Nothing to Disclose
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Long Nails vs Short Nails
Pros and Cons
Nail length is a personal preference. Duh. But there are pros and cons I look at when deciding how to keep mine and I would imagine you guys can think of a lot more than I can.
So what prompted this? You may have seen my shorties since I broke one last week. Well Honey, that ain't nuthin'!
This is what I did today working on the engine of the boat and yes, IT HURTS and I'm being a big ol' whiny baby about it! (But only with mah nail peeps.)
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Yep. My middle finger on my swatching hand. Of course. The odd angle is so I didn't offend half of the readers around the world. LOL!
So we've all had this happen. It's really not the end of the world or anything and around non-polish people, I'm stoic as they come. "Aw, it's just a nail. No biggie." No need to perpetuate that stereotype of the vacuous female who's only concerned with trivial, superficial things. WE all know that being upset over a broken nail does not equal that, of course. I can debate the merits of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's work with the best of them and tell you why I think Ilia Kazan was one of the best directors of all time. But you know some people. So outside, "stiff upper lip" and inside, "crap, crap, crap, crap on a cracker!!!"
So while trying to look on the bright side I came up with a few things that are positive about super,super, to-the-quick short nails. And of course, some cons.
Short Nails - Pros
- Less polish used, less remover, etc.
- I get "cleaning fever" when I have shorties - goodness knows my house could do with me having shorties all the time in that case!
- Typing on the iPhone is easier
- No VNL (visible nail line) to contend with for sheer polishes
- Easier to get product out of little pots - like cuticle balm, wrinkle cream, etc.
Cons
- Clean up. I have none with longer nails but it's hard as heck not to get polish all over your fingers when they're short
- Can't get the backs on earrings, work clasps on necklaces
- Can't open soda cans
- Can't work buttons
- Not as much room for nail art
- Easier to wash my curly hair with long nails since I used them in place of a comb, which would just get stuck
For me, these are too long. Not because they look too long in real life - at arm's length, but in photos for the blog they look like ridiculous talons.
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And they're still long enough for nail art...
What are your pros and cons? How long do you wear your nails? And if you're a nail blogger, does that change anything?
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Your comfortable length is the same as mine. That's pretty much how I always keep mine at. I've been thinking of trying long nails (and see how long the get before they start breaking or curving like crazy, but they're only at 2mm free edge now and I can't stand it! They look even longer when painted.
ReplyDeleteI have an issue with my index nail starting to grow wonky past a certain point so I try to make sure I cut them before that happens. I'm much happier at the medium length now and more used to not seeing super long on myself when I look down at my hands.
DeleteAwwww, I love your nails long and inbetween! It's okay to jump around and curse. We understand!
ReplyDelete♥ ♥ ♥
DeleteWhat on earth is a hypnonychium!?
ReplyDeleteLol, and I forgot to weigh in! I love the look of my nails long, swatches and nail art look much better...and I agree with you - cleanup on shorties SUCKS! However, typing is hard with my long nails and I have a hard time screwing the ball on my lip rings, I poke myself in the eyes lol - all sorts of cons! However, I keep them long for the sake of the blog. My right hand is usually fairly short because it doesn't make an appearance on the blog often and it's much easier to hold a pen with shorter nails. I guess bottom line is - I'm torn but I tend towards long for appearance :)
DeleteThe hyponychium (informally known as the "quick")[9] is the epithelium located beneath the nail plate at the junction between the free edge and the skin of the fingertip. It forms a seal that protects the nail bed. (from Wiki) ♥
DeleteFirst, OUCH, again! I always wanted long nails but looking at my own blog photos I have decided mine look best on the shorter side. And I've recently started wearing them slightly rounded, which is weird for me, but I'm liking them so far. (Much harder and more time-consuming to shape though!)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it odd how "in real life" and "for the blog" can be so different? I try to do squoval, but I wore the 70s almond shape for so long, it was a long transition.
