I love wearing polish on my finger nails, but when I do I like it to be a statement. I’m currently infatuated with OPI’s Linkin Park After Dark. But I always keep my nails short since I play the piano, and long nails would be annoying.
If I don’t have a dark color polish, I usually leave my nails natural or have a slightly nude or buff shade of polish on.
I usually always have polish on my toes. I will wear any color. I had yellow on last week, but just switched to the same polish as my fingers. I like dark blues, dark purples, dark reds for fall and winter, and coral oranges, orangey reds, and yellows for summer months.

I am guilty of totally ignoring both my fingernails and toenails. I’ve only had one professional manicure and pedicure in my life!

My fingernails are almost always natural… I rarely polish them unless it’s for a special event. I use my hands a lot and I hate taking all the time to polish them when it chips in a day or two. (And I am way too lazy for regular upkeep.) My nails are pretty strong, so they grow relatively long. I try to keep them trimmed–just a little bit of white showing–since I became a mommy, but sometimes I get lazy and let them grow until one of them tears or gets jagged.

My toenails usually have polish (typically pink or light purple or a light mauve) iin the summer months, because I live in sandals. I will, however, sometimes let them go natural, too. I also think they need to breathe! lol I sometimes let them get a teeny bit longer than they should, but mostly I keep them very short.

I once had a boyfriend tell me that my toenails were gross and a total turn-off because both my pinky toes have a split nail, so I have been very self-conscious of them ever since.

I need help in this department. Sounds silly, but I never learned how to ‘do’ my nails. I tend to go rather traditional on feet – a dark red colour. For fingernails, I’m just not that crazy about colour on them, though I have seen photos where there’s a really nice pale neutral – not quite pink, not quite beige – and I think that looks nice. Also – for some reason, I’m not liking the french manicure look at all – I never did like it.

Your post has me pretty much decided that natural or clear (for fingers) is the way I want to go. Actually, I *do* like the look of buffed natural nails – there’s a natural polished sheen, but no actual varnish or coating on them. Thanks.

I don’t wear polish on my hands regularly exception for special occasions or vacations though I do always keep them cut neatly & buffed. I mostly go for nude/pale pink looks now when I do polish. I really like the look of short, dark nails and a thread on the forum last month sparked me to try it again (used to do it in the 90’s once in awhile)…it didn’t quite work. I think it’s because my finger nails are long and thin (unlike the rest of me:)) so even when they are cut short, they look long so it’s not quite right. I think it works better when you finger nails are a little stubby and more square in shape.

I wear polish on my toes pretty much year round and love to experiment with all sorts of colors – everything from traditional corals & red to purples, blues, oranges & greens.

Angie, that’s a really good point about letting your nails breathe – hmmm, maybe I should take some time off from polish this winter.

My philosophy of makeup is to look as close to completely natural as possible, so like Angie I prefer unadorned nails. I also like nails short. Longer nails make me think, “ouch.” Nice to see there are other people who like natural nails… thought I was the only one!

Like you, I keep my fingernails natural. They are trimmed to a medium length most of the time, allowing them to grow long for special occasions. I do like to buff my nails to a shine with those 4-step buffing blocks you can pick up at any discount store. It seems to make the nails stronger when used regularly, maybe because it stimulates circulation around the nails.
I also feel that I need to let toenails breathe and only put on polish during months of open toe shoes. Then I like a non-color that just gives a clean look like a nude, white or mother-of-pearl. On occasion I’ll do a pink or peach. When applying polish on toenails, I’m careful not to go to the bottom of the nail to allow breathing room. So far I’ve never had any fungus or other nail problems.

I am with you on pretty much the whole nail routine. I don’t paint my finger nails and I like them short because I use my hands a lot, and trying to maintain nail polish would take entirely too much time. On my feet, I do a similar routine, with my range for nail polish being more May – September. And my favorite colors are metallic grey and light brown pearly shades, almost flesh toned.

