Painted nails

[missyatl]

What do you girls do about painting your nails and work? Do you paint them on Friday afternoon and remove it Monday morning? I would have them painted all the time but my wife thinks it would make people at work uncomfortable and perhaps lead to me losing my job.

Should I test the waters and stop if my boss says anything? Should I mention it before hand? Or should I just stick with weekends? I personally think I should make a name for myself and perhaps down the road bring it up. Oh and I'm new at this job!

Thanks girls!!

[Renee W]

Lately I have been using a clear during the week and color on the weekends. Just finished removing my color and putting back on some clear. So far no one at work has said anything about my glossy nails.

[missyatl]

That's a good idea, I just had mine done at a salon and chose a very light cream color. You could still see my skin underneath and the white tips. It was nice but not noticeable, so I almost don't see the point. I thought about a light pink, something close to my natural skin color you see under my nails.

[Allisa]

I always use clear or high buff on my nails,it is so much a part of me it is a non-issue at work and to any one who knows me.As long as your not breaking a dress code(pun intended),no harm no foul.A fresh start so they don't know any better,no expectations, except for your talent at your career.Enjoy.

[leannejames2011]

I've been wearing clear on my fingers the last month or so. About 6 months ago, I went to Sally's and bought some light pink to wear on my fingers. Me and the SA spent almost 1/2 hour tying to my each bottle to my natural color. I bought the closest pink to my natural color. I ended up wearing that pink every day for about 2 months before I smashed my finger and lost one of my nails.

Now for about a year I've had color on my toes. Every couple weeks I change the color. I rarely have light pink on my toes since almost no one sees them and then only the people I allow to see my toe nails. Right now I have dark pink with blue sparkle on top. The next time I change, I'm putting Midnight Blue on.

So, if you want to test the waters for wearing polish to work, go with clear first. If anyone notices, tell them it is a treatment that you are trying to correct a condition on your nails. If no one notices or says anything, try a light pink next.

Leanne

[chloe cute]

I painted my toes and wear clear Color on my fingers. If anyone notice it, I just ignore them.

[Beth Mays]

I wear clear on my fingers most of the time and sometimes a pale color (pearl now). A few people notice but no one really cares. I wear french tips on toes in summer and color in the winter (dark brown now).

Clear is very easy to pass of to anyone, I go to a salon to have mine done on a regular basis. even if you dont get the full mani you can get a "color change" the place I go charges $4 to remove the old polish and do any color I like.

[LeaP]

2 coats of a very sheer, pale pink, plus a topcoat. I've never had a single comment, and I work in a very conservative industry (investment management).

Lea

[PretzelGirl]

I think a lot of people notice and no one wants to broach the subject.

I have been wearing clear for a couple of years. Always seem to end up with the shiny stuff. . But no one has ever said a thing even though I teach on equipment so my hands are right in front of them. This week a checkout lady at the cafeteria asked me if I played the guitar. I said no, why do you ask;knowing roughly where she was going. She said she thought that because I was wearing acrylics. So I told her about the nail strengthener I was wearing and we got into a bit of a talk about nail care. No biggie (and lucky there wasn't a line).

[ReineD]

What do you girls do about painting your nails and work?

This is what I suggested to my SO: first, practice, practice, practice so you can put on one coat of polish in 5 minutes flat. It's entirely doable.

Normally for a good polish, as you know there is a base coat, two coats of polish, and a top coat. This is designed to keep the polish on for a long time. But, if you just want to go out for an afternoon or an evening, just dispense with everything, and put on only one coat of the polish. Get a good quality polish so the one coat will still look nice. And also, choose a pale color that will be easy to take off when you get home and will not leave any stubborn residuals, like the bright reds. The fewer coats of lacker on your nails will also make clean up all that much quicker.

If you get used to doing this, putting on just one quick coat will be absorbed seamlessly into your prep time. If you get good enough, you can get all ready to go, coat on and keys at the ready. Then put on the polish, waive your hands around for a minute or two, pick up your keys and you can manipulate them gingerly without smearing anything until you are safe in the car. By the time you get to your destination your polish will have dried.

[sissystephanie]

Do people really pay attention to your nails at work? I don't do my own nails, but do have them done at a salon every 2 weeks. My finger nails are always a pale shade of pink, and they are even feminine shaped! I have had nails like that for many years, and have rarely ever had a negative comment!! Most people, both men and women, think they look really nice. Granted, I am self employed Insurance agent, but I am out in the public calling on clients almost every day!!

My nails are like Lea's!! But my toes are bright red!!

[Sometimes Steffi]

So, if you want to test the waters for wearing polish to work, go with clear first. If anyone notices, tell them it is a treatment that you are trying to correct a condition on your nails. If no one notices or says anything, try a light pink next.
Leanne

I had someone notice my clear glossy nail polish at work in a big way. He asked me if I was wearing nail polish. I told him yes, but technically it was a nail hardener that my wife gave me because my nails were splitting. That seemed to be enough to shut him up, but I guess it could have gotten ugly pretty quickly.

I think a lot of people notice and no one wants to broach the subject.

