The next experiment involved two changes. The first was the inclusion of an OPI Nail Envy base coat on the nail bed in order to seal the nail bed against moisture between the nail bed and the artificial nail. This is a technique recommended by a nail technician on a forum I read, and it's not only supposed to seal the nail bed, but protect and strengthen it from damage. The second was the use of unpainted nails.
Here is what I bought for the base coat:
This essentially looks like a clear nail polish, and comes off easily with nail polish remover. I've started using this between nail applications, in an effort to keep the nail bed strong.
The next new product was the unpainted nails, which comes in a packet of 100 along with a larger container of nail glue.
These went on similarly to the original French nails described in Part 1. Each container provides enough nails to support five applications of a full set of nails if you want to use the same sizes every time. I gave my extras (the ones that didn't fit my nail bed) to Sister Stacey. As usual, I made a mess with the glue, and then had the added opportunity to make a further mess with the nail polish:
Pros: Nice natural look. Gives the opportunity to decorate the nails as you wish. They stayed firmly in place until I removed them on Day 8.
Cons: The color hides visual clues that the nail might be lifting, making the base coat even more important. I suck at painting my own nails, so they don't look as tidy. As the nails grew out, the line between the cuticle and the painted nail became more obvious. I suspect painting the nails before you applied them would mitigate this.
Final Verdict: These require more effort than the other varieties, since they're not painted, so the only time I'll probably wear these is if the brand I prefer (Kiss) does not have a set in a color I really want.
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Part 1 may be found here.
Part 2 may be found here.
Part 3 may be found here.
Part 5 may be found here.
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