If I could, I would wear polish on my finger nails. But I don’t have time and I would need to refresh the polish every couple of days since I do a bunch of washing etc. at home. So I too have short fingernails (helps with typing on the keyboard too) and sometimes will have clear polish on them. On my toes – I love a good pedicure and for the last couple of summers, have been using only silver. This is because a) I like how it looks and b) when the color wears off, it looks less shabby so I can get by without replacing it for much longer than a darker shade. I’m all about low maintenance at this stage of my life.

I don’t do acrylic nails – I only had that done once, it took forever and was really brutal to take off. It can’t be good for nails. And seems high maintenance for my current lifestyle.

I am inspired by reading all the nail polish blogs. I have learned a lot from them on how to keep chipping away! I now do my own nails once or twice a week. I really enjoy it because nail polish is so inexpensive, I get a lot of fashion satisfaction from trying different colors. It’s almost as good as buying a new piece of clothing! I like reds, oranges, and dark purples, and mostly I buy OPI.

I never feel quite dressed unless my nails are painted! And my husband likes it too. As long as I don’t do my nails in the car with him.

I keep my fingernails polish-free and short-medium length pretty much all the time. Very occasionally I put a clear coat on them which ends up somehow making the whites whiter and it looks very pretty, but so much of it comes off the next time I do the dishes that it’s not worth it. (And I hate doing dishes in gloves because then my hands smell like the gloves for the rest of the day. Yuck.) I haven’t put a color on my nails, including French manicure, in I don’t even know how long. I did just get some black polish for free from CVS (yay coupons!) and I plan to try that out soon.

My toenails are always painted. If I lived up north still I would probably give them a break throughout winter, but I wear sandals probably 10-11 months of the year here in Florida, and non-colored toes in sandals make me sad. ;o) I typically wear dark pinks, red in all shades, purple from lilac to wine or plum, and occasionally coral, or cobalt blue.

I love the simple beauty of short, natural nails. This look is attractive, economical, healthy, and efficient — reasons I have grown to love, and now count as the first reasons I don’t use polish. But when I stopped using polish, it was because my fingernails are kind of a wide shape, not slim and elegant, and polish drew attention to that.

I like to keep my nails short, as I work many hours on the computer, long nails are not practical.

Hands: They are paint most of the time, clear or french manicure during the summer and dark red during the winter.

Feet: I only paint during the summer or if I have a special event and plan to wear a nice pair of sandals.

I always wear my nails short and only put clear coat from time to time. My toe nails get nail polish during summer months, and only neutral colors or clear, the rest of months are just natural.

This topic is so timely; I had been considering it for my own blog next week!

I am a long-time nail biter, sad to say, but once I started wearing polish on my fingers last fall, that completely stopped. Needless to say, I wear it all the time now, year-round! It is worth it, and it does the job; if I let it chip or if I remove it myself, I go right back to my old bad habit.

I have a range of reds, ports, pinks, etc that I wear on my toes depending on the season. For my fingers I usually get a matching manicure or I go with a pale pink that looks very pretty natural: Essie Mademoiselle is the best for that. I have that right now, and I’m enjoying the break from all the great cherries and reds I was wearing this summer.

I’m pretty close to your nail style, Angie. I tend to keep a bit of clear polish on my fingernails, though, as they get somewhat brittle. Toes are polished for the summer months, and left to breathe come September.

Wow, looks like I’m in the minority here. I keep my nails on the medium to longer side. I wear polish on my fingernails most of the time. I switch shades with frequency. Right now, I have dark blue. Recently, I’ve had pale pink, bright purple, red, black, wasabi green, bubble gum pink, aqua, and brown. I usually keep the shade for a week or two, then let my nails breathe a day or so before putting a new color on. This spring, I was really into black and dark blues, greens and browns. Last winter, it was pale pinks and whites and peaches.

My toe nails are always polished in the summer, and sometimes in the winter. I’m more likely to go with traditional reds or pinks on my toenails, although right now I’m wearing dark green.

fjt, I had no idea there were nail blogs! I will definitely have to check some out. Any recommendations?

