Over spring break, I was home in chilly New Hampshire bored out of my mind. In an attempt to get out of my pajamas and actually go into the world and socialize, I texted my friend and asked if she was up for our usual activity: food and manicures. Of course, she was.
“What are you thinking for your nails?” she asked.
“Honestly, I’m intrigued by acrylics. A little intimidated, too,” I responded.
“We’ll do it together.” And so, it was settled. We would brave the acrylic nails together.
After a hearty Panera lunch, we went to my friend’s usual place, where we were greeted warmly and quickly seated for our manicures. As my technician clipped my nails, he asked if I had had acrylics before. I felt nervous telling him no, wondering what horrors of acrylics past he had seen in his lifetime. But he worked quietly, and the result looked pretty damn good. I examined my nails, purple and almond-shaped, and resisted the urge to take selfies and start a line of lip kits. I felt like a superstar- a superstar who was afraid to open her wallet and drive her car at risk of breaking a nail. My dogs didn’t like the improvement: I got home and tried to pet them but, in their confusion, they just wanted to eat my acrylics.
My nailbeds felt heavy and a little bit sore after a day or so. I was still terrified to do anything with them, but I couldn’t keep living in fear. I was going to see “In the Heights” that evening, which always makes me cry, so to prevent my glasses from fogging up I decided to wear contacts. Yes, touching my eyes with glorified talons was a panic-inducing experience. But I can confirm it is doable. As my nails grow out I’ve been wearing glasses more, but I can still get my contacts in and out with only mild fear.
My nails have always grown alarmingly fast. In the week and few days since my appointment I have a decently-sized strip of actual nail growing in, proving to the world I am a fraud who needs to go back to get these acrylics off. I have yet to break a nail but the fear lives in the back of my mind: today I swiped into my building and jammed my thumb against the wall. Pain shot up into the space beneath my nail. I almost yelled because at the possible thought that I just broke my nail. I didn’t, but the fear still lingered.
I have a friend who gets her nails done regularly near Denison and she has agreed to let me come with her to her next manicure, so I can get mine off. But overall, I’ve enjoyed my acrylic experience. I may get a new set done for my sorority formal just because acrylics are so neat and clean. The polish on my acrylics has not chipped as much as it does on my regular nails, and I just love how versatile you can be with your length and shape.
Overall, I’ve had a wonderful acrylics experience. If you’ve been on the fence for a while like I was, I say take the plunge and get them done. Don’t get them super long your first time and be SUPER careful: acrylics aren’t cheap, and it would suck to break one and have to pay to have it fixed. They’re higher maintenance than regular nails but they are beautiful and will make you feel like the queen you deserve to be.