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Doing your nails nowadays costs an arm and a leg. Designs cost five dollars extra, gemstones and lengths of the nails are 30 extra. And I get it. Nail technicians are using their time, effort, and spending money on materials — naturally none of it will be cheap. And even worse is that the nail trends change in the blink of an eye. As someone who does her own nails, I even get confused on what’s the current trend.
My mom started taking me to the nail salon in middle school. The first couple of times I went I got nail polish and as I got older, it switched to gel polish. Thankfully, I got my mom’s genetics and my nails grew super long. It’s one of the first moments where I could feel girly and not be afraid to show it. Mom and dad paid to get my nails done up until I started working at Jersey Mikes my junior year of high school. I wanted to get a sense of what it’s like to work for the things I want. Luckily, I have been blessed with parents that sacrificed parts of themselves to make sure my siblings and I had an easy life. And the funny thing is, they even told me that if it got too hard that I could just quit and continue being completely supported by them. A year later, I did end up quitting, but only because my senior year was coming to a start and I felt like I needed to focus. However, my mom being the girly girl she is, noticed my nails weren’t looking as polished as they usually were and offered to pay for them again. I did say yes, but I felt bad. I no longer felt like the little girl I once was. That’s when I bought a gel polish nail kit from Le Mini Macaron and although the specific one I bought from them is no longer being sold, I still use it to this day.Â
A visual and a kinesthetic learner like myself thrived from this hobby. All those years of watching the nail technicians working on my nails, memorizing the steps and the materials they used on me, I could finally do it on myself. The first couple of times, my nails would chip fast, they would peel, and the paint would be on my skin too. It was a frustrating experience and all the Youtube videos I watched weren’t as helpful as I needed them to be. The more I did my nails, the more my creativity flourished. My mom has even told me that I could make a business out of it since I was so good at it myself. Of course, I said no because all the materials I use on myself are really only for myself. I am also not a trained nail technician, so I could never put someone else in harm’s way because I wanted to make an extra buck.
Doing my nails now has become both a chore and a hobby. I have grown accustomed to having my nails done and it feels like something that is a part of me. I have learned how to draw with my left hand and while not always twins, they will be sisters! My natural nails have usually been long enough so that I can do bigger designs. My favorite sets that I’ve done are Spiderman, Strawberries, and Tuxedo Sam. Although they all have turned out cute, I definitely wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. If I had the money, I would pay for classes so that I can do my nails safely, but as a broke college student, I have to save my money and in a way, continue putting myself at risk whenever I do my nails. My biggest fear is developing an allergy to the gel polish and I would have to pay extra to get hypoallergenic ones. There are many risks and that is something I would love for people to keep in mind. Once you start painting your nails on a regular basis, you have to find the time to do it again.
 Doing my nails saved me hundreds of dollars. Although painting my nails brings me stress, the compliments and the ability to boast about my skills brings me a bit more satisfaction.