I too prefer unadorned, short fingernails. They look best when I take the time to use cuticle remover, massage the cuticle area with oil or cream, and use a buffer for a low shine and no ridges.
I would love to try green or blue polish on my toenails — any suggestions of good ones? I also like to use the cold weather months to let my nails return to their natural state.

Gina, check out All Lacquered Up. She does great photo posts of what a color looks like in the bottle and on her finger, and she tries on entire collections. The photos are fantastic at helping decide if you want to try a new color.

This is great. I see personal style playing a very big role with nail style!

I just cut and filed my finger nails a few minutes ago. It feels so good to have short, neat looking nails! To me, short plain nails look powerful, edgy, artistic and modern. That’s sort of a strange perception, isn’t it? Oh well! We all have weird ways of thinking about certain things, right? I guess having unadorned, sterile looking nails is part of my style – just like not wearing earrings.

Kristen, it’s great that you stopped biting your nails. Bravo!

I like OPI’s shades of blue and green at the moment.

In the warmer months: on my hands I like short nails in nude colors. On my feet, something super bright in the pink/orange spectrum.

In the colder months: hands and feet match, some sort of black or black-tinted (maybe dark orchid) shade.

Gina,

All Lacquered Up is a great one! http://www.alllacqueredup.com Also http://www.iamstyle-ish.com has a great nail entry from August. Polishaddict.com is one of my faves! They like to try on the polishes and take photos so you can see all the newest releases.

For more nail polish fun, you can always check YouTube for gals who show you how to give yourself a manicure!

My digits usually have color on them (currently an OPI terracotta color) and I look forward to Fall to be able to sport the dark browns, greys, and purples that I adore. I just bought a new beautiful purple by ChinaGlaze that I am dying to try out!!

During the rest of the year, I usually wear light pinks or nudes, and occasionally just do clear polish. I keep them short and square as my nails are thin and weak.

My feet have color most of the year, with some breaks during the winter months. I like wearing fuschias, corals, reds, and French on them. I must admit though, I’m not so great with the upkeep as I am with my nails. =o( (but am getting much better at it!)

I am blessed with strong nails that grow quickly, however as a stay at home mom, my hands are always in water, washing dishes, and cleaning up so it’s hard for me to keep a color nail polish on without it chipping in a day. I find myself wearing clear nail polish or no polish at all, and as long as the nails are fairly short I like this look. I love putting on nail polish for an occassion — that pop of color (magentas for happy moods, dark maroon when I’m feeling goth) always makes me feel good, even if it only last a couple days. Interesting topic!

I will be the rebel–I always have acrylics and a french manicure. My natural nails are paper thin and horrifying when left in their natural state. Pedicures are only done in the summer and the color is usually some form of golden tan.

The Nail thing – One of the posts said they cut their nails. Can that be true? I always use a nail file and it takes me a long time because my nails are very strong/hard (that’s what happened to me as I aged). If I could find a faster way, I would use it. Tnx.

I almost always just have bare/natural fingernails and paint my toe nails in the summer.

Does anyone else think french manicures look funny on toe nails? It just always strikes me as “those toe nails need a serious clipping!”

Susan D

My nails are ALWAYS short. I used to play violin, I rock climb and I sculpt, so long nails are the absolute bane of both of those activities. Anything longer than a teeny bit above the tip of the finger is too long. And I think acrylics are scary; if your nails are weak, they certainly won’t get any stronger under piles of plastic and chemical glue!

As far as nail polish goes, I love it on both fingers and toes, although typically they’re both left natural. I like using nail polish as a counterpoint to whatever colors I might be wearing that week; since I typically wear blacks and whites, I like having a bright pop of color, like hot pink or blue. I also very rarely match fingers and toes for nail colors! My favorite nail polish company is definitely Rescue Beauty Lounge, followed closely by OPI.

I’m dying to try matte nail polishes; has anyone checked them out yet?

