Thread: Yukky fingernail emergency - need a quick rescue

O.k. I'm supposed to be modeling on Saturday evening and I'm supposed to be looking in good nick but I looked at my finger nails yesterday and had one of those 'reality bites' moments. They are currently unbelievably scruffy and uneven, and surrounded by tough dry skin and hangnails. they are usually very strong and fast-growing but I've had a string of breaks on them in the last week or so which has taken its toll.

Normally I keep them fairly long because they make my pudgy fingers look longer but they are currently a bit shorter than usual. I'm trying to grow them a bit so I can do them up for a performance that I have in a fortnight. However, in the meantime, I have this photoshoot thing.

I really can't afford a manicure right now.

Any ideas for quick nail tidy-up solutions?

Take any kind of exfoliating scrub you would use on your body, and use it on your hands. The best would be one made of sugar in an oil base, but any kind of decently scrubby scrub will do, though one you would use on your face will probably be too mild. Then file your nails to a nice, even length, and polish them with a light colored polish. (a dark one will call attention to how short both your nails and your fingers are)

If you can spare a couple of dollars, I'm going to admit something a little embarrassing... I've used glue-on nails from the drugstore, and they're fine in a pinch. I wouldn't use them if your hands will be photographed close up, but from even a couple of feet away, they can look fine. There are a couple of things to know to make them look ok, though:
- Get the "active" length ones. They're still longer than most people's short fingernails but they're not so long as they look obviously fake
- Avoid the ones that are already colored. Get the clear ones if you can, or plain french manicure ones if that's the lightest they have, then polish over them yourself. The surface of them doesn't look like natural nail, so they need polish on top to make them look like polished nails.

I actually don't usually wear them as a full set, but whenever I have a really painful and disastrous nail break that breaks far enough back to be over the nail bed, etc, I'll glue a plastic fingernail over it to protect the broken part for a couple of days until the broken part grows out a little, and it hurts less.

Take any kind of exfoliating scrub you would use on your body, and use it on your hands. The best would be one made of sugar in an oil base, but any kind of decently scrubby scrub will do, though one you would use on your face will probably be too mild. Then file your nails to a nice, even length, and polish them with a light colored polish. (a dark one will call attention to how short both your nails and your fingers are)

Ooh, great! Yes! My friend makes home made cosmetics and has just send me a sugar scrub on trial. Great tip about the polish. I was planning on a dark, but I totally see your point - light it is.

Soak your nails in warm water for a few minutes, then rub Vitamin E oil on your cuticles and soak for a few more. Then, dry your hands and gently push the cuticles back and use cuticle nippers or even nail clippers to trim any ragged, torn areas. Then, file and polish.

Originally Posted by khadiya

Ooh, great! Yes! My friend makes home made cosmetics and has just send me a sugar scrub on trial. Great tip about the polish. I was planning on a dark, but I totally see your point - light it is.

Did you know that dark nail polish actually takes the eye away from the hands? Apparently, it makes it less likely that folks will notice if your fingers are short or pudgy or the skin on your hands is not as good as it might be. The dark polish brings the eye to the nail, rather than the hands. Useless snippet there for ya!!! Where did I get it from? Scratch. The mag for nail techs.

Originally Posted by kharis_UK

Did you know that dark nail polish actually takes the eye away from the hands? Apparently, it makes it less likely that folks will notice if your fingers are short or pudgy or the skin on your hands is not as good as it might be. The dark polish brings the eye to the nail, rather than the hands. Useless snippet there for ya!!! Where did I get it from? Scratch. The mag for nail techs.

Thanks for that info! I prefer dark polish on short nails. When I see someone with long nails painted very dark, it always looks harsh to me.

Did you know that dark nail polish actually takes the eye away from the hands? Apparently, it makes it less likely that folks will notice if your fingers are short or pudgy or the skin on your hands is not as good as it might be. The dark polish brings the eye to the nail, rather than the hands. Useless snippet there for ya!!! Where did I get it from? Scratch. The mag for nail techs.

Fascinating Kharis - food for thought as always - thanks!