Grubby Nails? Need a Quick Fix? Affordable Solution!

I have the most severe nail-biting habit known to man. Since as long as I can remember, I've bitten my nails to the point where its painful to bend my fingers because it pulls the skin...naturally therefore, my nails look similar to that of a crack addict..NOT CUTE.

After trying a million things to kick the habit, including the 'Nail the Habit' horrible flavoured liquid you put on your nails to covering them in plasters, when I started University I decided to get acrylics on a long term basis to see if I would eventually stop. 

My salon that I got to regularly for all beauty needs is Red Hot Nails, in Bethnal Green, London - it was closest to my flat whilst I was studying and now that I've moved home it is a bit of a trek to get to but its so worth it; great service and quality - I recommend it to everyone!

So after 3 years (on and off) of having acrylics...my habit is still as strong as ever! When the acrylics are on I'm fine, but when I think I'll finally be able to stop biting them and have them removed, after a week of trying to maintain pretty, natural nails the habit kicks in and they're back down to their 3cm length :\

I got tired of acrylics because even though I managed to fill up a loyalty card and a half (eek!) of infill treatments it did make me realise how much money I was wasting - £15 every two-three weeks for 3 years really adds up alongside all over expenses. 

I was in Superdrug and came across the 'Kiss 100 Full Cover Nails' kit which was on offer for £5.12 ( I think it usually retails at about £7 or £8)

I went for the 'Short Square' as this is how my nails are always shaped
These are basically the plastic tip that goes on before the acrylic gel does at the salon, which is then cut down and filed to size. If anyone gets or has had acrylic nails, you will know what I mean. But instead of being just a tip, these are to cover the whole nail bed. I had my reservations because I really thought it would be like those cheap, 'French manicure' stick on nails you had as a child, but thankfully, this is nothing like that.
It comes with different sizes of nails so you can fit it accordingly to each nail bed, and then trim and shape them to a size that suits you. The nail isn't so flimsy that it will snap or break (it didn't for me) and once glued it is pretty permanent so be careful on application.

The instructions on the back are simple and it helps if you've seen countless times how the professionals do it. Not being the greatest at arts & crafts I found this pretty simple for a first attempt and it didn't take too long, about 45mins with filing and polish overall. But be warned, the glue is super strong, it welded my fingers shut a couple of times so do not get it on the skin if you can help it and use a tweezer to pick up the nail when it has glue on it!



For polish I used 'Essie Masquerade Belle' from the Winter Mini Collection - its a gorgeous deep burgundy wine colour, a similar dupe would be 'Chanel Rouge Noir' which is slightly more on the brownish red, or 'Bourjois So Laque! in Cerise Noir' but again this isn't as red toned as the Essie. I topped this off with a coat of the Deborah Lippmann 'Razzle Dazzle' glitter polish which came in the December Glossybox and a final clear topcoat. This berry, glittery combination has been a winter favourite of mine and really complements tanned, warm toned skin like mine.

 I'm really pleased with the result :) My nails seem sturdy, its easy to type and wash up with them on and they look like acrylics and quite natural. They are said to last 7 days (I'm hoping I can get away with 10 days) and there are enough in one pack to redo both sets of nails about 5 times! 

For £5.12 these are a great alternative for those with a bit of spare time but not so much spare cash :)


'You can tell a lot from a person's nails. When a life starts to unravel, they're among the first to go.' ~ Ian McEwan








2 comments:

  1. I personally don't bite my nails, but these look like a fab solution for someone who does :) I love the Deborah Lippmann polish too - shame it's such a nightmare to get off though, haha :L xo

    ReplyDelete
  2. totally agree; leaves all the silvery glitter on there! try using oil after to wipe any the glitter x

    ReplyDelete

 

Twitter Updates

Meet The Author