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The title of this post says it all. I bite my nails, and I have since I was 8. In fact, I can distinctly remember the first time I bit them - my older cousin was doing it, and I thought I should too. Real cool, 8 year old Cheeseburger. Now you’re a grown woman with persistently ugly fingers.
Despite my best (read: non-existent) efforts, it’s not looking good for the wedding. In fact, the longest I’ve gone in the last year without biting is about a month, and even after that much growth, my nails still left something to be desired.
My usual fix for a fancy occasion? A $5.00 box of glue-on nails. They go on quickly and stay on for at least a day or two for sure - sometimes longer. But they are also really easy to remove when I’m ready! I get the really, really short ones, and sometimes I even file down more. I usually get lots of compliments on them - I don’t know if people are just being nice, or if they really can’t tell that they’re from CVS?
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But for the wedding, I’m thinking of doing something a little more permanent.
Something I would be able to get a day or two in advance (as opposed to putting on the glue-on nails that morning) and keep well through my honeymoon. Right, I’m talking about acrylics.
So what’s the problem? Well, I’ve never had them and they scare the crap out of me.
Why you ask? Well, how do I know that I won’t end up with something like this:
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Or even this:
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on my wedding day?
I kid, I kid. But really, I think acrylics can look kind of, well, fake (it sounds silly to write that since they are fake!), and I’d like to avoid that look on my wedding day if at all possible.
So I ask you, oh wise bees, is it possible to get pretty, natural-looking, french manicured acrylic nails? Kinda like the ones this chick is sporting (or even shorter, perhaps)?
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For you ladies that get acrylics on the regular, do you have any tips (pun!) for how to get what I want? What to look for in a good nail place? How soon before the wedding to go? What the removal process is like?
Anyone else out there going to be acrylic first-timers on their big day?
Yes! You absolutely can get short acrylics! See, what happens is that when they get put on your fingers, they’re all a really generic length (but they have different widths and stuff, obviously you can’t use a nail for your thumb that’s the same width as your little finger). But they will ask you how long you want them and whether you want the ends rounded or not.
So, tell them when you’re getting your nails that you want them short. Usually they have this little clipper thing that trims the nails, and my manicurists always position it before they trim it and say “like this?” so you can tell what it’s going to look like afterward. I usually just reposition it if I want them shorter and say, “no more like this” and it all works out fine.
Plus, worst case scenario you get them short at the salon but you get home and realize you want them shorter, you can just file them down!! Hopefully that will put your mind at ease 
I am a fellow nail biter as well… I’ve been trying to stop!
good luck on your acrylics journey! I’ve never tried…I’m scared the strong glue would like, rip off my nail when I try to remove them…lol
i can’t handle acrylics of any kind, and I’m a nail biter too…so i just mustered all the will power in the world, stocked up on some sally hansen nail strengthening clear polish and grew mine out! It was tough but so worth it! Then I just got a french manicure on my real nails for the wedding,and I was so happy with them!
My advice would be to get them done at least once before the wedding. That way, you know how they feel, last, and look on you. Another reason to do so would be the fact that french tipped nails are done in many different ways, some much uckier than others. You wouldn’t want your first time to be two days before the wedding with less than desirable results. Then you’d be stuck with them!
I have silk wraps and they look very natural. It doesn’t stink nor are any power tools used on my hands. I found them by accident, I used the nail shop near my office for the occasinal manicure. One time they suggested the silk wraps since my natural nails kept breaking off. I love them but $28 every two weeks is starting to drive me crazy.
I’m a nail biter, too and always did acrylics in HS and college, but I had them pretty short and painted a color, so most of time people couldn’t tell.
So, it’s definitely possible!
I don’t do french though. It looked awful on me the one time I tried. I like a light very natural pink like OPI’s Pinking of you or Heart Throb.
If what you want is a nice french manicure, then you should go with solar nails. It is actually a gel nail, applied much like acryllics, but they say better for the nail. What I love about it is that the gel is actually pink and the end of the gel nail is actually white. There is no polish involved. They actually buff the hardened gel to a shiny gloss. I wore these for the past year actually as I have fought my own nail biting. They really got me out of the habit of putting my fingers in my mouth, and on top of that, they looked really nice. They don’t chip, they don’t scratch, they look nice for 2-3 weeks. The fill is much cheaper than the application. They actually back fill them when you have the white area cut down. Seriously, I loved them.
When you go in, you need to make sure that you have length that you want. I wore mine just past the tips of my fingers.
i am a nail biter too! i have really frail thin nails and i wear gloves at work, which makes them even thinner. they tear and i bite them. i’m still debating what i want to do for the wedding… on one hand i like the look of acrylics, but on the other hand, i don’t want to deal with acrylics afterwards…
I love french tips because they look so nice on my nails. Well, that’s when I paid for them When I used to get the tips put on they were Solar. Apparently Solar is the best to use and I never had one fall off. I always get them cut short too otherwise I can’t type fast enough or zip up my own jeans! haha I think french tips look beautiful and if they are done correctly won’t look all that fake for the wedding. I would say get them done as soon as possible if you can, that way, if you don’t like them you can get them removed. I will warn you, any time you have fake nails or just nail tips put on they will file the top of your nails for the glue to adhere better to your own nail. That will cause your nails to be very thin once you take them off and it will be a little sensitive once you have them removed. Just a heads up. To keep me from biting my nails, which I do and I can’t help it, I keep my nails painted a light color since I can’t do bold colors because I think it doesn’t look good on me. When my nails are nicely manicured I don’t want to touch them and my nails are taking off like rockets right now!
