I just have to face it....

[ladyciel]

....being a LIW has made me more vain than I''ve ever been in my entire life...about my nails. I feel silly.

The Scene: LIW has all of her nails grown out long and evenly, manicured, and generally as nice looking as they''ve ever been. Tip top shape and ready for their proposal hand-shots (which should be within a month, fingers crossed).

Enter stage right: The Temptation. I play the violin, and though I haven''t been part of an ensemble for years (engineering undergrad + grad school in the way) the opportunity to play in an orchestra has shown itself. I got really excited when I thought about playing in a group again, and looking over the audition music I can definitely play all of it. The auditions? They start one day before the date which marks the beginning of the Likely Proposal Time Frame®.

Enter stage left: The Test of Vanity. Playing the violin requires itty-bitty short stubby nails on, at least, the LEFT HAND.

Have I filled out the forms to sign up for an audition? No. Have I marked the information meeting on my calendar? No. Am I kicking myself and wishing I wasn''t so vain and pathetic? You bet. Argh.

 

[luckystar112]

Short nails can be cute!

 

[sleeping beauty]

i have short nails also. my line of work requires i keep them short, as long as you dont eat them you should be fine, besides when the bling comes around youll be to mesmerized by it to pay any attention to the nails.

 

[ladyciel]

Well, the other problem is that in the past the only time I''ve managed to keep my nails nice is when they''re long. For some reason I always start picking and nibbling them when they''re short. I think once I manage to get them to a certain length the fact they''re longer keeps me more aware of what I''m doing with my hands, which helps me kick the bad habits. That also means I''m that much more proud of them when they''re long - it''s about their general condition as much or more so than the length. I''m afraid that if I cut them down now I''ll revert to my old ways and they''ll be ravaged to shreds within days.

I''m due for a polish change, but here''s their current state:

 

[musey]

I love shorter nails for hand shots! (and in general)

Most of the celebs in the celebrity ring thread have short nails. Go play that violin!

Avril Lavigne

 

[ladyciel]

When I say stubs to be able to play my violin, I mean STUBS. As you can tell in the pic, I have really skinny hands (doesn''t seem to matter what the rest of my body looks like...hands and feet stay bony), and to have the tips of my fingers fully available I have to have basically zero "tip" on my nails. The celeb shots Musey posted are lengths I would have considered long back when I played my violin regularly...

 

[musey]

Date: 8/20/2007 2:07:37 PM
Author: ladyciel
When I say stubs to be able to play my violin, I mean STUBS. As you can tell in the pic, I have really skinny hands (doesn''t seem to matter what the rest of my body looks like...hands and feet stay bony), and to have the tips of my fingers fully available I have to have basically zero ''tip'' on my nails. The celeb shots Musey posted are lengths I would have considered long back when I played my violin regularly...

Sorry, just trying to help

I didn''t bother to sort through enough to find "stubs," but they are certainly there. Don''t worry about it so much. If you really want long nails for your hand shots, go get acrylics the day/day after he proposes, then take ''em off when you''re done with your pics.

Or don''t stress so much about having perfect nails in your hand shots, and do what the rest of us do: let the ring take center stage!

 

[gwendolyn]

Ok, how ''bout this? (I can''t do nails either; I''m a maribist and they dig horribly into my palms.) How about you trim your nails way down, do the audition if it isn''t too late, and then, when the proposal comes, go out to the salon and get tips put on! Would that work? (I personally can''t stand long nails, but I have friends who do it all the time and I think it looks great on them....) *hopeful smile* Maybe?

 

[ladyciel]

Oh goodness, I do sound like a spoiled brat, don''t I? I''m so sorry! I really do appreciate your support/suggestions, and I certainly didn''t mean to sound as if I didn''t want them!

I think I''m just frustrated I can''t have my cake and eat it too, so I needed to vent. I had thought about getting tips, but from what I''ve heard they can really damage your real nails. I wouldn''t be able to leave them on very long, anyway, because rehearsals for the orchestra start not long after auditions.

I need to get over myself and make the decision about auditions based on if I want to do it and if I can make the time commitment. I just freaked out when I realized bringing my violin out again would mean sacrificing the nails I was finally feeling really good about after ages of nibbling. Anybody else out there beat the biting habit? I''m so scared of relapsing if I chop off my nails so soon after finally reaching success...

Sorry to be such a brat!

 

[gwendolyn]

Oh, phooey, that should''ve been "marimbist," as in one who plays the marimba...*shakes head* Need to learn how to proofread, self.

Anyway!

