My LV trip blog in June 2013

[kandi.dolfen]

Las Vegas Trip Report/ Blog June 2013

My Goals
#1-Unplug & Enjoy the week’s vacation - I needed to unplug from this years’ stresses.
#2-Learn Make-Up application techniques - Bare Escentuals { http://www.bareescentuals.com/‎}is a DLV supporter and the Fashion Show Mall outlet has expert Make-Up Artists that are happy to help. The Gals that work there are excited about working with us. They are on commission, so our support during our MU sessions is appreciated. Let’s reward them with our business.
#3-Become more comfortable with going out dressed up in mainstream settings - Go out to more mainstream places & visit the Ladies’ restrooms for every place. Report any incidents.
#4 Check Bra & new Breast form sizes - I ordered new smaller breast forms based on dress size calculations & desired style
#5-Check out some new places for DLV 2014 -Visit new venues and give feedback to DLV ORG
My Style - I want to ‘blend in’, so I adopted a conservative style that is intended to not attract attention. I packed 6 dresses, 8 pairs of shoes, 1 black floppy hat, 3 pants and 3 tops, so I can tryout different looks.

Itinerary
Saturday afternoon, June 22, 2013
a. Pick up rental car @ FOX, 3 PM–late pick-up of rental car, intended for late return time
b. $11.24/ day for Toyota Camry (Compact class)
c. Didn’t get extra coverage –this will be important later
DAY 1-Sunday – 6/23/13, LV temp = 95 F, but was comfortable due to low humidity
a. Drive to LV – made good time, arrived ~11Am but hotel room was not ready, yet.
b. Drove to lunch @ McDonalds. 1195 E. Sahara Ave @ Arville cost is $5.61
c. Drive past first apt @ Shine Nails, 4021 W. Sahara Ave. Had coupon for $15 acrylic nails. But, it was closed and the space was now a novelties store. Need to find new nail salon.
2. Howard Johnson Inn, Las Vegas Strip, 1401 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-482-7772
a. Hotel check-in, non-smoking double occupancy room ($28/night) was lower cost than single.
b. THE Best part about this hotel is that I can park the car within 6 steps from the front door of my 1st. floor room. This is a convenience I enjoy and increased my comfort level.
c. Changed into my white/ black warm-up suit, flip-flops & black hat with big sunglasses for Nail apt.
d. Make-up – just applied tinted moisturizer
e. Walked just 6 steps into my car and drove to Nail Salon.
3. All Star Nails, 1600 S. Las Vegas blvd.
a. I was greeted warmly here by the owner & the one nail tech working on Sunday afternoon. I was the only one in the salon at that time. They said Friday & Saturday were busy with the popular EDC 2013 concerts happening that weekend.
b. Asked for my toe nails to just be painted ($12), acrylic fingernails ($25), plus $5 tip. Tina used gel to make the thumbnails big enough for my hands. She suggested the right nail length. It looked great when they were done.
c. I choose apricot nail color to match my jewelry.
4. Bare Minerals/ Escentuals Beauty – Fashion Show mall, 3200 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
a. Parked near Niemen-Marcus & walked into Mall
b. Locating Bare Escentuals can be confusing since there are several Macy’s stores in this Mall.
c. I met with Stephanie. She has 25 years of experience with MU Application. She has helped during the DLV MU sessions for several years and enjoys our DLV group. She’s getting married in Sept. 2013.
d. She suggests a Starter Kit that I purchase @ $68.10
e. Does a complete MU application & it looks great, with purple eyeshadow
f. When we’re done, I make an apt to return for another session when I can write down the application steps. I promised to write a MU cookbook for the DLV group.
g. Walked to Macy’s next door, tried on one dress, it was almost 7 pm and Macy’s was closing.
5. Go back to hotel to change clothes
a. I put on a grey/purple/black knee length dress with dark purple swede pumps.
b. Decided to wear tan hose to see if it was too hot (it was not a problem at all).
6. Dinner –Artisan Hotel, 1501 West Sahara Avenue
a. Artisan has taken a few hits lately, so it was high on my list to test out. Drove into the valet parking, the attendant was polite & courteous; I walked into hotel lobby then Ladies restroom. I love the décor in this Ladies room. The MU and dress made me feel confident and then I walked into the Restaurant. I sat down at a table and the Waiter was attentive & eager to help. I ordered the Balsamic salad wedge, the order appeared quickly, the food was excellent and just $10.81. Other hotel employees walked by and said Hi. Three Men also eating in restaurant were polite. After Dinner, I walked around to see the hotel artworks, then walked back to the Valet. He returned with the car and apologized for taking 3 minutes to find it, I was not aware of any problem. All around it was a great experience and I will visit it again during DLV 2014.
7. Charlie’s Las Vegas 5012 Arville St., Sunday Drag show @ 10 PM
a. Charles is a Country theme and known gay bar. There is plenty of free well-lit parking. I walked into the front entrance and was cheerfully greeted by the doorman, Brian. He joked about not carding me unless I wanted the complement. There was no cover charge for entry.
b. I asked about planning a party here and was introduced to the Manager, Chris. He wanted to host our party and just asked that he be given some notice so he can plan ahead. That’s all.
c. I was the only TG in the bar. I used the restroom marked ‘Unisex’. The other one was marked Men. No issues to report here.
d. The patrons were well-behaved and no issues to report.
e. A gay male couple included me in their conversation. They were pretty funny to talk with.
f. At 10PM the Drag show began. It was fairly entertaining. There were several GGs watching the Drag show. They seemed to gather with some BoyFriends.
g. Note that all LV bars allow smoking. I’m not accustomed to this, unlike CA where it’s not permitted. Not good for hair or lungs but it was easy to stay away from someone who was smoking.
h. I left at about 11 pm the doorman greeted me with a smile and said good night.
i. This place could easily handle our group and with NO Cover charge, I recommend we consider it for DLV 2014. Open 24 hrs./ day
8. Venetian hotel, 3355 S Las Vegas Blvd.
a. On a whim, I turned into the self-park area and easily found a safe space to park.
b. I walked thru the Grand Canal Shoppes. It was a Mainstream location.
c. It was much fun window shopping since most were closed at that hour.
d. All with NO issues
e. Walked back to my car, loving the sound of my heels in the empty garage structure.
9. Back to Hotel
a. I drove back to my Hotel and very happy with my 1st. day of vacation.

