fake nails

A while back my niece picked some "dora" or "hannah montana" (or some brand like that) press on nails as her treat when we were shopping. She was really upset after trying them because they flew off as soon as she put them on. I told her that if her mom said it was okay, I would buy her some nail glue, and that would hold them on better.

After she called and said her mom was okay with it, I checked at Wal for the glue. I ended up buying a brand that was "buy one, get one free" cuz I thought it would be good for holding my nails together when they break way down low and start cracking across the nail. One for her, one for me! I also bought her acetone polish remover, cuz it said on the glue you need it to remove the fake nails. While I was picking these things out, I saw they had a huge display of fake nails... in all lengths, plain and fancy... and I started thinking about them.

I have crummy nails. I got them from my mom. I have tried a million things to strengthen them, and nothing works. Trust me- between me and my mom, we have tried it all! My nails get a little length, then break or split or peel and I end up having to trim them down to the quick. I have always been jealous of people with nice nails. I haven't gotten fake nails from a salon tho, cuz I am pry allergic to them and they take a lot of upkeep. Plus I heard they make your actual nails way weaker and thin so when you get them taken off you are left with nothing. Basically, once you start, you are stuck.

SO, the fake glue on nails intrigued me. The next time I was at the store, I got some short length french manicure nails. It was a "free double" pack, so there was 48 nails total. Sadly I seem to have very large nails, so I had trouble picking the ones that fit once I got home. Even with the double pack, the majority were tiny and didn't fit any of my nails! I did manage to finally pick out one for each nail, and glued them on.

** Note- my sister STILL has my camera, so these were taken with my phone. Sorry!**
They looked great! Not too fake, a nice pale pink with white tips. They weren't too long, either. In fact, the pinkie, my strongest nail for some reason, was barely longer than mine. I loved them.

Until the next morning when I realized one was missing and I had to find one that fit and glue it on. Over the next three days, I had to glue back on at least seven nails. I was obsessed with checking them to make sure they were all on. I started carrying nail glue in case one fell off. It was very tiring. But, no one noticed they were fake!

I keep them on for three days. I wanted my nieces to see on Sunday. Then the stress was too much so I tried to take them off. Yeah, tried. They pop off at will until you want them off! The glue directions say to soak in acetone nail polish remover. Well, acetone seems to eat thru dixie cups, so I was stuck with one nail in the cap of the remover. I soaked for a half hour, realized the nails seemed to be melting, but still did not come off, got bored and tried to pick them, tho the instructions say DON'T. They mean it. DON'T!

I ended up taking off a few layers of nail on my middle finger. The whole mess took an hour to get off totally.

I do NOT recommend glue on nails. Ever. :)

Oh, by the way, the glue sucks for holding split nails together. Holds for like an hour, max. Sigh.

Have a good weekend,
Anne