Nails

[nugsmom]

Does anybody still get their nails done with acrylic? I haven't in a long time, but was considering it for my cruise, and then take them off afterward. Opinions, please?

[ajpack]

There is damage to your own nails when they put on acrylic nails. Personally, I wouldn't do it. It took my nails 5 months to grow out after I had the acrylics removed. Also, if you break a nail, I don't know if you will be able to get it repaired on the ship.

 

anne

[Happy ks]

Too much damage to your natural nail as a temporary means. I have gel nails, a little more pricey than acrylic, but they do not damage your own nails. Still, a bit much as a temporary fix.

 

Why not just treat yourself to regular manicures for a couple months before your cruise? If you keep your nails manicured they should look nice, natural, clear nails are always in fashion.

[critterchick]

I do the acrylics. I take them off every 2 years or so & let my natural nails recover. I just like the look & durability. Your nails will get scuffed up some during the process, but should recover fairly quickly if you only keep the acrylics on for a couple of weeks. Mine will be a mess when I take them off.:eek:

 

I know that some ships offer fills, full sets & repairs at astronomical prices, as you might expect. We're on Radiance in (less than) 2 weeks - does anybody know what the offerings are there?

[lszu]

I have acrylics. I know they aren't great for my "real" nails, but my real nails weren't in that great of shape to begin with.

 

If you have decent nails, just go for regular manicures. Not sure I'd recommend acrylics for such a short period of time.

[nugsmom]

Well, being as my cruise is Sept 19, I don't think I have time to work on mine! LOL! I had acrylics for ages and it did take forever for mine to get right. But I thought if I just got them and kept them for a little while it might not ruin mine. Mine are not in such great shape anyway, so not much to ruin!

[you_wonder]

nugsmom,

 

I am a nail tech. I will be cruising 11 Sept if "IVAN" lets me.

 

Acrylic does not hurt your nails. It is how they are applied and removed that does the damage. If you have not had artificial nails, they take some getting use to. Meaning, if you get them done just before your cruise, you do not have time to get use to how you have to work differently with them.

 

A good manicure right before is not a bad idea. But there are also a lot of other artificial options than acrylic. Gels as was mentioned as well as fiberglass and silks. There is also a great acrlyic dip product around that I prefer for events such as this.

 

Without looking at your nails it is hard to say exactly what your best option is, but please go to a good salon if you decide.

 

Good luck with your choice.

[Linda&Mike]

I have a tech question for you. A couple of cruises ago I had my acrylic nails airbrushed with some dolphins on it, and while onboard it seemed the combination of suntan lotion and salt water in the pools made the white paint from the air brush design all gooey like, I was wondering if I had an air brush again if there was some type of sealer or something I could put on the top that would maybe stop them from getting gooey? The last time the tech did put 1 layer of top coat on but it seemed not to be enough. Thanks for any advice yu can give me! :)

 

Linda

[BottledRed]

I'm an acrylic nail girl, and I found through a little research that the salon on my ship can fix/repair any problems that might come up. Since I only get my nails done every other week, anyway, I'm going to have a fill right before my cruise and that should take care of it :)

 

On Carnival Conquest, a repair is $10!!! (Quite pricey)

[JanetMarie]

I have gel and absolutely love them. ;) I get a French manicure every time, and it holds up like the very first day!

[critterchick]

I got a sample price list for Radiance by emailing RCL's customer service. A full set is $83 and a fill is $44:eek: ! I'm getting mine touched up before I leave, and hoping I don't break one! Talk about taking advantage of a captive audience (I know, I know, capitalism at its finest):D

[Solo Cruiser]

I have gel overlays on my natural nails. I get them filled every 2 weeks and they have held up fine, no damage or fungus or anything in the last 10 years. I will get a manicure and pedicure the day before I fly out for 18 days but also plan to take a few nail emergency items with me: file, clippers, nail glue, non-acetone polish remover in a little tub that I can just stick my fingers in to remove polish, my own bottle of polish in case they don't have my color in the beauty salon. I don't expect to have to repair the overlays but I will likely need a new polish before the ship returns home. My nail tech recommends that I try a french manicure for the cruise as it won't show signs of wear like regular polish, we'll see lol. I will have my toes painted my current favorite color, OPI's God Save the Queen's Nails.

[AuntieBon]

For the short time nail fix I would suggest going with tips and silk or linen wraps. Easier to put on and take off. I've had acrylics for 5+ years and love not having to worry about the polish chipping.

[JanetMarie]

Sandy! I'm going to have to check out that OPI color - God Save the Queen. Sounds comical and would love to see it...:rolleyes:

[you_wonder]

Linda,

 

I do not use an airbrush. So I cannot give you a qualified answer.