DAY 2-Monday, 6/24/13, temp = 98 F (hotter but OK)
1. Had Breakfast inside my room with cereal & soy milk that keeps without refrigeration.
2. Picked a casual outfit of black top & ¾ length black skirt with flat sandals
3. Make-up – just applied tinted moisturizer
4. Flores de Jesus Alterations, 1002 E. Charleston Blvd.
a. I have a pant suit that the pants needed to be taken-in at the waist.
b. I explained what I wanted to have done and got the cost estimate ($12).
c. I tried on pants so they could mark the alterations.
d. There was a young gal who looked on with blank stare. When I noticed her, I gave her a big smile and she smiled back.
e. They promised the work would be done on Wed.
5. Las Vegas Gallery, 1404 S. 3rd St.
a. I hoped to find an Art Gallery worth recommending.
b. This place was too small for group tours.
6. Drove to Fashion Show Mall, 3200 LV Blvd S.
a. I walked into Bare Escentuals and Stephanie gave me a ‘quick fix’ of my MU.
b. I went into Macys to try on several long gowns for upcoming formal events.
c. Dillards has a large selection of dresses & gowns. I spent a lot of time there.
d. I stopped for Lunch in the food court. I picked a combo @ Panda Express for $9.29. It was typical food court poor tasting food. Sorry to say.
e. I washed up in the Food Court L. restroom. It was busy and I had NO issues.
f. I walked back to my car and had some trouble locating it in the parking garage.
7. Drove back to Hotel
a. Evening out attire -Black dress with Blk& wht scarf & 2 pairs of black (4” & 6” heels) cutout pumps
8. Freezone, 610 E Naples Dr.
a. I drove to 610 E Naples Dr. but went past the turn, since it is easy to miss.
b. There was plenty of free parking.
c. The place was not crowded, no GGs and I was the only TG there that night.
d. The restrooms are labeled Men's & Unisex. I don't know if they were recently changed to this setup. I used the Unisex without incident.
e. I spoke with the (male) Bartender. He said this place can hold 70-80 people.
f. The decor was old and needs paint to liven it up.
g. Friday nights they have a Drag show. I intended to return on Friday for it but the LV weather had me return home early.
9. Firefly @ Paradise, 3824 Paradise Rd.
a. Stopped by to visit this restaurant as a possible dinner spot for DLV.
b. I asked the hostess if they can hold large groups. She took me thru a large room with white/ grey marble floors and Latin theme paintings on the wall. She said it could hold over 100 people for dinner. She called for the manager, Edgar. He was very happy to show me around and give me a large group menu.
c. I felt very welcome in this place and promised to return to try Dinner.
10. Escape lounge, 4213 W Sahara Ave
a. I drove to check out this as a possible DLV place
b. I changed to my 6” heels before going in.
c. The front door was locked and has a doorbell to ring for entry.
d. This place was not crowded either, no GGs and I was the only TG there that night.
e. The restrooms are labeled Men's & Unisex. I used the Unisex without incident.
f. I spoke with the (male) Bartender. He said this place is changing ownership and things are uncertain right now. The changeover is awaiting the liquor license renewal.
g. I recommend we not consider this place until this change settles down.
11. Food 4 Less, 3864 W. Sahara Ave.
a. I was looking for an inexpensive dinner option so I tried this one.
b. I changed back to my 4” heels and glad I did. The slippery floors were a challenge to walk on.
c. I picked up bananas, salad, and mineral water for just $3.79
12. Drove Back to hotel to eat Dinner

