2 different colors of nail polish every 2 weeks instead of going to get them done. At this point I have a medium sized basket FULL of all different colors. It took SEVERAL months to be even close to decent at painting them, especially my right hand, lol, but now I'm pretty good. I take a multi-vitamin which helps make them stronger, but I also bought this stuff by I think Sally Hansen to put as a base coat & a top coat that makes them super strong. They're not terribly long at all, but long enough that I can shape them either squared off or rounded at the ends. I change the color about once a week, sometimes twice if the paint that week really didn't hold up. This morning I didn't have time to change the color but the paint from last weekend didn't hold up so I took the color off, did a quick shaping & just threw on a clear top coat. Took all of 5 minutes.

Well, long nails are actually not in at all anymore so you don't have to worry! I keep mine very short and squoval (squarish oval) and usually wear a light shade that doesn't show chipping although I love to paint them dark as well.

So what you should do is just file them all down so they are just a smidge over or at your finger and then just get a light polish. Lightly frosted is great for summer and you can have a ton of chips and they won't show.

My nails grow like crazy and I constantly have to trim them so I can still function. I have not yet mastered how to do certain things with really long nails like everyone else..I must admit I am a bit envious. I like all sorts of nails on people..painted, french manicure, natural. I also like various lengths and think it just depends on the person. I keep mine natural most of the time on my hands, but my toes are always painted if there is a chance someone would see them. I wear clear more than anything, but that is just to protect my nails. Toes are because I cannot stand my toe nails, though. I have seen natural toes on others and it looks great!

What I do not like is dirty, extremely chipped nail polish or nubs(biting so extreme that this is all you have left). Granted, I know it's just like any other bad habit to bite nails for some people, so it doesn't bother me if anyone else does this too much. I did teach my daughters from a very young age to refrain from biting their nails, though. I guess I don't mind any particular fashion or length but I do prefer it not to look overly messy or dirty. It drives me nuts when my girls walk around with black nail polish that is chipped off more than 50% and I usually request that they change it once a week. I do have to pick my battles with teenage girls, so I let it go sometimes. I have explained to them that it looks dirty, tacky and unprofessional (in my opinion) to walk around like that and the importance of them understanding this so they avoid it in future professional and social situations where it would not be acceptable. I do require them to always keep their nails (and under them) clean, but that is just a hygiene issue.

I was a nail technician for 6 years and continue to do it outside of the salon. I LOVE talking about nails. My nails are short(er), square shaped and polished almost always. Short nails are "in". The long white tipped french manicure of the 90's is way out. Natural nails with a clear coat are also ok. My nails look best with darker colors.

Just a few tips and opinions: Polish on toes should always match hands. Or one of the two should be naked. Chipped polish is an absolute no no. Once 1 or 2 of them are starting to look bad- take it all off and start over. Spend the extra money on high quality polish. OPI, Creative, and Essie are going to last a lot longer than the 99c wet-n-wild polish. If you clean your nails and remove the natural oils off of your nail beds (with polish remover/acetone), use a base coat, 2 color coats, and a top coat, it will last. So many people ask me why their polish doesn't last.... well, when you rub lotion all over your hands to moisturize right before polishing, yes its going to chip. The hands and nails need to be super dry, dehydrated! After the polish dries, put on all the lotion you want! Just never ever before! I could really go on and on, and I will spare you. Anyone can pm me if u need nail advise!!!

Like you, I can't seem to have all 10 the same length at the same time!! Seems like the nails on my dominant hand break much more easily, no surprise there.
I try to keep mine around the same length, so right now they are right past my fingertips and filed into a squoval. I apply Sally Hansen Diamond Hard (I think that's what it is?!) every once in a while. I feel strange with polish on my nails, too, I want to find that perfect caramely neutral shade.
I like bright colors on my toes, colors I would never wear on my fingers, especially in the summer!

My nails are always done. They are a bit longer than my fingertips, and I usually have a french manicure. I go a little crazier with my pedicure colors, and sometimes even get little flowers or swirls painted. Usually I go every other week to get my nails done. I always wear gloves for gardening or cleaning so my hands don't get dried out and my nails don't get chipped. I guess I would keep them natural if I felt like my nails looked okay natural - but my nails are kind of wide, so they look like "man hands" (remember that Seinfeld episode? LOL) if I have them super short.

I think mine look just like yours! Mine do grow fast though so sometimes in the winter I have longer nails. But I'm a gardener and even with gloves my nails still take a beating. I never paint them! I do keep my toes painted a light color during the warm months.

I went thru the arcylic nails but just do the myself. I skip all that 'fill' stuff and just glue on a fake nail. My nails have ALWAYS been thin and weak. The rest of my family can grow long strong nails so I have no idea why I can't. They almost feel like I have NO NAIL if I DON'T have a nail on.

I'm a FREAK for OPI polish and get excited everytime a new collection comes out. Right now I have "Let Me Entertain You" on and I always get a ton of compliments. I have really shaky hands yet I can polish my nails--weird.

