I went from wearing fake acrylic nails all throughout high school to baring my natural nails in college. I suppose I had a change of heart. I mean I enjoyed having an airbrushed manicure on perfectly squared nails for special occasion such as dances, but then I decided it was time to give up the costly habit and show my natural beauty. From time to time, I will go get a basic manicure, but I’m comfortable doing it on my own for the most part. If I was going to go back to fake nails, I think I would try gel nails this time around.

I know there have been some horror stories about acrylic nails (damaging the natural nail bed, fungus, etc.), but I didn’t have any problems with mine. I did maintain them regularly and used a nail brush to remove any dirt or grime from underneath the nail. One problem I had with acrylic is that they always seemed so thick. Since I’m a petite lady, I prefer shorter nails, but it’s difficult to find a nail technician that can do short, thin acrylic nails. Also, after I got them taken off, my nails had lost their strength and thickness and were as flexible as paper. Finally, they are hard again, but I’m not sure I would ever go back to acrylic.

Although I’ve never tried gel nails, my hair stylist gets hers done, and they always look amazing. She usually gets colored gel, and she said that you can never tell when it chips. Her gel nails also looked thinner than acrylic, because I remember first thinking that they were her real nails.

What type do you prefer?