Millions of women all around the world have no problem paying every month to get their nails groomed, decorated, coated with a few layers of UV gel or even transformed from totally short to unbelievably long. Now, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, I’ve been there myself more than once. However, after having to cut my nails really short and give them a nice big break from all that filing, baking and all, something has changed. I was quite excited to get my nails done again for Christmas and New Year and then, two days before my sister was about to finally sit down and focus her attention and skills on me, I was like, “You know what? I don’t really feel like doing this.” Six months of having completely short nails has made me realize how cute, practical and totally amazing they are and that’s what I want to share with you today. So, here are my pros:
Doesn’t matter if your nails are strong or weak, if you want them to remain short, you don’t have to coat them with any of those gels and whatnot. Now, I’m not going to deal with the quality of those materials now but just mention one simple thing we’ve all learned in the first year of elementary school – objects shrink when chilled and expand when heated. That goes for your nails too and happens every time you go outside, walk into the room, take a shower or wash your hands and that’s why some nail polishes tend to crack after a day or so when applied in a thick layer. Not having to file them or coat them with anything to make them stronger lets them ”breathe” and move naturally because they are like hair – if you let things get build up inside, natural shine will never come through.
Well groomed short nails always look great and there is no way you’ll ever end up asking yourself, “Is it okay for me to show up with my nails looking like this?” Teachers and professors won’t have a problem with them, your future employer won’t look at your CV and think, “Hmm, computer skills… yes, I definitely see how being able to type with THOSE nails can be interpreted as a skill!” Short nails are not a disadvantage on black tie, glam or fancy events either. I mean, just try to remember a recent photo of your favorite celeb…. You didn’t notice any nails, now, did, you? Of course not, because they are either short or kind of like shorter medium, if I can put it that way.
You can paint them blood red, brown or even blue! I decided to go with that dark, royal blue shade for the New Year’s celebration and, when I’m looking at those pictures now, I’m actually quite happy I did so because they kind of go with the outfit and accent my nails without making them the first thing you’d notice when looking at the picture. I was never brave (or blind) enough to go with blue, orange, pink or red shades when my nails were long. I did try it but it kind of felt wrong, it was too much. On short nails, in the other hand, dark or crazy colors look absolutely amazing! It doesn’t look cheap but stylish and, if you, for example, match the nail polish color with the shoes or paint your nails orange or red when wearing a totally black outfit, the only thing anybody would say is, “Whoa! What a great eye for details!”
No need to have a special brush to clean them and you can definitely trash your collection of different nail files! All you need is one, narrow nail file to fix the shape after cutting them and remove all those hard cuticles that sometimes form around the edges. And, did I mention that this entire process takes only 10 minutes of your time? If you ever had long, natural nails you needed to “fix” on your own, you probably know it takes about an hour to get all 10 of them to the same length and shape, remove cuticles and smooth out the edges so they don’t get chipped the day after the big grooming process.
I can type with both long and short nails but, let’s face it – short ones do make things waaaay easier. I can pick up coins, needles, toothpicks and plenty of other small objects, button and unbutton my clothes without any effort and go shopping for jeans without having to pack my nail file to fix sharp and potentially dangerous nail damages caused in the process of dealing with all those buttons and zippers. I’ve also managed to not hurt myself which is actually quite a success considering how clumsy I am and how hard it is for me not to run into things or wave my hands around not even thinking about furniture, walls and other things that make you break a nail so bad that it starts bleeding.
You don’t have to spend a lot of cash trying to find better ways to make them longer and stronger. You can if you want to, but it’s not sooo necessary to go and get them “refurbished” every month. If you don’t have any of those gels, acrylics or whatnot, all you have to do is get a good cream, cutter and a nail file and your basic manicure set has been made! You can experiment with different nail polishes, rhinestones and nail art pens or even get them painted by a pro but that’s something you’ll do WHEN you have extra cash to spend and not something you NEED to do regardless of the fact that you’re kind of strapped for cash at the moment.
What if I go on vacation and my nail breaks? Let’s see now, what is the best tactics to scrub this bathroom without breaking any of my nails? Ugh, gross – I’ve made a red beet salad and now my nails look like I’ve killed a person! And these are just a few of many things I usually had in mind while having long nails. And, as it usually happens, my nail breaks in the worst possible time in the most bizarre way I’ve never been able to predict and prevent.
Thanks but no thanks. These last six months of my live have been very stress free and I intend to keep it that way. Stressing about nails is something I can say no to and, considering how many stressful situations we all have to deal with during the day, that’s one thing we don’t need. I’m perfectly happy with my short but equally great nails and even a bit mad at myself for not even considering this option until it became completely necessary. But, what about you girls? How do you like short nails?
Top Photo Credit: pumpkincat210