DeleteI've been trying to help my grandma explore new nail looks; she is now in love with vampy purple polish with glittery accent nails. But can't get past the almond shape. Oh, well. I like my nails both ways, long or short. They are most often medium length. I love the way classic polish shades look on long nails, but it hurts and is disappointing when they break. Short nails look neat and clean, but I hate that I can't wrap my tips.
DeleteFingernails definitely have a purpose in protecting your fingertips. There are A LOT of nerve endings in there, so whenever I break a nail or go super nubs for whatever reason, I find that my fingertips are incredibly sensitive. I have my nails grow as long as they can, keeping it relatively even among them, so generally they're about the length you have as your "ideal" for the blog. If they do somehow grow longer than that, I'll have it for a couple of days and then get sick of it and trim them to a moderate length. If I know I'm going to be doing something that will be bad for my nails, like a lot of gardening, baking, or cleaning, I'll cut them down pretty small for a bit. I'm going to Hawaii for a week and a half, so I'm just going to hack everything down because they're going to get crazy waterlogged and break within a day anyway.
ReplyDeleteTake me with you!!!!! Have a great vacation!
DeleteMy nails are pretty long....i like them long but also know its time to trim when I get lil snags at sidewalls right above HYPONYCHIUM....really sucks! And im not afraid to admit im a big whiny,angry,"i cant believe it happened" baby when I break a nail lol
ReplyDeleteWhiny babies UNITE! ♥
DeleteHaha, I have about 3-4 mm of VNL and I still count my nails as short :) But that's because I have quite short nailbeds. I'm a litte envious towards girls with long nailbeds (have you ever seen @vesna_v_metro in Instagram? now this is some nail miracle!)
ReplyDeleteI try to have square/squoval shaped nails, so my favourite length is that when looking at the back of my fingers (i.e. looking at my palms) I see corners of my nails but not the whole free edge.
Since I decided to shape my nails as square, I never have nails so short they don't have a VNL (it's just impossible to file them that short). But the worst thing is when the corners chip. Aaaargh, it's like they say "come on, you only can have ovals, face it" - and I reply "I know better" :)
Whenever many corners chip and I file my nails as short as possible, I paint them in dark vampy colors - I think colors like Chanel Rouge Noir look best on short nails.
Whenever my nails grow long, I put my thermals on and enjoy the simplest gradient you can get :)
I have seen her nail beds - I'm so jealous! Before like maybe 2 or 3 years ago, I HATED anything remotely dark on short nails and now I can't get enough. Chanel Rouge Noir is perfect for nubs!
DeleteHuge con on long nails for me is that it interferes with playing music...fiddle and piano in my case. I can let them grow just a smidge beyond the nail line on my left and just a bit more than a smidge on the right. But there's still room for nail art and my big pro on shorties is never breaking a nail.
ReplyDeleteI am a HUGE music lover and I've always wanted to play something well. I taught myself a few songs on the piano and I played the clarinet in school, I was neither Liberace or Pete Fountain. LOL! But I'd totally keep shorties all the time if I have that ability to play!
DeleteI hear ya on the photographs making your long nails look like talons! I used to have a fair bit more length in mine but one day I looked back on old photos and I couldn't help but think "Yuck!!". They looked really nice IRL but that did not translate to pics at all.
ReplyDeleteExactly! Took me a while to realize and now I look back and cringe!
DeleteMy perfect nail length is just about where yours are for your blog photo's, if they get any longer than that they get in my way and I end up breaking more than one. And yes, ouch!! On a little side note, the last photo...that nail are is gorgeous. I love looking through your photos :)
ReplyDeleteart*
DeleteThank you! ♥
DeleteI love your nails no matter what length. I'll admit I have a bit of a long nail obsession. My nails peeled and broke for the longest time. I had nubs. I started using strengthening treatments and got them to grow. I used to keep them at almost 1cm of free edge which is really long and I'd get split and breaks at the sides. Now I keep them a bit shorter to avoid breaks. Hope your nails grow out fast. That break looks painful.
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you! ♥ It's really sore today, but by tomorrow, it'll be fine.
