By some act of kindness, I have been blessed with strong nails that grow quickly. They also grow out long and straight. This does not run in my family. When I was young my mum would let me keep my nails long, as long as I kept them clean. If they got dirty, she chopped them off. I've also played soccer all my life, so during soccer season no nails were allowed. And then in the off-season (however short) I would grow them out as long as I could.
So for as long as I can remember, I've been in the routine of growing my nails out super long, and then chopping them all off to the nub. I will also cut them all off if 1 or 2 should break because one thing I hate is some really long while others are broken short. I think it looks so terrible. So I say my sad goodbyes and just chop away.
Typically when long I leave them natural with a clear topcoat, or a light nude pink and then go dark and bright when they're short. This is my before and after of my latest salon trip (and by 'salon' I mean my own bathroom).
Squared in shape, no polish or oils (as you can see in the closeup).
And I've decided to go WHITE!! Back in the day I remember using white out at school sometimes on my nails, lol. This is bascially the same look. Here Ive used 2 coats of OPI Alpine Snow Matte (this is where I discover I'm not a fan of matte polish) and 1 coat of OPI Passion as a topcoat (to cover up the matte look a bit).
I do really love the white nails (I feel slightly punkish?) so the verdict is that I will continue to use with a glossy topcoat until the bottle is gone. Then I will make sure I read the label first and buy a glossy white.
