Getting My Nails Done in The United States (A Nail Catastrophe)

In today's article I'll talk about the good and bad points of getting my nails done in the US and I’ll also talk about my nail fiasco.

Getting My Nails Done in The US

Before moving to Japan, I got my nails done a whopping two times before leaving! LOL. I had just graduated and getting my nails done wasn't on my list of things to do. But I did try to keep my nails painted regularly. Or at least when I went out with my friends.

The Good

Fast forward to my visit home last year in 2019. I wanted to get the works! I had seen on Instagram how everyone was doing their nails. They had the long acrylics, and cool designs. So, I spent about a week trying to find how I wanted to get my nails done. I wanted to go big or go home.

My sister made an appointment at her nail place and I was pleased. I got both a manicure and pedicure. I got acrylics on my fingers, and my big toe is a little strange, so I had to get acrylic on that toe as well. I was so impressed by how they put that goopy stuff on top of the acrylic before painting. I paid about 180 dollars for the set plus the tip.

The Bad

I got my nails done on a Wednesday I believe. I stayed in the US nine more days after getting my nails done. However, by the time I arrived back home, my nails had already grown, and you could see the separation between the painted nails, and my newly grown nail. I also want to add that I don't feel as though they filed or did anything special to my REAL nail before slapping the acrylics on.

I decided that I wanted to try to take off the nail by myself because I was back in Japan. In Japan, I wasn't sure if they knew how to take off that type of nail with the extra layer on it. I thought, how hard could it be. How hard it could be indeed.
I decided to do my nails at night because I thought it would be quick and I was just over my nails. I was having the HARDEST time doing damn near ANYTHING in those dang acrylics. I couldn't do my hair; I couldn't open a jar. I couldn't even do simple things like putting on an earring, buttoning my shirt, and I could barely zip my jeans. I was ready to rip those things off soon after I got them.

Taking off the Nails

As I stated, I decided to take off my nails at night. Big mistake, no HUGE. I was up about FIVE hours trying to get that crap of my nails. I used a "strong" acetone. But I guess in theory it was strong because I could feel the heat radiating from it.

First, I tried the foil method and I let my nails sit for about 20 minutes. The only thing that budged was the dang paint. I tried this same method two or three times before giving up. My head was starting to spin from the chemical smell, so I had to switch rooms. I then tried to put the acetone in a bowl to let my nails soak so that they would come off. I DID finally manage to get the acrylics off. But the goop they put on my nails... Well it wasn't having it.
I had the goop of my nails for WEEKS before it finally decided to come off. But not without the expense of my poor nails. I know they were highly damaged not only from the goop crap, but also because of the acetone.

Since I still had the goop on my nails, it looked so ugly. I decided to cover it up with more fake nails. The glue on nails. Another TERRIBLE idea. It looked cute of course but having the goop AND glue on my nails took a toll on my thumb nail. It made a dent in my nail, that I still have. It's growing out, but until it's healed, I've decided not to put paint or do any more damage.

Take away: Please don't be like me and go to a professional when trying to take off your nails. My nails are still damaged, and I took them off in September. Even though I'm in Japan, the nail technician is WAY more qualified to handle that than you are. Truthfully after that I'm not sure if I want my fingernails done in the US again. It was such a hassle. Good luck on having cute nails.