DeleteI completely agree with everything you've said!! I thought I was the only one who thought of these things, my nail length is constantly fluctuating, because of reasons you've said. Mostly I cut my nails so I can play the piano/guitar cause longs nails click or make the strings hard to press but I push it and see how long I can get my nails before its really bad. I get the claw thing too much, I LOVE long nails but I was looking at pictures yesterday and was thinking "claw" and how did I not realise it at the time. I think longs nails look better on me but sometimes short nails have to be done, but it's good for my burts bees, I hate the feeling of the balm under my nails!! :)
ReplyDeleteNope you are not alone! ♥
DeleteYou're lucky you have long nail beds. My nail beds are short, and so when I have a broken nail I stop doing nail art completely until its long again. Just recently I got a crack on my middle finger nail, on my swatch hand at the same place yours broke, so I googled about patching and I patched it until I can grow it out without having to cut all my nails to have them all even.
ReplyDeleteI sure don't feel like my nail beds are long! But I'm not great at nail art as it is, so it would really be a challenge for me, finally getting used to doing it on longer nails to make the transition to short nails right now. I'll probably wait at least a week to try it.
DeleteI type a lot and so have the worst luck with keeping my nails long. That fourth photo is about as long as I can get them. Unfortunately. inevitably, whenever they get beyond the tip of my finger, they rip or snag somehow and good-bye long nails. I wish I could keep them longer. Trying to wrap the tips is very messy with them so short.
ReplyDeleteYou would have laughed your butt off at me last night when I tried to polish mine! If I'd attempted to wrap the tips, it would have looked like I'd been finger painting with a 3 year old!
DeleteFirst OUCH! Second, I have never had long nails, never been able to grow them. I get a tiny bit of free edge and they either split or crack. So mine are always nubs. I've learned to live with it. For me I don't have a choice. I still do nail art and stamping, it's just on a smaller scale!
ReplyDeleteThis is actually a refreshing change for me. I've never had mine so long that I felt impaired. In fact, I'm having to learn to do things differently now with my shorties, since I don't have nails to use as tools! I love all nail lengths if they're well kept and smart looking. I'll just have to learn to adapt for a week or so. My hair barely grows at all, but my nails grow fast. ♥
DeleteI'm cringing in sympathy! Ouch! About a month ago, I had a nail break/tear halfway across in the quick. I used a nail repair kit (Orly's, with nail glue and powder) to stabilize it so it could grow out past the quick without pain. lol, I felt like I had a boot on it since I kept the repair layer fairly thick to make sure the nail stabilized. I go through stages where I want my nails longer and use the repair kit for any tears (using it in patches instead of over the entire nail). But I do have to fiddle with it (buffing it to make it smooth) every time I change my mani, which is anywhere from 1 day to 4 days. And the repair does show a bit under sheer polishes (which I love to wear!). My bad break had grown out enough to clip off that nail length so yesterday I took the repairs off on all my nails and now have shorties.
ReplyDeleteI don't like really long nails, I think claws and 'ewww'. I hear proportion is having nails twice as long as the width of your nail base. That works on everything, except my thumb, which is really wide! I love to see nails that have a long nailbed and well-maintained cuticles. I have to laugh, though, when I see them. Even when they are kept really short with hardly any free edge, they are longer than when I have 'long' nails!
I know non-polish obsessed people roll their eyes at our nail problems, but, of course, it is not an interest for them. There are interests out there for people that are so destructive or negative in some way - I feel polish is so perfect. It is relatively inexpensive (I'm not gonna say how much the accumulated polish stashes cost!), and has such beauty, and is so interchangeable - and anyone can do it, to some degree. Not only can we adjust it according to our mood, but It can adjust our mood! It just makes me so happy and content - I wish that more interests out there were like that.
You are so right! It's relatively inexpensive to collect (for most people LOL) and it's something anyone can do to make themselves feel pretty, heavy or thin, tall or short, Polish doesn't discriminate and it's just a fun hobby. And you WEAR what you collect instead of it sitting collecting dust like a figurine. The only other things I "collect" are purses and scarves and BOTH have a purpose. They "earn their keep" so to speak.