Do those gel wrap things - my friend swears by them, and they’re not as huge and thick (ie, fake) as regular acrylics.
Not to be a downer, but most hospitals don’t allow acrylic nails. =( Sorry
My suggestion is to do research. Don’t just go into a mall salon and have someone slap acrylic on your fingers! Some of the products some places use can be very bad for you and they can seriously do damage (meaning do NOT let anyone cut your cuticle!!)! Get recs from friends and go to a place you feel comfortable (i.e. maybe your hair place?). I’ve had acrylics for 7 years and love mine… Though I’ve seen some like the ones you’ve posted, so I totally get your anxiety towards them lol.
As for the removal process…. That’s never going to be fun. Soaking in acetone is the way my lady suggests but it takes HOURS. Anyway you do it though be prepared for not so pretty nails for a few months afterwords.
Though who knows you may enjoy having them 
hsirrapyesdnil just gave a great description of Solar nails. Like she said—they are awesome and I even had men comment that my nails were great looking. THAT has to say something, doesn’t it?
Oh…I totally didn’t even read the last bit of your post, whoops. I would say definitely look for a place that is CLEAN, maybe check out some reviews on Yelp. I tend to find most of my favorite salons by word of mouth.
As far as when to go in, it depends on whether you want to get acrylics far in advance to test drive them then have them filled before the wedding, or just get them before the wedding. It also depends on what sort of nails you have. My mother had a lot of problems with her acrylics and had to have fills religiously every two weeks when she had acrylics. I on the other hand, probably go in every 3-4 weeks for fills, since I only really need work done on them when they grow out a little. Without a test drive, I’d say you could go in the week before the wedding and probably be just fine through your honeymoon.
I have never had my acrylics removed. I usually just wait for them to come off if I don’t want them anymore.
Just read another comment—ETweddings is right, a lot of places like restaurants and medical places don’t allow them because they can harbor bacteria if you are not religious about keeping them extra clean. Would you consider doing the nails from CVS you’ve put on in the past?
What about just keeping them short and get manicures regularly leading up to the wedding? Then just paint them a pretty light colored polish. Or do you bite your nails down really low to the point they bleed? A friend of mine does that and it looks so painful!
As a fellow nail biter here, I would start getting manicures on your real nails about 4-6 weeks prior to your wedding. It will help you not to bite them (because they are covered and look pretty) while helping them to grow out. Then, just get a french manicure on your real nails the day before the wedding.
The manicure will last a good week and you won’t have the damage to your nails to worry about after removing the acrylics!
So funny you posted this - a gal asked about this on the boards yesterday…. There will NEVER be an end to be nail biting habit. I’m not just any nail biter, it looks like I have zero nails, that kind of biter….
I have gel nails. They put tips on and then filled everything in w/ acrylic. Once my real nails had grown out I soaked off my acrylic nails and got gel overlays on my real nail. I keep my nails very short, I always use the same color, Bubble Bath, and everyone thinks my nails are real - until - I show them my thumb, I have no gel/acrylic on it. I need to have it free to bite - I know I know I know, its totally ridiculoso! If I don’t have a free nail to bite then I pick around the edges of my gels until they’re all popped off!!!!!!
I vote acrylic now and then soak off and get gel overlay on your real nails GOOD LUCK!
Just a thought - the more natural looking french (as best i can tell from that picture) is actually an “american”. I never get a french manicure b/c i tried them once and that white was just SO BRIGHT and since i normally have short nails they just looked REALLY fake on me. So I opt for the american manicure and the few times ive done it i get lots of compliments on how nice my hands look and that people are jealous of my nails etc (seemingly not noticing they are fake). Just a thought!
I’m an awful nail biter. For special events, I always go acrylic. I don’t get them *all* the time because of the expense, and also because they take forever to grow out and are hard to remove (unless you pay the salon to do it).
My tips: I always get a french manicure - never one with a colored polish - because I STILL chew the acrylics and the polish chips off (gross I know. bad habits are a bitch). I always ask for a squared tip, and tell them that I work on a computer all day and thus would like them quite short (and like you, I still sometimes have to trim them later).
One thing daunting for me, is that i usually go to a nail place owned by a couple from Taiwan, and some of their technicians don’t speak English very well (or hardly at all). I hate to offend them by describing things, but I’ve found that it really helps me get what I want if I can communicate it to them - rather than just sitting there with my mouth shut while they do something I know i’m going to have to file down/reshape later. Thats’ all I’ve got!
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Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PA Age and Occupation: 25, Medical Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical Student Engagement Date: June 28, 2008 Wedding Date: March 2010 Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel Reception About Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
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