Gel-less

I decided to treat myself to a manicure before the Edinburgh Whisky Fringe more than five weeks ago and was talked into trying out the gel manicure for an additional £10. I was intrigued by the idea of a manicure lasting two weeks or more and was happy to pay the extra money to have pretty hooker-red nails without worrying about chips.

Only after the manicure was finished, it was explained that I would have to have the polish professionally soaked off when I was ready for a change.

Unfortunately, the days and weeks following my manicure were filled with all sorts of stress, chaos, life changes, and moves that I couldn’t find the time away from my must-do chores list for something that was rather low on the priority list.

So I tried to think of home solutions. I tried regular nail polish remover. It wouldn’t budge. I tried to file the polish off. No joy. I tried painting over the nails to cover up the bits that had grown out. But the new polish wouldn’t stick to the old stuff and peeled off straight away. I tried heavy-duty sandpaper and for a moment even considered white gas. I tried everything but a blowtorch!

Finally, I gave up and went to a nail salon in the Homeland. I just couldn’t stand it any longer.

It took the woman there about 15 minutes to remove the polish by soaking my fingertips in pure acetone for a few minutes then scraping the polish off with a metal implement. She then filed them down and I was on my way – for a $5 price tag.

And now, a few days later, my nails are finally starting to feel smooth again (thanks to daily lotion and cuticle oil). I am so sad that my nails have been destroyed by this process, but I am so glad that I’ve learned my lesson.

Silly me, trying to look good for a cute boy. That’ll teach me!

(I will still have manicures because I like them and it’s a nice little treat, I just won’t do the fancy stuff again. After all, I’m not a fancy girl!)