DeleteIt's been years, maybe decades, since I've had a break like this. But it won't kill me. ♥
My length right now is a bit longer than your 'just right,' and I'm feeling the need to trim. If they get much longer, I start to get the splits at the side of the nail that threaten to break right across. This length elongates the look of my fingers, and I can still type fast and accurately. Much longer and I'll poke myself in the eye! My shape is like yours too. I see some shapes on others' swatches that I just can't handle, like super long and pointed!
ReplyDeleteThankfully mine are hard and rarely break, but when they do WOW. LOL! I don't mind any reasonable nail length as long as they aren't so long they start curling. And as long as they're well-kept. there are some shapes I could do without though. hahaha
DeleteYou use your nails to open soda cans?! That's the cardinal sin! There should be some sort of punishment for it.
ReplyDeleteI'm lucky enough to have long-ish nail beds but nubs still look fairly naff on me. My nails are currently somewhere aroung 5-7mm past the free edge and almond. Still hoping to get them a bit longer though. I once had extensions that were past double that - a challenge to type but damn they looked good!
I have to keep to nubs, I'm a full time carer for a little one with a disability, (oh and also, they're easy to care for - I'm lazy!!) but fortunately for me, nubs are my absolute favourite. I think they look so chic on almost everyone.
ReplyDeleteI also like your comfortable length, that also looks chic on people. I feel it sets off the colour nicely.
I feel that LONG nails only sometimes look nice. This is all just my -personal- opinion/preference of course, if you love 'em long, then rock those talons!
Sorry about that bad break! I really must know what color that Borghese polish is, please!!
ReplyDeleteIt took me a minute! I used a Borghese bottle for my franken since I couldn't find what I wanted in any brand. http://www.pointlesscafe.com/2014/02/my-violet-orchid-franken.html
Deleteoh, thanks...I remember that franken....it tortures me every time I see it, LOL! it is PERFECT!!
DeleteTo be honest for me it's not just about the length, but about the shape too!
ReplyDeleteI am tired of that square shape, but for my still weak nails it's the best shape I can go with.
When I swatch I prefer the oval shape and mid length, but I also enjoy longer length and almond shaped nails... Too bad this doesn't work well when typing on the keyboard at work :(
So I would say, mid-legth and square with oval edges :)
I like your "ideal" length in the last two photos, that's how I wish mine would look.
ReplyDeleteMy nailbeds are very short and oddly shaped so I think mine look funny when they start passing the ends of my fingers so I tend to keep mine at your "too short" length. Since they're always that short I don't get the visible undercarriage. ;) They'll never be long and beautiful (I refuse to go fake) so I at least make sure they're tidy and polished. I took a new job last year and my new boss eventually complimented me on them, she said it was definitely one of the things she noticed that I always keep them nice.
I can't do a whole lot of nail art, that's very true, I can do some stamping though which can be fun. I don't have much issues with cleanup, that's probably because I'm used to their length! I always thought about starting a swatch blog because sometimes it's hard to gauge how a polish would look on shorties. Shorties may be stubby but they can be pretty, right?
I absolutely love shorties if they're kept nice. You should check out One Nail To Rule Them All and LissasLoves - they both keep pretty short nails and the look great!
DeleteYay---I've stumbled into your blog again!! I am not a good nail person & did not know the definition of VNL, but I've found you & the definition all at once. :)
ReplyDeleteI wish I had the option of choosing my nail length. I have very short nail beds, and I've never had strong nails. I never have to trim them because they break for me. However, I just keep going with whatever I have. ;) I don't trim them all to match if one breaks (remember, not a good nail person) because I still need the others as tools.
Nails have never been easy for me. Only recently have I decided to no longer care about how they 'should' be & polish them anyway. It's really just a small thing that makes me a bit cheerier.
xoxo,
Cinderlala :) :) :)