Nails - professional or DIY?

I think a pale neutral colour is really classy and to be honest, if you've always been happy with the result of a DIY polish then I think it's an unnecessary expense. I'll be doing my own nails and will probably opt for a single colour because I don't think I could get my hands to stop shaking long enough to do a neat french polish!

If you went to a beauty salon, what would you have? Just someone else paint polish on your nails (maybe with a hand massage thrown in for good measure!)?

I'm not keen on french manicures anyway, so I'd go for a neautral pink/beige at home or at a salon.

IF you go to a salon, choose something like shellac. It goes on like a polish but it dried under UV, and will not chip for days and days (14 days actually is what they say). So it's a polish but better!

But if you are half decent and doing your own, and don't chip them on everything (like me) then go for a DIY mani. Every little helps!

I'm just doing a quick coat of clear polish but if you want just one colour ie not a french manicure, anything intricate etc, you could do it yourself if you couldnt afford to go to a salon, but ive heard shellac is really good if you have the money.

S x

I'm having shellac - I had it for my hen do (a fortnight ago) and it's STILL flawless now, and I have been riding, mucking out, gardening, doing DIY, pulling staples out of wood with my nails only etc - ie I have hammered them completely, and they still haven't chipped. I'm really impressed with them. I'm going to have them done again sometimes next week, as they also help protect nails and are stopping me biting them in the run up to the wedding! Then I'll have them redone the day before, and they'll last all honeymoon. And THEN I'll have to come to terms with the fact I can't always have them done for ever more!

Price wise, when I got them done at one salon they were £17; for the wedding, they'd usually be £20 (different salon) but as I'm getting other pre-wedding beauty stuff (toes filed and painted, facial, shoulder massage) then I get a discount.

50s Pin Up Bride - just out of interest, what colour are you going for? I also had a Shellac polish done recently and was so impressed I bought the kit myself but havent chosen a colour to order for the wedding yet. X

If you're going for DIY you should try Essie - ballet slippers. It's the most gorgeous natural looking polish and last well on the nails. I've just done mine tonight you can now get Essie polishes in boots for £8 xxx

HLT - I'm going 'wildfire' which is a bright red. I have bright red shoes and bits on my dress though, and lipstick, so it all works together!

I had Shellac too, i tested it on my hen do just to be sure and lasted ages - even on my honeymoon. I paid £25 but that was for a manicure and Shellac polish.

I have acrylic nail extensions on which I normally have ordinary nail polish. However i have tried the shellac and it lasts absolutely ages! Even longer on acrylic nails.

Obvously it is more costly than ordinary nail polish but I am going to treat myself for the wedding so that it will stay lovely for the honeymoon. I am going to have a very pale pink colour i think. Cost wise I think the shellac is about £20 incliding the manicure

Http://www.ciate.co.uk/caviar-mancure-set-mother-of-pearl.html

I'm doing mine myself and doing this.

I'm too wondering about this...I normally cut all my nails off and buy false ones which usually look fine....but I always seem to have one or two fall off no matter how much I spend on the nails.....Though they normally last a day because they either fall of right away or wait!

Also my nails are all funny lengths and dont grow straight, as in some one curves wonky on one hand and on the other one bends at the end, looking like a talon when longer so just painting for my big day is not an option...

I'm trying to decide between getting false tips done for the day or just getting my normal falsies and being extra careful with them