Pretty Nails for a Whole Lot Less...

Hello Ladies!

As many of you out there are guilty for paying expensive nail salon prices, so am I. For the past few years, I became hooked on my pretty french-tipped acrylic nails. I receive so many compliments on them, my fingers look dainty, and my rings look so much prettier when my nails are all dressed up.

Here's the thing ladies, do you realize how much money has gone down the drain for your nail upkeep? Let's look at my situation. For the past year, I've spent $90 a month on my nails. How so? Well, every week I went for my fill-ins, which is $20. So that's $80 a month plus the few bucks I give every week for a tip. That's $1,080 a year!

Now you're probably thinking, I go every week to get my fill-ins, but you go only every 2 weeks. Still, if you're paying about $16-$20 every 2 weeks for fill-ins, that's still $32-$40 a month, which comes out to $384-$480 a year!! That's enough to pay for a utility bill or a car payment!

Anyways, here's the money saving tip from me to you...Do your OWN nails, and here's how to make them look professional...

The last time you went to Walgreens to buy a pack of $5 nails, it was probably back in 1990! LOL! But things have changed, and glue-on "at home" nails have become beautiful and much more high-tech. The trick is to buying fake nails at the drugstore that have a CLEAR base. That means, for instance, if you were to buy french tips, get the nails that are totally clear by the part you glue to your nail, not the ones with the peachy or pinkish color.

The next step is to find brush on glue, NOT the kind that comes with the kit where you dab a drop onto your nail. Get the one you actually have to brush on your nail like nail polish. When you apply the nail, press EXTREMELY tight to get rid of any bubbles that can show through the clear plastic nail. I mean press TIGHT! The tighter you press, the less bubbles/imperfections you'll see. Also make sure you squeeze the nail as close to your cuticles as possible for a more natural look. When you are done, file your nails the way you've studied at the salon. I file mine in a pretty square shape with slightly rounded edges, and I keep them long enough to look feminine but short enough to actually do things with them without looking like I have claws. The key to these drug store nails is to make sure you play with the sizes before you start gluing. Look for the nail in the box that fits best for each nail first. Line them up before you glue them on to make sure your nails match up on each hand, THEN do the gluing. And voila!!

It's amazing how fake drugstore nails have come a long way! My nails don't start coming off for about a week +. The soonest they've come off was a week.

So, you can either throw your money down the drain every week (or every 2 weeks) like I did, our you could go to Walgreens and by some clear french tip nails (or colored nails) and apply them yourself. I pay $2.99 for the nail glue, and I only buy my clear fake french tipped nails when they're on sale. Regular price is $5.99, but I pay $3.19 when they're on sale. I'm cheap, I know, but at least my nails look good and I'm paying less than half the cost. So for less than $10 a month (less than $120 a year), my hands look just as pretty as the other girls and it's not breaking the bank=)
Another plus to doing your own nails is that you don't have to worry about what time the salon opens and closes. I usually do my nails when I'm watching tv after work, and it only takes me about a half hour! I love it! Filing them takes the longest amount of time since it's hard to file the plastic nail, but they come out looking salon-quality!!! Try this at home girls and let me know how it works. I'd love to hear that I helped you all save some money=)

ps. if you're worried about a fake nail falling off, I suggest you buy an extra brush on glue to carry in your purse. However, my nails never just fall off. I press them on soooo tightly that they feel like they're glued for life! When they get weak, you'll know because the nails won't seem as tight on your real nail, and they'll get weak around the edges like acrylic nails do. At that point, redo the nail before it comes off by itself when you least expect it.