I have been wearing clear for a couple of years. Always seem to end up with the shiny stuff. . But no one has ever said a thing even though I teach on equipment so my hands are right in front of them. This week a checkout lady at the cafeteria asked me if I played the guitar. I said no, why do you ask;knowing roughly where she was going. She said she thought that because I was wearing acrylics. So I told her about the nail strengthener I was wearing and we got into a bit of a talk about nail care. No biggie (and lucky there wasn't a line).

I've gotten holiday pedis for both Halloween and Christmas, and I've started showing off my toes in Yoga class. I'm wearing bright colors, so it should be pretty obvious, but no one has said anything unless I mentioned it to them first. One Yoga instructor who I confided in said she did notice but didn't want to say anything about it.

I've also gone to massages a couple of times where they certain;y had to notice, but didn't say anything.

So, I think most people notice, but are either afraid to say anything, or disinterested.

[Amymonroe]

I paint them anyday of the week and if my military co workers or PA's have a problem with it they know where to go.

[DanaR]

My toes are always painted. I only paint fingernails when I'm going out, then usually remove it for drab mode. Most of the people that know me, don't need to know about my girl side.

[Rachel Morley]

What do you girls do about painting your nails and work? Do you paint them on Friday afternoon and remove it Monday morning?

Yes! What I've quoted is what I do ... except that at work (as others have indicated) I wear a shiny clear polish. The length of my nails are quite long (for a guy) as they are between an 1/8th and a 1/4 of an inch past my finger tips so with clear shiny polish on them they look pretty girly.

If you are new at this job then you are presumably on a probationary trial period (3 months?), where I work, any new hire can be let go in the first 3 months with no questions asked and you "don't have a legal leg to stand on" ... so at this point in time, I would suggest you err on the side of caution and stick with clear shiny during work hours.

[AudreyA]

I keep clear polish on during the week (including at work). Despite the longish and glossy nails, no one has ever said anything about them. On the weekends I add color, but I go back to clear before work on Monday. Toes of course are always painted, but nobody sees them.

[Renee W]

The one thing I worry about people questioning is not the clear polish, but the length. I have been letting them grow out and have a nice set except for 2 (it was one until I dinged one this morning). On the nails that have grown out, I also have between 1/8 and 1/4 of white past the fingers, almost looks like French Tips when I have on the clear. My wife was giving me some tips on shaping them yesterday, but I haven't had a chance to do that yet.

I also figure that if anyone ever questions the clear, I would just tell them that I was working with some carb cleaner without gloves and it softened my nails so the wife suggested I put on clear hardener until they grew out all the way. Sounds plausible.

[LeaP]

If you work at a large company - mine has 40,000+ people, look around. There aren't tons of men with manicured hands, but there are more than you might think, especially among the dressed-to-the-nines, senior guys.

Lea

[VanessaJCD]

I've had a coupe of people ask. I wear nail hardener and a clear top coat. I tell them I need them to play guitar and the hardener is on there to keep the nails strong.

[DeniseNJ]

It is a shame, with all the beautiful colors out there to hear most of us girls say, I were clear or a pale pink color at work . It does stink when we have to conform to the norm and not be ourselves. I have wore clear a few times even a color called suger bear which was a pale glossy biege, that was pushing it, and I work in a male dominated enviorment. Someday nail polish on guys will be accepted. I just saw the previews for American Idol and Steven Tyler is wereing a Black polish. Maybe we all should be old forgotten ROCKERS With all the girls wearing black polish these days , I figured why couldn't he wear a hot pink or flaming red. I guess wearing black polish is considered Feminine, Back in the day it was GOTH to me if I wore black and never thought of it as feminine

[kimdl93]

I usually have my nails buffed to a shiny gloss, but no polish unless I'm going out en femme.

[Foxglove]

I knew a guy who painted his nails bright pink. He was a hippie-type guy, and I honestly don't know if he had any CD tendencies. And I don't know why he painted his nails. Maybe he just liked to. But they were perfectly visible to all, and nobody questioned them. I certainly didn't.

[pj]

I think a lot of people notice and no one wants to broach the subject.

Exactly.

I see people at work looking at my nails (clear polish, little too long for a man), but no one says anything. The only person who has asked me about them in the past year and a half was a friend. I said, "I like how it looks," and that was that. We were on to the next subject. And he's still my friend.

Much of the world's reaction to you - in any situation - is predicated on your attitude. If you're secure and confident, people will rarely question you. If they do, just remain confident and you'll be fine.

[LisaKarenAZ]

I have my toes painted all the time these days, and have the color changed every couple of weeks.
I've been getting regular manis every week or two with usually a high buff or subtle clear. This last week I decided to have them done with 2 coats of a light pink and finished with a clear gel coat. So far, I've only received 2 comments. One from the wife about nice and shiny they were. And the other from a young girl at work who asked if I painted my nails. I told her that go in for regular mani/pedis. She loved it.

Other than that, I haven't noticed any unusual looks or heard any comments.

[Diane Smith]

My nails are about 5/8" past the fingertips, pink and white acrylic overlays over my natural nails, with a shiny gel topcoat at all times (and color most weekends). I work in a pretty liberal university environment, and although my nails attract attention and the occasional comment, none of it has been negative, and I've had them looking this way long enough now that most people who know me just accept it as part of my everyday appearance. It's fun to get comments from strangers at the checkout counter or fast-food window.

I'm afraid I couldn't actually recommend others follow my example unless they work in a similarly progressive environment, though.

- Diane