 

Salt water does really eat up artificial nails and can yellow any product. But I do not know what would make it gooey.

 

I am sorry that I cannot help you.

[Solo Cruiser]

JanetMarie:

 

It's one of the older colors so ask your tech or check it out in the stores where they sell OPI. This is my new favorite but it's neck and neck with Bogata Blackberry, my old favorite LOL.

[PGcruiser]

I will get a manicure and pedicure before cruising as we always have bare toes. I keep my nails fairly short but it is nice to have them spruced up for the holiday.

[IPlayTwo]

I had this same problem before we got married. We were married at a resort in Jamaica and I guess the salt water and chlorine did quite a job. I didn't even bring any nail polish with me. Luckily they had a salon at the resort and while I was getting my hair done for the big day another girl was painting my nails. The acrylic was fine but I think if you have your nails airbrushed it becomes all gooey. So I don't recommend airbrushing before spending anytime in a pool or in the ocean.

[Jane110]

How much do you ladies typically spend on acryllic, silk, wrapped nails? And how often does it need to be repaired or redone?

 

I have my nails manicured once a week, cost is $10. plus tip.

 

I have them done the day before my cruise and if I need to have one mid-cruise, I usually opt for a simple "change of polish' which is a lot less than the sky high prices the ships usually charge for a full manicure.

 

Jane

(in Paris now where the manicures are more $$$ than NYC but less than on cruise ships!)

[Jane110]

BTW,

 

For anyone going on a Baltic cruise that stops in Gdansk, Poland.

 

On the main street of town, (where EVERYONE goes) there's a salon that has manicures for $5.00. You'll see the sign, can't miss it.

 

It was a good manicure too!

 

Jane

[KKB]

I am lucky that I have strong nails if I let them grow and keep at least clear polish on them.

Have found a great place in town that charges $20 for mani or pedi, or $30 for both. Nice pampering, and the pedi lasts weeks. I can do it myself, but that is affordable enough to at least do before the cruise.

I did acrylics this summer. Really like them, but I need fills every 10 days, and I just can't stomach the time and expense for that.

Do be careful of the cheap places for acrylics. They likely use MMA for acrylics and it isn't approved by the FDA for acrylics--can really damage your nails. If the price seems too good to be true, they likely are using MMA. If they are wearing masks, and you can smell the citrusy smell, they are likely using MMA. I spent around $50 initially and $25 fills in a small midwestern city. The places offering $25 initially and $10 fills I don't go to.

KKB

[BottledRed]

I go to a nice place in town with $25 full set, $15 fill. I get a $23 pedicure once a month, too. I've never noticed a citrus smell and they don't wear masks there, so I'm not sure about the MMA.

 

My fav color is OPI's Down to My Last Penny, although Live from NY, It's OPI is a close second.

[Nliedel]

I kept breaking my gel nails. I do acrylics occaissionally but now that I am pregnant I have the nails of my dreams... too bad it is the waistline of my nightmares.

[TootyJane]

I have a tech question for you. A couple of cruises ago I had my acrylic nails airbrushed with some dolphins on it, and while onboard it seemed the combination of suntan lotion and salt water in the pools made the white paint from the air brush design all gooey like, I was wondering if I had an air brush again if there was some type of sealer or something I could put on the top that would maybe stop them from getting gooey? The last time the tech did put 1 layer of top coat on but it seemed not to be enough. Thanks for any advice yu can give me! :)

 

Linda

 

Linda, I had the problem with my acrylic nails becoming "gooey" when I put suntain lotion on a few summers ago. I then gave my nails a rest and I had new acrylics put on. I explained to nail tech what had happened. Her guess what that it was the acrylic product itself. I never had that problem again. BTW, the switched to gels about 9 months ago and really prefer them over the acrylic. No gooey problem with these either plus they look more natural. HTH.

 

Lisa :)

[TinaLee]

JanetMarie ~ don't know if you have a Blooming Beauty store anywhere around you, but they carry more varieties of OPI polish than I have seen anywhere else. When I was in there last week they still had all the British Invasion colors, the Greek Isles series, all the classics, and hundreds more - almost an entire aisle!

 

My personal favorite is Friar, Friar Pants on Fire, which is a corally RED color for the toes and French for the fingers. I bring the stuff along to touch up the French for myself if it needs it. I've actually gotten quite good at doing a French manicure at home on myself! :eek: All it takes is practice and a good brush to do the shaping of the 'white' part of the manicure!

 

I wore acrylics for years, done by someone I thought was a very good tech, but apparently not. My nails have still never recovered, very heavily ridged and brittle. I've been told the damage was done to the nail bed itself and there's not a whole lot that can be done about it at this poitn. Nailtiques helped quite a bit, but I still have to be very careful with them.

 

TinaLee