I also leave my finger nails au naturel, otherwise they are just too much work to maintain. I wear mostly red shades on my toes for the summer months, but once fall comes I also have the notion that they should be left plain. I definitely prefer OPI brand nail polishes.

My nails are really long right now, and unpolished. I must be taking my vitamins because my nails usually break before they get this long.

I dislike manicures and pedicures and don’t find them relaxing, but I love the results. (I think it’s a leftover trauma from someone cutting me with the cuticle cutters on my very first manicure).

Unlike Angie, I love French manicures. I also like very short, dark fingernails. On my toes, I always go dark. I am dying to try dark blue.

Laura, I must apologize if I was unclear. I can appreciate French manicures on others if the nails aren’t too long. It looks pretty! It’s just not a look I prefer for myself.

My finger nails are very uneven and crooked, so I don’t like to draw attention to them. As for my feet, well, I just hate my feet. They always have some form of scarring, blisters, cuts, bruises, and other assorted uglies on them, and one of my toes is a bit wonky after surgery, and putting a color on them is not going to make it any better.

Besides that, I am just not a high maintenance person. I do not foresee myself ever getting a manicure or pedicure, or any kind of regular spa treatment. It has never even occurred to me to care for my nails beyond regular trimming. I just prefer to keep things simple. As it is, I spend about an hour a day on my appearance and that is still more than I would like.

I adore the look of a french manicure. French manicure also has the added benefit of lasting longer – chips not so noticeable. But I also love a neutral that is close to the color of my skin (for the elongating effect), a classic red, or a dark blue/almost black. I tried that this past year and LOVED the effect! I’m not so much for corals (clash with my skin tone) or pinks or anything too… um, tropical? If you know what I mean. Bubble gum colors.

Unfortunately, no manicure seems to last very long – and I just don’t have the patience for frequent upkeep, and zero skill for doing it myself. So I only go to the bother for a special occasion (formal event, job interview) and 95% of the time I just keep my nails short and unpolished.

My nails grow very fast and strong, which is lucky – I am often told by manicurists I have “ideal” nails…. the perfect canvas for polish… and would never need fakes. But when they get past a certain length, they just look bad – unless they have some polish. The tips tend to be uneven in color? So even clear polish doesn’t really hack it. I envy gals who’s nails look fine unadorned and natural.

As for toes, I’m mostly a “summer pedicure” gal. I have become addicted to having pretty polish on my toes in the summer. I don’t bother in the winter, when my toes are stuck underneath socks and boots. However if there is a special occasion in the dead winter, and I am going to bare my toes, then yeah, I will use that as the Perfect excuse to treat myself to a pedicure!

This summer I tried dark blue on my toes, and it’s okay – I loved it for about a week – but concluded it’s not my favorite. I don’t know why it works for me on fingers but not toes. I prefer a classic red. But I’m very interested in trying white next time.

My nail style is the same as your Angie.
I have never understood how women can wear nail polish and still do normal things with their hands, just doesn’t work for me. I have ugly hands and do not want to draw attention to them anyway.
As for toes. I never wore polish there either untill the past 2 years. Now only in the summer, and I feel naked without it then.

My own opinion is that women look best with short or medium-sort, unpolished fingernails. Sometimes I get my toes painted: red, pink or a nude colour but more often than not, I just try to keep them natural and neat. But, i have to admit that when I lived in NYC and there was a cheap nail place on every corner, I was more likely to get my fingernails painted once or twice/ month: not because i thought it looked so wonderful but because it was FUN.

I am with you and all the readers who prefer their nails short and as natural looking as possible.

When I was a kid my parents taught me how to use a nail clipper, and that’s all the grooming I exercise. I know it’s not the most polished look… but having very thin fingers and small nails (they grow near the tip of the finger) coloring them looks weird. And wearing them long make my hands look like claws.

But I’ll go a little farther and comment on other people’s nails. I can’t help thinking that dark colored nails look dirty. Sorry about that, people. It must be something from my subconscious, I guess, but I’m terrified when a nurse or waitress has her nails painted in black or dark crimson… brrrrr!

