For weeks and weeks I have been watching nail videos on YouTube. They are so addictive and so mesmerising and some of the art on show is incredible. My favourite channel is Naio Nails if anyone is wondering (they are incred). Watching these videos put me at ease with acrylics. You have all heard the horror stories of your nails being left half hanging off or having no nail bed left, but that just isn't the case if you have your nails done professionally and take them off properly.
So here are some tips for anyone getting acrylics done for the first time, and are rightly scared like I was about the whole process.
NAIL TYPE
You have to make the decision on whether you want acrylic or gel, tips or no tips, and what shape you want. I went for acrylic because all the YouTube videos had put my mind at ease. In my extensive researching I also found it quite hard to find places that did gel extensions in the first place. I also had tips put on my nails as they were really short to begin with. Some salons use forms to extend your nails (and create an extension made entirely out of acrylic). I think it depends on the overall shape of your nails and what you want them to look like/ your technicians skill. For the shape I went for rounded. I know from experience that I can't stand sharp edges on my nails so that influenced my decision. There are so many shapes out there from coffin to ballerina so please do your research on what shape you want before entering the salon.
THE SALON
I researched nail salons for weeks and weeks. I started looking for salons that were on Instagram/ Facebook. As I was trying to find a salon in Sheffield I simply searched for Sheffield nails and found a few salons which looked good. I then went on their Facebook pages to see reviews/ tagged posts/ wall posts, which gave me good insight into what the salon was like. It was very easy to whittle down the good salons from the bad by using this method of research, as you can tell if people are happy by the reviews left/ how many people comment on posts asking to book. I eventually settled on the Salon I went to (Beautiful Nails all the way down Eccy Road if anyone in Sheffield is interested) as nobody seemed to have anything bad to say about them. I then messaged them, asked about prices and what acrylic they used (mainly to see if it was the powder or not) and booked in.
THE PROCESS
Our appointment was at 10am on a Thursday, and me and my housemate stupidly got very drunk the night before. This made the whole process far more scary as I was trying to not be sick. But hey ho. We arrived and were asked to wait, then sat at our counters and the technician started work. He filed my natural nail slightly using one of them drill things (such fear went through my mind at this point), cut my natural nails even shorter than normal and then glued the tip on. The tip is glued to the very end of your nails using nail glue, and then they cut the nail tip down to the length and shape you want. After this he then started applying the acrylic. The acrylic is in powder form until the liquid stuff they use is added via a brush, and then little beads of it are added to your nails, and brushed over to form a coating on your nail. This process was done about 3 times until the desired nail was achieved. The acrylic then air dries and is filed and buffed into shape. You're then asked to wash your hands to get all the dust off and then can choose your polish. The polish is a normal polish which doesn't come off your nails at all. Seriously, acrylics are magic for nail polish longevity! I was then left with beautiful looking, if not slightly weird feeling nails.
MY OPINIONS
At first, like all things in my life, I kinda hated them. They felt really alien and I just couldn't get used to them. I was tempted to buy acetone and take them off the day after graduation ball (lol joke I couldn't move out of bed the day after graduation ball) but soon I got used to them, and I loved them. I loved how elegant they made my hand look, how beautiful my hand looked and how much I just looked really girly and feminine. I didn't think I would feel that way about them but I grew to absolutely love them. Granted there are a few cons, its impossible to burst spots, get a good scratch on or press the button at the lights and typing/ scrolling is quite the nightmare, but they're good and well worth having.
REMOVAL
Well you will all be pleased to know that my next post is dedicated to their removal, I didn't want to have to go back to salon to get them removed for £10, and like the control freak I am I wanted to be left completely in charge of my nail beds destiny. I bought the acetone and a cuticle pusher and took them off myself, and they have turned out better than I could have ever hoped for! As you can see from the top image, they look pretty much perfect, they don't look or feel damaged and I have perfectly lovely natural nails again, result! Most of the damage can be caused during removal so I would strongly suggest getting them soaked off, don't mess about with yanking them off *inserts sick emoji here*. Your nails and nail beds protect you from so much shit that you don't want to ruin them out of impatience or price.
OVERALL
My opinion of acrylics is so positive, I loved them and they made me feel great. I didn't have them all that long length wise yet they sometimes monumentally got in my way, so it would be a good shout not to go crazy long unless you have the lifestyle that can accommodate it. I would definitely get acrylic nails again and would probably get them slightly shorter this time, to account for the growth of your natural nail over the weeks. My technician said they would last 2-3 weeks until they needed filling in, and the nail would last 3-4 months until it would grow out. I would highly recommend acrylic nails as long as they were done properly and removed well!
What has your experience of acrylic nails been like?
Lots of Love,
Hev
xoxox
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