Laynie Wore a French Manicure!

Winter is an interesting time here in Louisiana. You never know what the weather will do, especially in the winter. The temperatures will be in the 80s one afternoon, in the 30s the next night, then back into the 70s a few days later.  Unfortunately, every time it gets really cold (and sometimes really rainy) our internet becomes really unreliable.

It's been really cold here, and really rainy. As a result, I'm currently sitting in CCs coffee with a turtle mochasippi at my side, trying to hammer out a blog post before I fall asleep. It may or may not happen. I have fear that I'll end up falling asleep with my face on the keyboard, accidentally posting a blog filled with random letters and drool.

Not that I drool when I sleep. Nooo, not me. Besides, drool doesn't travel over the internet. :D

Anyway, I did something totally out of character for me today. Nothing bad, just something I've never done. I've had a packet of Fing'rs Flirt french tip artificial nails sitting in my review box for over a month while I kicked around the idea of wearing them. It's not like I didn't have anything to post... I was really enjoying posting holiday nail art, but I think we've basically exhausted that topic for the year.

So I pulled out my review box this morning and started pulling goodies out, and I realized that hey... I felt like wearing some pretty nails! I didn't want to have to deal with filing and gluing, or damage to my nails. I didn't have a lot of energy either, so I figured what the hell, I'd try the nails. It was a learning experience, to say the least!!

I'm not sure how you're supposed to apply them using the adhesive tabs. I first tried applying the tabs to my fingertips, then pressing the nails into place onto the tabs.That failed miserably! I got three nails sort of on, then realized they felt really wobbly. I pressed lightly against the nail tip and was surprised to see the nail just flop off my finger as if it were almost unattached! I tried the other two as well, and realized that I'd totally wasted the first 10 tabs.

I'll be honest with y'all... I said a few bad words then. Just a few, but still... they were pretty rude. I packed the nails back up and had decided I'd leave them for another day when I realized that no... if I gave up now, I'd be irritated for the rest of the day. There's no way I could let a few little pieces of plastic get the best of me! I couldn't let them win!

Now, I'm almost positive that my technique is so far from right that I'm not going to tell you exactly what I did. Let's just say it involved getting the adhesive on the nail first, and then sticking the whole shebang onto my nail. I used lots of tools, too... the plastic cuticle pusher tool included in the kit, my little scissors I keep in my purse, bamboo skewers... it looked amusing, and probably kind of dangerous.

It's best if you don't think too much about just what I did. Instead, look at the pretty pictures. Aren't they pretty? We took my mom to run errands after I got the nails on and she thought they looked really natural, very feminine and delicate and pretty. I also saw my stepmother who seemed to think they looked nice.

The part that surprised me most is just how pretty I felt wearing them. The nails themselves reminded me of my mom's nails, which made me so happy. My mom always had the perfect hands, the perfect nails. Her nails are so gorgeous, the perfect shape, strong and healthy. She's had people ask her for years if they were her natural nails, and I've seen her prove it more than once by letting them see the underside of her nails. Mine have never looked as pretty as hers, so to look down and see nails that resembled hers totally made my day.

Even though I'm a serious color girl, I absolutely loved the natural, simple look of these. Ok, the sort of natural look, or the natural acrylic look... whatever! They looked really pretty, and they could have been my own with a french manicure. For whatever reason, I didn't miss having sparkles on today, I didn't want bright color or holographic polish. I was happy with a basic french manicure.

Who'd have ever believed that?

As much as I wish I could rave all night about the beauty of these babies, they aren't perfect. I don't know if it's because of how I applied them or if it's just a problem with the adhesive tabs, but if you expand the photo you can see bubbles in the adhesive. There are tiny ones and large ones, and although I'd love to blame the flash, they were visible with regular light as well. If you can't handle that, then you'll hate these.

However, I'm now really, really intrigued by these nails. I think I may end up actually using the glue to attach them, since I know how to get them off now without destroying my nails. We'll have to see. I have a feeling they'd look a lot more natural if I used a brush-on glue. We'll see.

As for the adhesive tabs, they ended up breaking down from what I assume was my body heat after the full say of wearing them. I could have stuck the nails back down for a few more hours without removing them, but I wasn't that worried about keeping them on. They came off with no problems, and although one section of splitting on one nail got lifted, it had already lifted and was just hanging on by sheer force of will. My other 9 nails have absolutely no damage.

I removed the glue residue from my nails with a cottonball and some acetone, then moisturized thoroughly. Although my nails are now deep purple (H&M Goddess On Stage, which you may see tomorrow!), I have to admit... I'm missing the french tips. I never would have imagined I'd enjoy it this much!

So talk to me- what are your thoughts on french manicures? Do you love 'em? Hate 'em? Have you never tried 'em? Are you a funky french girl, or strictly natural? I want to hear all about it!

Until next time...