Definitely my subconscious, and since this is a fashion and not a counseling website I won’t elaborate more on this. I’ll just say that nails are one of the very few things worn by other people on which I do have a very vocal opinion.

I also adore the look of french manicure, so fresh, clean and perfect looking, everything my hands are not! Since I work with my hands so much, it’s pretty short and au natural for me. To me, well kept hands and feet are a sign of health and an aspiration to me. My toenails are horrible, I start the summer treating my feet so well and by the end, well, I get bogged down with all the stuff I’ve gotta do and my poor feet look it! This posting is inspiring me to get thee to the salon and get those hoofs buffed up and healthy again.

I’m another one who tends to keep things simple. I keep my fingernails short and unpolished. I just don’t like the look of painted fingernails on me; I look down at my hands and think they must belong to someone else. Every once in a while I’ll see someone with a super cute manicure, usually short nails with a bright or dark polish, and think I’d love to try that myself. But, painted nails just aren’t *me*. My toes are a slilghtly different story. I keep them painted throughout sandal season but not so much in the winter when they’re usually covered.

My fingernails are usually short and unadorned. They tend to be very weak and I’m afraid I have a habit of pulling on tears to try to smooth them, so I do try to keep my nails tidily trimmed so there are no rough edges to catch on anything. Lately I have not been good at this and several of my nails are too short and torn.

I love the look of French manicures and have enjoyed my own chances to have them, but mostly nail polish is very unpractical for my SAHM lifestyle. I do so many projects around the house that nail polish simply doesn’t last long. I also am suspicious of the toxins in polish and remover, so I don’t like the idea of constantly renewing polish – the more you change it, the more toxins you absorb/breathe in.

I do like polish on my toes – usually a classic red or light, delicate pink. I only wear it in the summer and I find that if I buy good polish I can go for a long time on one application. Also, because toes are far away from the eyes of the average viewer, one can get away with a tiny patch-job on a chip rather than a complete nail re-do because most people won’t notice the imperfection.

I have just read everyone’s responses and now I have a question. What makes the spots and lines under fingernails? I have alot of them. Not all the time but some of the time, and lately there are alot.

Fingers: I prefer short but I admit I’m lazy about keeping them trimmed. No polish although I do admire dark colors (blue, purple, and reddish brown) on others. I just could never keep it looking good with all of the things I do with my hands. Besides, I do love the look of natural fingernails.

Toes: I used to never wear polish until YLF. I like blues, blue-green, purples, reddish brown, and metallics. One day I will try white. I’m pretty particular about choosing the right shade and I’m finding that I like to have a couple of colors for each season. I like bare toes too. I’m the type of person who gets in the habit of having it one way so the change is jarring until I get used to it and then start a new habit all over (whether it’s polish or no polish). I almost wish I could have it both ways at once.

I always keep my fingernails bare, but I do grow them a bit longer simply because I can now. My nails used to break all the time, but I started taking flaxseed oil supplements to get my omega 3’s, and a nice bonus is that my nails have become much stronger.

But I think you need to have really nice hands to wear polish on fingernails. Every time I’ve tried to wear it, I think it makes my hands look older. I don’t like French manicures either. They seem really dated to me.

That said, I always wear polish on my toenails. Bare toenails look old lady to me
(as opposed to polished hands which look old lady to me…I never claimed to be sensible). I’ll wear pinks and reds in the summer, and I’m loving the blues, greens, and purples this fall. I’ll also wear silver anytime during the year. I will let them go bare for a few days here and there in the winter to let them breathe. You really do need to do that. And it’s better to use a “healthier” polish without all the nastier chemicals. OPI is definitely my favorite. I am loving their line for Sephora.

Susand – french pedicures skeeve me out too! It visually implies that your toenails are super long, which reminds me of coma patients or people with disabilities who can’t trim their own nails.

