Kylie Jenner Nails

My love for pretty nails probably started when I was just a toddler - Watching my mum doing her nails sparked an appetite in me to desire all things pretty, elegantly painted nails being one of them.

I remember being a 4 year old, shakily painting my own nails with the tinkerbell make-up set I received for my birthday. Over the years I got better and thought myself to be a bit of a pro because I could paint both hands neatly without having trouble doing my right hand with my left (I am right handed.)

I love nail polish, and a glossy coat of corals and pinks make me happy. I experimented with nail art from stickers to rhinestones, french manis to bold neons and for my last birthday got a stamping kit from my gran but I had never tried fakes and never really needed to as I had always had nails that were strong and grew fairly quick. 

However for the past few months I had problems with breakage not that they were really weak but the fact that I am vigorous when I open a bottle or when I peal off a price tag. So I was dealing with different lengths from filing down chips or cutting off major breakage. This annoyed me to no end so I began looking at alternatives to keeping long pretty nails.

I'm not the greatest fan of the Kardashians but if you aren't living under a rock it's hard to avoid them. Kylie Jenner, has made a few waves in the media with her blue hair and her long nails. I saw a few pictures of her nails and thought they looked good even though she was part of a family famous for the wrong things, her nails weren't half bad so I thought I would look in to them. 

Kylie had long acrylic nails shaped in stiletto, so I started reading up on acrylics. I thought to myself I use acrylic paint how bad can acrylic nails be?

Kylies Nails on Instagram

So what are acrylic nails?

Acrylic nails is an artificial nail used to extend your natural nail by use of polymer powder and liquid monomer. An artificial extension is glued on to the nail then acrylic is applied to the entire nail, which hardens completely after 15 minutes.

I thought that was pretty simple but the down side to this was that it takes around 30 min to remove by using acetone and a nail file. Not something I'm really patient with. Acrylics also need to be filled in every 2-3 weeks because of regrowth and there is the risk of infection or really bad breakage. With that, I was almost put off - but with a lot of deliberation I made a decision on the spur of the moment to have them done on a chilly  Friday afternoon.

Getting my nails did

I looked at a lot of examples on Google images and Instagram of what acrylics looked like and I liked what I saw. Not everything was as striking as Kylie Jenners claws - some were simple and elegant. 

So I called the nearest salon which was just 5 minutes away. Banbury Nail bar situated in Brightwater Commons Flea Market seemed like a good place to get my nails done for the first time. They were a long running beauty salon and I felt I could put my nails in their hands.

I called and was lucky to get an appointment for the next hour. Still contemplating if I should or shouldn't, I went with should or it will bug me till I get it done.

I arrived at my appointment after getting lost, walking around in circles I finally made my way to Bunbary nail bar just in time for my 1pm appointment. I was assisted by the lovely staff at the salon who advised me to have tips done and in a nude pink.

The Process 

Tips

After choosing the colour I wanted, my nail technician cut and filed my nails down and pushed back my cuticles. It was quite relaxing to have someone file my nails, I felt like I was being pampered.

She then took out a box of artificial nails and started sizing them against my own. When she found the correct size for each, she took out a bottle of glue and started gluing each nail in place. The fake nails were placed about two millimetres on the end of my nails. She placed the glue on the natural nail, then pressed the fake one down and applied pressure for a few seconds until it had adhered.

Once the tips were all on she asked how long I wanted it, I pointed at the length I thought suited my myself. She then clipped the excess nails off with a special acrylic nail clipper and started filing my nails into the shape I wanted. I was going for a cross between almond and stiletto, I liked the shape stiletto nails were sculpted into but I wasn't keen on having a sharp point so she rounded the tips into an almond shape.

Applying Acrylic

I opted for a nude pink colour for my nails and my technician got the acrylic supplies ready. She took out the monomer liquid and the polymer powder which were in separate containers. The polymer was in a lovely nude pink that I was looking for. She used a special brush and dipped it in both products, first the monomer than the polymer. Then she carefully applied it to my natural nail as well as the tip. She repeated the process in order to blend the tip and the nail together creating a solid nude pink layer.

As I watched her painting my nails it was like nothing I have ever seen before when it came to doing nails. I could tell that this was her craft and she knew how to do it well, her brush strokes were definitive and swift. From dipping the brush in the formulas to applying it on my nails and wiping the brush off - As a painter myself I could relate to her skills and appreciated her  artistry.

Shaping 

After my nails had set it was time to define the shape and buff out the nails to get the nail smooth and looking good. She look her time on each nail until it was the correct length and shape using one of those padded nail files and buffing blocks. 

Final results and after care

I love my new nails! They are pretty and the colour goes with every outfit. For the first day or so my nails hurt a bit but this was expected and my natural nails had to get used to it. There are a lot of restrictions I didn't think about before getting them at a long length - I need to be extra careful with what I do with my hands such as opening bottle caps or the fact that I can't apply face cream or foundation without getting it stuck under my nails. 

I am now extra hygienic, having them at this length. I make sure I clean under my nails and have been washing my hands more often than usual. When I cook and need to use my hands to spice meat or kneed dough I use disposable gloves so that I keep my nails clean and avoid spreading any bacteria that may be lurking under my nails.

Acrylic nails need to be filled every 2 - 3 weeks if not the nails could break, cause cracks or separate from the natural nail. Even worse bacteria can get between the nail and acrylic, thriving in the warm conditions in that area fungus can grow - just thinking about it makes me grossed out so it is very important to maintain acrylic nails and I will get a fill as soon as I see the regrowth.

Thank you lovelies for reading! Banbary Nail Bar is situated in the Randburg Flea Market within Brightwater commons they are friendly professional nail technicians who not only do nails but massages and waxing too. I would recommend them to anyone looking for some pampering.

Till next time 

 

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