You don''t sound like a spoiled brat at all, hon. Just someone who''s looking forward to a VERY important day and wanting to look your best for it. There''s nothing wrong with that! I keep my nails really short and do sometimes bite them if they snag on something and I don''t keep a nailclipper in my purse, so now I keep a little nailclipper in my purse! I''ve found that helps me a lot. If you do it more out of a nervous sort of habit, I''ve heard there''s super-nasty-tasting nailpolish that''s designed to keep people from biting their nails. Maybe you could try that?

 

[musey]

Ironically enough, this thread inspired me to chop my own nails off! I usually keep them short-ish anyway, but I went SUPER short today because I''ve been in the mood for dark nail polish (which looks funny on my wide nails if they''re long). I now have very short, DARK reddish-black emo nails

doesn''t suit an antiquey-looking ring like mine, but I don''t care!

Okay, back to our regular programming...

 

[sera]

Date: 8/20/2007 5:41:53 PM
Author: gwendolyn
Oh, phooey, that should've been 'marimbist,' as in one who plays the marimba...*shakes head* Need to learn how to proofread, self.

I was wondering what a maribist was... and well, I would have wondered what a marimbist was too if you hadn't provided the 'splainin.

 

[Haven]

Awww, I feel for you, Ladyciel. I''m also in that imminent proposal stage, and I''ve also been trying to keep my nails long and well manicured for my future PS handshots. I wish I could say I''m a musician, but I''m not even close.

I AM a teacher, though, and this is just the second week of school and ALL of my right hand nails have started to split, and I had to file down my left ringer finger nail (of course!) all the way to the nub today from the nasty chalk on the chalkboards--it destroys any and all nails that come in contact with it. And you know what? I was SERIOUSLY upset that my nails are all short now because I REALLY wanted them to look beautiful for the proposal.

SO, what I''m trying to say is "I hear ya, girl!"

As for your dilemma, though, go play that violin! It sounds like the idea of being part of an ensemble is really exciting for you, and even though your nails would be short, you can still keep them polished, right? Maybe if they''re polished you''ll be less likely to bite them. I''d just hate to see you pass up this opportunity for the sake of your nails! (And trust me, I do understand why you''d do it, I do!)

Good luck with your choice!

 

[bee*]

Oh I so understand. Im trying my best to keep mine long too but working in a vets doesn''t help!

 

[ice_princess]

I feel for you, really. I used to chew my nails constantly. I've tried for years to grow them and then finally decided to put on plastic nails. I wore those for about 6 months (obviously replacing them every 4 weeks) and they looked great, but they ruined my real nails. I was in a catch 22 situation because my thumb nails split right in half before the false nails because they are so weak from years of biting them. I mean from the tip to the halfmoon (vertically) so I had to put plastic on to protect them. They looked horrible and were VERY painful. I took off the plastic nails about 4 months ago and I've since kept my real nails about 6mm long. I can get away with if because of years of chewing the pink of my nails are very short so they're not that much of an inconvenience. I manage to keep them looking nice if they're long but I just HAVE to chew them when they're short. I like short nails on other people and sometimes I wish I could have them but because my pink is so small, they make my hands look stumpy. You have such long, elegant fingers and I'm sure your nails will look great short!! But you could get some of those cheap stick on nails for the photos and then just take them off afterwards. They're fine for a little while but the glue on them isn't strong enough to hold for days so you can go back to playing with short nails right after the photos

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 8/20/2007 5:34:13 PM
Author: ladyciel
Oh goodness, I do sound like a spoiled brat, don''t I? I''m so sorry! I really do appreciate your support/suggestions, and I certainly didn''t mean to sound as if I didn''t want them!

I think I''m just frustrated I can''t have my cake and eat it too, so I needed to vent. I had thought about getting tips, but from what I''ve heard they can really damage your real nails. I wouldn''t be able to leave them on very long, anyway, because rehearsals for the orchestra start not long after auditions.

I need to get over myself and make the decision about auditions based on if I want to do it and if I can make the time commitment. I just freaked out when I realized bringing my violin out again would mean sacrificing the nails I was finally feeling really good about after ages of nibbling. Anybody else out there beat the biting habit? I''m so scared of relapsing if I chop off my nails so soon after finally reaching success...

Sorry to be such a brat!

Totally understand.

I bit my nails for as long as I can remember.

I found that buying a real good lot of manicure creams and pastes and tools and whatever and spending a good hour a week making my nails look great was the trick. I even got them to the stage where random people used to tell me how beautiful my hands were

However I mislaid my set about 5 weeks ago - it''s somewhere in the house but I can''t find it! My nails are now all different lengths - if I get a snag in a nail or a bit breaks, can I leave it alone till I find a nailfile? Nope I will try and bite it straight - which never happens, and before you know it there''s no nail left!