I’m surprised to be in the majority here with short, natural fingernails and painted toenails in the summer. I’m an avid outdoorswoman, and long nails just trap dirt. There’s also the cleanliness issue – health professionals with long natural or acrylic nails have been responsible for many deaths in hospitals because bacteria gets trapped under long nails and spread from patient to patient. I’m no longer working in the health care field, but reading the studies made me extrapolate to food prep and other activities.

I manage to make my self-administered pedicures last for three weeks by applying basecoat and topcoat (Sally Hansen makes a good two-in-one) with two coats of Maybelline Express Finish Racey Red in between. It takes a bit of time to apply and dry, but if it can stand up to my running 20+ miles a week as well as walking a few miles a day, it’s worth it.

I am a chronic nail biter. its something I do when I’m bored or reading and even the smallest imperfection will set me gnawing on them…that said, I need to have nail polish on my nails at all times to prevent myself from nibbling. I love bright colors on both my fingers and toes though I do throw in the occasional dark wine or purple, or nude to balance out. i can’t stand short fingernails, i feel it makes my hands look stubby and unpretty…but with medium to long nails, i adore my hands…

I prefer to keep my finger nails short, buffed and painted with clear polish to both make them look healthy and stay strong ( I have brittle finger nails so I use Sally Hansen’s Hard As Nails). Long finger nails just don’t work for a programmer. I love pedicures but only treat myself to them once in a while. My feet tend to look good even otherwise, so I just get away with trimming, filing, buffing and painting them in my current fav blackberry shade polish. And I am also on the hunt for a shade of blue and green to go with my footsies

I just noticed that you also mention blue AND green polish. I am chuffed since those two have been my favourite colors since I started painting my toenails!

Wow… I’ve never met anyone else who agreed with me on plain fingernails, especially not a respected fashion blogger. I am too lazy to wear makeup much of the time, but when it comes to fingernails it’s not laziness, I actually dislike the look of nail polish on my hands. I don’t like the way it feels either, and I can’t tolerate it past the first day or two. If I get the tiniest chip I’m done. I have to get out the polish remover right away. I’ve only had my nails done occasionally for weddings.

I hardly ever do my toenails either, but I do like the look of polished nails on feet and it doesn’t bother me the way it does on my hands.

Like so many others here, I have short unadorned fingernails. I have nice shaped fingernails anyway, so I think they are pretty enough this way. And of course, I don’t lead a manicure-friendly life! Although my friends the local librarians all go to the same manicurist and always look sensational. I go with glitter polish on toes in summer since it is the laziest option – chips don’t really show.

Hands: always short nails, au naturel, I can’t remember when I last painted my finger nails. I still have a bottle of clear varnish in the fridge, but it’s mostly being used to apply a little to earrings on the rare occasions that my silver studs are bothering me.

Feet: I have pedicures year round and wear polish from about May to the end of September (”open-toe shoe season”). I tend to go for darker reds and I love the names they come up with: rouge extase, ombre de prune, ombre de rouge, perfection… and currently I’m wearing dark wine;-)

I also keep my fingernails short and unpolished. I can’t stand it when my nails start to get long or click against things. Ick. I love the look of clear or sheer, natural polish on my fingernails, but it doesn’t last without chipping for more than 24 hours…if that. Angie, it’s so funny what you said about your toes needing to “breathe.” I thought it was just me. I live in a warm climate, so my toes “breathe” from about mid to late October through March. For some reason, I’ve always thought this was very important. Too funny! I love pinky-reds, corals, bronzes, and various shades of purple on my toes, depending on the season.

I’m not terribly consistent! During the summer when i was off work i was painting my fingernails every couple of days now i’m back at work i was sporting chipped (pale) polish for 2 weeks before i got round to getting it off I love the look of painted toe and fingernails.

I have never worn any nail polish of any kind on my hands or feet and keep my nails on the short side. I hate the look of chipped nail polish and I know I will probably not be diligent enough to maintain the polish if I start wearing it. That said, I like the look of a French manicure so I might try that one day.

