My good friends at Brill Communications decided to send me some samples of Nailene.

I couldn’t bring myself to use them and this is the first geekiviews post I’m making without trying the product. I have to admit, I’ve always been a little frightened of artificial nails. I put it out there on twitter that I was afraid of artificial nails and had a couple people reply back with horror stories. I also read the instructions and the removal of the nails which involves soaking in acetone. I really didn’t want to go through it.

The artificial nails themselves are not tacky. They are in the french manicure style which is always classic and not obnoxious. I will overlook the nail art that was included with the Toenail set. I had no idea there was artificial toenails too.

A friend of mine, who is way more into this beauty stuff, told me that Nailene is the best brand of at home artificial nail kits. She had these tips for creating the perfect set of nails.

• Size all the nails first and lay them out in order of how you’d put them on.
• Moisturize your hands and cuticles like crazy then wash all the oily stuff off and dry your hands.
• Use an orange stick to push back the cuticles as much as possible.
• You need to lightly file the surface of your nails before applying glue – it removes the oil
• Start with your non-dominant hand
• I prefer to put the glue directly on my nail rather than the fake nail – best to put more glue on that not enough – the extra will dry and peel off your skin after a day.
• Hold the nail on tight for a good minute to push out air bubbles.
• Once you have done all your nails, then put a little extra glue underneath each of your nails – it makes them stronger.
• ALWAYS carry the glue in your purse for little mishaps – or extra nails in case of a “pop-off”.
• And, oh taking them off is pain! soaking them in acetone nail polish usually makes them dissolve – not good for your finger tips, and you have to be patient. Worst thing is pulling them off when they are not ready. OUCH! But worth it for a good week or so for some lovely finger tips.

She tried to convince me to try them out but didn’t succeed. I can freely give her endorsement of the product because I know she knows what she is talking about. I’m just chicken shit.

Tell me your experiences with artificial nails in the comments.