I like taking an hour on Sunday night to do my nails. The bedroom is OFF LIMITS and I actually relax. My most stressful part is choosing the color! :)

I have no nail regimen. I hate girly painted nails! I think it is silly, but that is just me. I keep my nails short and unpainted. They are naturally extremely strong and grow fast though so if I wanted girly nails it would be easy. I like having short natural nails that I won't poke my kids, so I can rockclimb, so I can do pottery and art, garden, go kayaking etc. I also dislike the way long painted nails look. I'm just not that kind of girl :)

I have short to med. nails. I don't like them painted so when my daughter does drag me to get a manicure with her I go for a French. I actually like a french manicure it just does not seem to last long before I chip it somehow. My toes our short and I keep them painted all summer. I always have but now I do it hide my missing toe nail. Dropped something on it and it has never grown back.

My nails are, um, basic. And shortish. I'm with you on the long nails - I've just never been able to succeed at it. But, as you know, pianists and others whose fingers help to make music have short nails, so we are in good company!

I should take better care of them than I do! But my preference is for my short nails to be decently shaped, with maybe (!) a coat of colorless or nearly-colorless polish on them to make them shine a bit. Buffing is a good substitute for the polish. It's just a matter of making them look well cared for.

I can't grow fingernails to save my life. As soon as they begin to extend past the edge of my finger, they also start tearing at the quick. I must have some vitamin deficiency or something. I never have been able to grow them, my whole life. When I was younger I was jealous of the girls whose nails were long and pretty. Now I don't care. I don't want to spend money on having my nails done all the time; plus, fake nails over your real nails cause your real nails to get so thin it's almost painful. Also, long nails are not practical for me; they get in my way when working, typing, etc. I've had fake nails twice in my life, for special occasions. But I won't do it on a regular basis.

I tried to grow out my nails once or twice, but it was a losing battle.
It turns out my nails have always been weak since I was diagnosed hypothyroid and they are stronger now that it's managed with medication.
But I'm too busy and my hands are always in the dirt in my garden.
I have gloves, but I really love the feel of dirt on my hands and I don't wear them as often as I should.
I keep my nails short as can be so I can scrub the dirt out from underneath them with ease.
My feet need just as much scrubbing since when I'm in the garden, I really throw myself into it and get dirty all over.

I'm so envious of ladies with beautiful nails. Mine are just like yours, and I'm hopeless picking at them, particularly when I'm stressed. I just don't understand how those ladies do it! If I won the lottery I'd have my nails done every week.

My nails grow well, look a healthy pink and I never bite them off. I keep my nails shortish (just a few millimeters above the natural Nail-Skin border). Any longer than that, and I'd look ridiculous - since I am way too short and small in frame!
But I don't like to paint them. I work a lot in the kitchen, do dishes, and don't like using gloves. I often end up roughing my nail shape, and chipping any polish if at all. So I simply trim and file them regularly. No paint.
Toenails are another thing. Entirely. My toes and feet are small too, so I maintain my toenails short and neatly trimmed and filed. But I pamper them to a nice scrub and massage once a month (at home) and paint them regularly. I go for colors that won't scream for attention and highlight how really short I am.. :)

Mine are natural, long, squared off and hot pink. However, thats just because I broke my arm and havent had to do a dish or really clean anything in about a month. They usually break off and I have to keep them short. I painted them because with my arm in a sling, everyone is looking at my hand. .
The norm here in Texas is long, fake, square, with white tips. Normally I avoid glamorous nails because it just calls attention to how un-glamorous the rest of me is!! I usually go for a well groomed look instead. If you watch celebrities and look closely at people's hands on tv, the norm is actuall very sporty and and short, just a 1/4 to half inch longer than your finger. Mostly painted in a nude, sometimes with a sliver of a white tip. A lot of women are going for dark colors. Not black, but something close like a dark burgandy, chocolate, or plum, so dark they almost look black. Avon has a pretty color called Vamp it Up.

My nails are medium and painted french manicure to match my toes. I did the nails and sis did toes.... not too shabby :)

Medium to long natural nails. Sometimes painted. Sometimes not. Right now the polish is chipping and my left pinky nail ripped so I cut it short. I actually had someone not believe me years ago and inspected the underside of my fingernails to look for numbers from tips.

I keep my toenails short, but paint those, too.

I have acrylics and love them or I'd be bitting my nails. I don't wear them real long so I can type and play piano. They look nice and I feel like I have feminine hands.....

I keep mine short, and recently started getting Shellac manicures (French) and LOVE it!!! It's amazing having my natural nails polished without chipping. I've always had strong, healthy nails, but wouldn't polish them because I hated it when the polish would chip. Now I can go two to three weeks with no chipping. I also have French pedicures with flowers on my big toes. So pretty!

I play the piano, and cook, and used to wash kids and dogs daily, so I kept my nails short and natural. I will still get a manicure a few times a year, but always ask for clear nail polish, b/c I cannot even leave the salon without ruining any finger or toe nail polish.

I can't stand dirt underneath my nails. And research has been conducted on women with long nails in nurseries..specifically neo-natal units. The studies were initiated due to the higher infant mortality rate in some units and lo and behold it was traced back to women who had long nails. And those are RNs who wash their hands frequently. Imagine the women who don't wash their hands thoroughly. Now they wear protective gloves, so everyone is safe from each other.

lol I hate my nails painted I think it looks weird too. I had fake nails once a friend gave me a manicure as a gift I had then a week and pulled them off..I just try & keep my nails clean and i file them when I remember to they are usually not chewed on like my SO but not long really either.. My toenails I like to keep polished b/c I live in florida and wear a lot of sandals =)