I always have pedicures year round, and I wear a soft bubblegum pink on my toes. I have worn short acrylic nails forever with a french manicure, however I did take them off for about a year and just recently added them again…I felt sort of undressed without them.:(

I like plain nails on my hands. On my feet, I like to have a very light color. I have Hobbit feet (short and a little hairy), so I don’t like to draw attention to my feet.

m!

I keep my fingernails short and natural. I would love to keep them painted a color, but I have yet to find anything that doesn’t chip after a day or two for me. My toenails I keep painted as long as they will be seen. I just painted them a dark purple, and I love it.

I play the piano so I’m not a fan of long nails, especially acrylic ones, but mine are always painted.
During the spring, my nails are pretty pale pinks and french tips, and during the summer my nails are bright shades of orange, pink, red, you name it!
In the fall, I like deep metallics, like metallic navy blue or violet, and in the winter I like solid dark colors, like black, burgundy, or navy blue.
I think its a little pick me up to look at my nails when I’m bored in class

I used to always paint my nails but the upkeep became too much. Now I just wear my nails natural and have for the past few years. It’s just easier.

During the warm months when I wear open-toe shoes I always have my toes painted, but the color entirely depends on my mood. I usually stick with pinks and purples but recently tried blue, ala Angie! On both my feet and hands, I like my nails short.

In junior high and high school my fingernails were almost always long and painted. Since then I usually just keep them plain, let them grow until one (or several) start to crack, and then cut and file them. When I do paint them, I usually have gone with clear, pinks, reds, or metallics, but I’d kind of like to experiment with fun colors some time. I’ve actually only painted my toe nails once, and I don’t remember what color I used. And once I got a professional manicure with some girl friends just for the experience. I’d never do it again (or pay for a pedicure), because it chips just as quickly, and I can do it myself for free.

I’d love to sport a french manicure daily- LOVE that look. But due to my job, which is REALLY hard on my hands (I’m even starting to develop calluses- eeeep!) any kind of manicure is a waste. So I just keep my nails short and natural. Now toes… I like to keep my toes painted always! Usually pink or red but I’d be willing to branch out, I think….

Long nails skeeve me me out, so mine are short! I cut them and use a nail file to smooth the edges– there’s usually 1-2 mm of “white” extending off the nail bed. I don’t think nail polish looks good on them, but I do use a three-sided nail buffer to smooth out the surface of my nails. I don’t put polish on my toes either, but do use the buffer.

I have plain short nails the majority of the time (play the piano, it’s a necessity) but occasionally, especially during the winter) I love a dark red short nail. It seems so 1940s glamour, I just love it. Maintenance is tough, so it’s generally for a party and it comes off a day or two later.

Fake nails and long talon-like red nails freak me out. Really. They seem dirty/germy to me.

I’m surprised that so many people, like me, do not polish their nails. I live in L.A., where everyone is hyper-groomed. However, I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area (actually, Oakland) where nail grooming is far less important.

Since I moved to L.A., I realized that I had to start polishing my toe-nails. Going out in sandals and having bare toes in L.A. is like going out with dirty hair. Ewww. It’s just gross. I never used to feel this way. The colors I like are a golden-sort of lavender, and dark-red-black. I saw someone in black peep toes with dark-red-black polish and I thought it looked SO good. So, currently, that’s my favorite.

Also, ever since Angie posted that her mother thought red nail polish made her toes look like they were dipped in blood, that’s all I can think about if I try red polish. Blood. Buckets of blood. And not in a good way. Now I think red nail polish is kind of disgusting.

Thanks, Ang.

I like my fingernails natural, on the shorter side but with clear nail hardener. I have a slightly pink clear polish that is a fun change of pace for special occasions.
Fran – I have to disagree with you on the Oakland style of nails. There are more nail salons here than I have seen anywhere! I think it depends on your “clique” whether “done” nails are in or not.

On toes I like a deep berry or classic dark red. Don’t deviate much from that. If I wear open toed shoes I like to have toes polished. My feet take a beating from retail duty so a pedi is such a treat.

