real or fake nails

[Catherine Dickson]

Just wondering: pros and cons of fake vs. real nails.

Catherine

7 users thanked author for this post.

Michelle Brown, Lauren Mugnaia, Robin Snow, Liara Wolfe, Brittney Andrews

Topic

[Eileen Bach]

The choice depends on what you do on a daily basis, and the condition of your natural nails. For the part time girls who do hard work, longish nails are impossible to keep. Those with brittle nails should use a hardener. Most women have a side to side curve to their nails which adds strength. Men with a flatter nail bed, glue ons tend to pop off.

A couple of hints from my Terri, who works with dirty machines all day. Use Lava soap and a stiff tooth brush to clean nails and all around area. Cut bristles short to make the brush stiffer. A clear coat on cuticles and edges helps keep polish from staining. Same cleaning method gets the few stains out after removing polish.

Most times, she just uses polish, loves the deep reds! The false nails won’t stay on unless super glued, which is time consuming to get off. Kiss brand has an assortment box of a hundred nails that include nails wide enough for thumbs.

2 users thanked author for this post.

Harriette, Mariana S.

[Deborah Sullivan]

I regularly use nail polish and especially red and sometimes just clear. They are long for a man but I still prefer the press on nails for the feeling of instant length and shape. Once I put them on its like instant femininity hits you and one notices the feeling right away. I have thin fingers like most women and they definitely look great

2 users thanked author for this post.

Harriette, Leonara

[Jennifer Atwell]

I’m a fan of fake nails since I don’t often present as female in public.  With fake nails it’s easy to revert at the end of a session of dressing.  I use press on type nails (Kiss) that are pre-glued and prefer the medium length if I can find them.

4 users thanked author for this post.

Harriette, Brittney Andrews, Leonara, Deborah Sullivan

[Julie]

The con with fake nails is they are bad for your own natural nails just like gel nail polish while your own natural nails and regular nail polish have no cons.

• This reply was modified 5 months ago by Julie.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Lauren Mugnaia

[Danika Ruse]

Good morning Ladies,

Thank you ask for the great posts and ideas.  I absolutely love having painted nails. I most always have my toes painted when I have a pedi and I paint my fingers when I’m home.  I have a question for anyone who can help.

I have wide thumbs 18-19mm. I would like to find a set of false nails for those times when I really want to glam it up but all the ones I’ve found are pre-painted and rather expensive.  Is there a brand that offers wide nails I can shape and paint myself and reuse? I’ve asked a few online stores and I can’t seem to get a good answer.  One company actually responded “if you want that kind you can buy the cheep ones at walmart”

So any help you can offer would be so greatly appreciated.

Dani

5 users thanked author for this post.

Leonara, Lauren Mugnaia, Michelle Brown, Robin Snow

[Paula Here]

I enjoy booth fake and real.  I pre paint my fake nails then stick them on.  This is for when i want much longer nails.

I do keep my nails longer than most, and have clear polish on all the time with the odd weekend with what ever colour i want.

Fake nails are for special occasions real painted nails are for every day wear.

 

Paula

9 users thanked author for this post.

Leonara, Lauren Mugnaia, Susan Talbot, Michelle Brown, Robin Snow, Brittney Andrews, BillieJay, Catherine Dickson

[Sandra Lasco]

Hi Catherine,
As I always keep my nails long, I can easily file them into the shape I want prior to applying nail polish. I only use thin acrylic nails to glue on top of one of my broken natural nails. I have quite feminine hands and fingers which makes my nails mostly look like those of a cis woman. It’s super practical and passable when I am in girls mode, however, looks a bit unusual when I have to switch into male mode. I have then at that stage take of the coating and cut my nails into a more casual shape.
Hugs, Sandra

5 users thanked author for this post.

Lauren Mugnaia, Michelle Brown, Brittney Andrews, Catherine Dickson

[Anonymous]

I just recently started using press-on gel nails and I love them! So easy and quick to put on, doesn’t require the steady hand of painting, and are super easy to remove! For me, it’s perfect and make make hands look soooo pretty! Game changer, IMHO…

8 users thanked author for this post.

