I sometimes don’t get it done professionally for years, and then I might go through a spurt of having it done 2–3 times in a year. If I want a French manicure I have that done professionally. Sometimes when I am going to travel I get it done professionally, because the gel manicure lasts so long; although, I have been known to travel with nail polish. The first time I had a gel manicure was 2 years ago, I don’t know when they invented that?
The biggest obstacle for me is being nervous about infection. The second biggest is the money. I can afford it now, but it’s just so much cheaper to do it myself. When I think about the expense of doing it regularly it is hard for me to wrap my head around, especially for very young people.
I think I was in my late 20’s the first time I had a mani-pedi, maybe early 30’s. I didn’t even get a professional manicure for my wedding. I kind of wish I had for my wedding, but I simply had never had one before. I was one of those girls who almost always had my nails painted since my late teens, so it wasn’t that I wasn’t into my nails. When I was 16 my boyfriend’s brother’s wife made an impression when at one point she mentioned that keeping her nails painted looked good and didn’t take much effort. I did get compliments on my nails a lot, which reinforced the effort.
In the last 5 years I am more likely than ever before to have naked fingernails, or just a coat or two of clear. Not for months at a time, but easily could last a week or two.