As you, Angie, I do never wear colour on my hand nails! But my toe nails are dark coloured and silky finish (not sparkle, but some nice glance) all the year long, mostly deep blue (indigo), very deep almost black (but not black!) purple, or very dark chocholate, as I wear these colours a lot on my clothes, too. I think this has to do also with my natural and smart casual style. I do love these colours on my toes and weird(?), but I can never ever imagine to wear reds, pinks, or even lighter hues of these cold colours on my nails at all.

My nails are in pretty bad condition. I never use polish, and can’t stand to file them, so must ask someone else (ie DH) to cut them for me. And I am afraid that doesn’t happen very often and looking at them right now I can see 2 that are a kind of lopsided pointy shape.

Totally short and natural fingernails. Color on the toes–always. No french. Nothing fake.

I’m a moody dresser/nail polisher. I really like the look of shortish bare nails, and I feel I can get away with it because I have long fingers and pretty good nails (knock on wood). If I do wear color on my hands, it has to be fun, otherwise I don’t bother. For the last few years I’ve been enjoying darker shades like blues, greens, purples and occasional berries. From time to time I’ll use a cloudy pink/grey like OPI Moon Over Mumbai. For professional occasions, I always have clear nails. I used to wear a lot of clear polish, but stopped because 1. I found I don’t need it, and 2. I prefer to let things breathe

Like most other posters, I always wear some color on my toes in the summer. I like blues and greens, and also use whatever doesn’t end up working on my hands. I get more lazy when sandal season ends, but generally try to continue using the same bright colors because it cheers me up in the dead of winter.

I’m not very fond of the French manicure look. I didn’t see it growing up, maybe that’s why.

I’m totally in the minority here. I’ve had acrylics on my fingers for years because my natural nails are very thin and peel easily. Even so, I do keep them short with a french manicure. My toes, on the other hand, are always polished, year-round; candy apple red, bright orange & pinks mostly.

Thanks for the blog recommendations!

My fingernails are usually natural, buffed but no polish. Rarely I wold wear clear polish and even less often some inky-nude shade. Mu toe-nails get more variety – either nothing, nude, or, especially in warmer months, some really deep shade. I used to be really into deep red, I love OPI’s “I am not really a waitress”. Recently I have been wearing Chanel’s Vendetta on my toes, a super dark purle and I love it.

I don’t wear polish on my nails very often. On my hands it’s mostly out of practicality because my nails get chipped so easily. I’ll do clear polish only for a special event. People ask me sometimes if I have a French manicure because my tips are a very strong white, but I’ve never done it. I wear polish on my feet occasionally, and I usually like metallic purple or silver/pewter.

I, too, am surprised that so many prefer not to polish their nails. I don’t feel completely groomed unless I am wearing at least clear polish. I love to wear colors also, but am always in search of the perfect “nude” look. I only get a pedicure of polish my own toenails during sandal and peeptoe season.

I love to keep my fingernails manicured. In the summer I get a pale, sheer pink, and in the winter a pretty, sheer silver.

I prefer a dark color on my toes, but sometimes it seems more appropriate to sport a bright color, like in the middle of summer.

And, I’ve read recently that podiatrists recommend pedicures! Now if I could only get my insurance to accept it as a medical procedure….(-;

I’m probably not adding variety to the set of responses, but here is my take on nails:

Fingers – I like nail polish on others, but since I still occasionally chew my nails, I don’t wear finger nail polish except very rarely for a special occasion (and then bright red)

Toes – I love nail polish on my toes and cannot imagine having “bare toes” during the summer season. I start in May the latest, and keep going through September. I do change my colors; in summer I like bright red but also experiment with other colors, e.g. this summer I was very into turquoise, and now that it’s almost fall I’m sporting a nice warm soft fuchsia/purple.

I just saw a nude/beigey color in the latest OPI ad (the Spanish color set) that I found very intriguing, and I’m thinking about trying that for the winter season. Having polish on my toes just makes me feel very “polished” overall and I get a kick out of it every morning in the shower.