In today’s age of social media, everything about your appearance, from your hair to your toes, is photographed and uploaded for the approval of the whole world. It has become an almost stressful practice to maintain perfection for that perfect selfie.
Each part of one’s body has become a target to attain impeccable symmetry, giving birth to the rise of such things as hair extensions, eye-lash extensions, capped teeth, contouring, lip-plumping glosses, highlighters and last but not the least, acrylic nails.
How does it work
In layman’s terms, a mixture of liquid monomer and powder are mixed and applied onto your nails to give them length and shape. These can easily be sculpted into your desired shape and polished with any regular nail polish. The beauty of having acrylic nails is the overall change they bring to your hands. They look slimmer, manicured, beautifully kept, and totally fit for Instagram. While regular nails may become brittle over time and break, acrylic nails can last up to 6 to 8 weeks with proper upkeep and maintenance.
Unfortunately, like any artificial beauty enhancer, acrylic nails are not only expensive, but they also require high maintenance. Unlike regular artificial nails, they are not applied to the nail with glue and hence will not be removed like regular artificial nails.
Making acrylic nails
The process of getting a complete set of acrylic nails should always be undertaken by a trained beautician or nail technician. Hence, one should always do proper research of reputable salons and look for one which is not only certified, but also has experience in the application and maintenance of acrylic nails. As chemicals are involved in their application and removal, one should be picky about where to go and who to allow around their hands. A good technician will tell you how often you need to visit to get them filled in, which depends on how fast the natural nail grows out. This can be any time between 2 to 6 weeks, after which they need to be replaced.
What it costs
According to a quick rekey done to gauge the total cost of keeping your acrylics ‘on fleek’ as they say, will cost anywhere between $20 to over $100 for a complete set of acrylic nails. Prices will differ for hands and feet separately, but each removal and filling will again cost somewhere between $15 to over $60. So in order to get them removed, it needs to be made sure that the technician knows what he/she is doing so they don’t permanently wreck your nail bed while removing the nails. The removal of acrylic nails includes soaking the hands in acetone for up to 30 minutes (or until the nails are soft enough) to be removed without wrecking your nail bed.
Conclusion
With all the truth and facts set in front of us about acrylic nails, what do we suppose is the future? Acrylic nails no doubt look beautiful and shiny. They transform the entire look of our hands and feet. Our hands, adorned with the right jewelry and nail polish look fit for any magazine cover for nail art. But for people who have multiple jobs and home or children related commitments, acrylics are not the most budget-friendly nor are they house chores and children-handling friendly. So for people with tight budget and tighter schedules, some good nail vitamins, a nail filer and some nail polish are good options to consider moving forward.