(I used to play what my father referred to as the vile-din so I know how short you need to keep your nails for that!)

 

[Delster]

Oh gosh, the vile-din! Yes, I played that too!!!

I have the softest nails of anyone I have ever met. If you touch the tips of my fingers my nails literally bend around the tip. Manicurists gasp at the effect the file has on them! I think it''s a genetic thing, my mother''s nails are the same. If I use nail oil and massage them daily I can grow them out and the middle becomes strong(ish!) but the sides never will! There will be no natural pretty nails for me, ever!

For special occasions I use those stick-on ones that you take off the next day, they don''t seem to have too bad of an effect. When I go to the States I get the acrylics and marvel at how long and elegant my fingers look with them on! Then when I get home I marvel at how ruined my nails are when they come off...

Please go and play that violin, it sounds like it gives you so much joy!!! I stopped taking piano lessons one grade away from my performance diploma and I''ve sworn to myself one day I''ll go back and get that diploma and oh boy, the joy of playing well again will be worth the short nails!!! And I''ll wear my falsies for special occasions!

 

[iwannaprettyone]

Date: 8/20/2007 5:34:13 PM
Author: ladyciel
Oh goodness, I do sound like a spoiled brat, don''t I? I''m so sorry! I really do appreciate your support/suggestions, and I certainly didn''t mean to sound as if I didn''t want them!

I think I''m just frustrated I can''t have my cake and eat it too, so I needed to vent. I had thought about getting tips, but from what I''ve heard they can really damage your real nails. I wouldn''t be able to leave them on very long, anyway, because rehearsals for the orchestra start not long after auditions.

I need to get over myself and make the decision about auditions based on if I want to do it and if I can make the time commitment. I just freaked out when I realized bringing my violin out again would mean sacrificing the nails I was finally feeling really good about after ages of nibbling. Anybody else out there beat the biting habit? I''m so scared of relapsing if I chop off my nails so soon after finally reaching success...

Sorry to be such a brat!

Don''t do it unless you can stand the lengthy (and ugly) growing out process!

 

[ladyciel]

Update: After all that, I decided/realized it was a non-issue. At first glance (and with the confidence level more befitting of 8 or 9 years ago when I was in good practice), I thought that all of the audition music was well within my grasp. The "oh, it'll take some practice, but I'm sure I can get it..." reaction. Well, before cutting my nails, I pulled out my violin and played around with the fingering. Not actually playing, just plucking it out and deciding when/how to change positions. Well, that's when I remembered just how disgusting it is to play in D sharp minor. Six sharps. In 5th position and higher. yeah.....it's been a weeeeeeeeeee bit too long for that to be my first ride back in the saddle. Maybe I'm just chicken, maybe I was looking for an excuse, or maybe it's just really smart to not torture myself (and make playing again a bitter experience). Whatever the case, my nails are intact and will be staying that way until future notice.

 

[Haven]

You''re too funny, Ladyciel. While I have no idea what you''re talking about when it comes to any details about playing the violin, I''ve seen enough string quartets perform to know just how difficult those positions *look* in the very least.

Maybe you can pick up the harmonica--no nails involved there!

 

[Delster]

Me and the vile-din never got past third position! Oh my poor poor family!!!

I have it so easy on the piano by comparison... don''t like D sharp minor? That''s OK, I love the flat scales so I just think of it as E flat minor... presto, it seems easier to play! Or maybe I''m just nuts...

Can you play gently by yourself with the long nails or would that be way too frustrating an experience? I know on the piano I can play a little bit with longer nails, I just can''t tackle the heavy duty Bach variations!

 

[ladyciel]

Not much I can really do on the violin w/ long nails, even though they''re strong. They buzz the strings too mcu, but I''ll cut them eventually and can pull it out then.

I know what you mean about the piano. My teacher always got mad at me when I''d let them get too long and she could hear them clicking on the keys.

Apparently it was her pet peeve.

 

[Delster]

My nails are so soft they don''t even click on the keys, they just sort of fold under!

And hey, instead of the violin there''s always turning the radio up real loud and dancing around singing at the top of your lungs!!! That''s my music fix when I''m away from my piano...

 

[DMBsGirl]

This post took me back...when I was 13 I got an urge to start playing the violin. Parents went out and bought me a violin and paid for lessons...fast forward six months...I quit because I couldn''t deal with having my nails cut so short, lol.

 

[ladyciel]

Haha, Delster, I don''t do the singing thing too much, but I''m all for dancing around like a total goof with nobody watching!