Stephaniewy, Jennifer Atwell, Lauren Mugnaia, Michelle Brown, Robin Snow, Brittney Andrews, Catherine Dickson

[Anna Rose]

Which brand of press on nails do you use, I have tried the Kiss brand and they are too narrow for my nails.  Thanks in advance for your reply.

2 users thanked author for this post.

Lauren Mugnaia, Connie Wittnee

[Anonymous]

I love to paint my nails, one of my favorite fem things to do, but the opportunity doesn’t present itself as often as I would like.  I also grow my nails longer than most men so when I have the opportunity, I can paint them.  I have also used fake nails and they can be fun as well.  Some sites  have slightly wider fake nails for male fingers.  Either way, give me pretty nails!!

5 users thanked author for this post.

Lauren Mugnaia, Michelle Brown, Robin Snow, Brittney Andrews, Catherine Dickson

[Anonymous]

Hi Catherine,

I know false nails can give an almost immediate and professional, ‘wow’ look, but I’ve never got on with them. But I also know for a lot of members, long nails, like removing body hair may not be possible in their own circumstances. So you might decide false nails are your only option.

I prefer to keep my nails long – or at least I try to keep them long, because breakages can happen regularly, and if your nails are long, suddenly you don’t have a ‘perfect’ set.

Most of the time I have clear gloss hardener on them. But if I have a window, I’ll splash more colour on them.

What I like about real nails is that they are a 24 / 7 reminder of femininity. Above a certain length, you have to adopt a more gentle ( or necessary) use of your hands and different postures – e.g. for typing at a keyboard, or even opening a can with a ring pull. Delicacy is the order of the day. Sometimes I’ve just thrust a hand in front pockets of jeans, and left a broken fingernail top behind. Lol – and I’ll do something similar again. There seems to be 101 ways to break a nail.

Marti xxx

8 users thanked author for this post.

Harriette, Lauren Mugnaia, Michelle Brown, Robin Snow, Catherine Dickson, Roberta Broussard

[Peta Mari]

I grow my nails slightly longer than normal for men. And paint them on a regular basis. I have a sheer fav called white babe. (Sinful colors) for when drab. I aso like coating them with matte coat.

I have never tried fake nails. I work withmy hands, so they are not practical. I use a nail hardener on a regular basis. My nails can become brittle and easily break. (I just broke one this afternoon, carrying shopping in.

I buy 1 liter containers of acetone, and refil nail polish remover bottles through a little funnel.. i add a bit of olive oil to it, and give it a shake.  Pure acetone gets polish off like nothing else, but it is a little harsh. Olive oil buffers it a bit.

11 users thanked author for this post.

Harriette, Lauren Mugnaia, Marlene Roberts, Michelle Brown, Robin Snow, Catherine Dickson, Brittney Andrews, Roberta Broussard

[Victoria Femme]

Like most things here, this is a big topic.

I’ll share my opinions and experiences. I’m sure there will be other opinions from others that are great.

One time I actually had my nails fully done for a long weekend. Acrylic extensions and gel paint. It was so great and I’m so happy I did it. BUT! I didn’t go to a regular nail salon. I found a lady who had her own room in a building. I explained that I just wanted it for a few days, and she was super happy to accommodate. I recommend shy people find something like this if they want to try it.

Now, how I used to do my nails was painting them with lacquer (not gel) on weekends I knew I would be alone. It comes off easily with acetone. Tho some colors like red will stain your nails. I found bleach was the only thing that could remove it. So keep that in mind. And nail polish remover works, but takes longer.

A downside to lacquer is that it’s a pain to remove at times. It gets into all the cracks around your nails and can be challenging.

Now I use fake nails and crazy glue. They come off easily with acetone, but the fake nails can’t be reused. I’m fortunate that I don’t have thick fingers for a guy. So the fake nail packs they sell online look good. I also don’t leave the house. So if one pops off I can just glue it back on. But if I was going out, I would paint them.

I personally recommend you try both lacquer and fake nails. Then decide which you like best. I would avoid gel, since I’ve heard it’s nearly impossible to remove.

10 users thanked author for this post.

Harriette, Leonara, Lauren Mugnaia, Connie Wittnee, Michelle Brown, Robin Snow, Catherine Dickson, Roberta Broussard

[Author]

Replies