DAY 3-Tuesday (6/25/13) temp = 102 F (must have car A/C on High, breezy, dry & windy day)
1. Breakfast in room, cereal & soy milk
2. Casual outfit of brown long sleeve top and X-long pants with Classified Wedge sandals (4” heel).
3. Fashion Show Mall – Bare Escentuals
a. MU apt. with Stephanie
b. Write down cookbook steps for MU application
c. Purchased another kit with the remaining products for $67.02
4. Lunch @ McDonalds, E. Sahara @ Arville $5.61
a. Sat down and started eating when an elderly African Lady started a conversation with me. We talked about Women having more power these days. I do agree!
5. ROSS Store, 4620 W Sahara Ave
a. My Disclaimer - I have a love/hate relationship with this store chain. While I love their fashions & prices, the Security people were more than rude to me several times before. This is a ‘must-do’ shopping visit.
b. The mid-day weather was uncomfortable and blew my hair around. I walked in the front door just behind a petite Asian Gal. The Security guard welcomed her with, “Welcome Mam” and me with, “Welcome Sir”. Gee-wiz, it didn’t take along for this to happen here, again!
c. I selected a shopping cart and filled it with several dresses & shoes.
d. I walked into the Dressing rooms and the female guard gave me the token with the number of dresses I had. The shoes were not permitted in the dressing rooms. Why, I don’t know!
e. I tried on the dresses but there was no mirror in the Hallway to walk out and turn around in front of.
f. I gave back the dresses to the guard and went to the Ladies underwear racks.
g. I selected 4 Bras to try on and went back to the dressing rooms.
h. The female guard gave me the token, again.
i. All of the Bras fit my new forms, perfectly so I proved I had the right sizes, Yes!!
j. When I was done, I walked out of the Dressing rooms to find the male guard was waiting there. I pushed the Bras close to his face and walked away.
k. I left the store and figured I made the best of it.
6. Burlington Stores, 5959 W. Sahara Ave.
a. This is my all-time fav. Store for dress & shoe shopping.
b. I found helpful sales gals and lots to try on.
c. There are over a dozen by a dozen racks of shoes in all sizes to try on…Shoe-gasm!
d. I tried on several long gowns and lots of shoes.
e. This was an all-around great shopping experience.
7. Blue OX Tavern, 5825 W Sahara Ave
a. Annie requested I visit this place and report back.
b. There is plenty of free parking outside.
c. I walked in and liked the décor. It boasts it’s a “Minnesota Place” providing Midwestern Hospitality and a Vikings theme.
d. I asked about hosting a group there to the female bartender. She introduced me to Ron Aronsohn, the owner. He has a way of making everyone feel comfortable around him and he was so easy to talk with. I was impressed with his style and genuine interest to help me plan a group outing there.
e. He showed me the private dining area which is glass enclosed…think fishbowl here. He said it holds 38-42 people, easily. While this will not fit our entire group, it would be good for a side gathering.
f. Ron suggested we let him know at least one month in advance if we want to meet there.
g. Providing a high quality experience is very important to Ron. If we have a larger group, he recommended several other places.
h. I thanked him for his hospitality and walked out thinking, I will return again.
8. The Cellar, 4750 S Eastern Ave.
a. I drove by this place and wanted to check it out.
b. It’s advertised as the “Museum of Photographic History” and has a banquet hall.
c. There was plenty of free parking, the entrance opens to stairs leading to an atrium with a flowing stream of water, the bar area and the restrooms. It had stone tile floors and was nicely decorated with paintings. It was quaint and restful to walk around inside this place.
d. I met Suzie, the owner and we walked around the banquet hall. She printed out the banquet contract and it was a problem. She wants advance payments in full, so in other words, she wants to book weddings, only.
e. I can’t recommend this quaint place due to the advance payment requirements.
9. Drove back to Hotel to change
a. It’s so hot outside, now! Back in my room I noticed some of the straps on my wedge Classified sandals had come apart due to the hot day. These are new shoes, first time wearing them outside
b. Changed into beige & black dress with black cage heels (4”) & ribbon heels(6” tall) in a shopping bag.
10. New York-New York Hotel & Casino, 3790 Las Vegas Blvd S.
a. Drove to NY NY & self-park, found a safe space to park
b. Changed into (6”) heels and walked towards elevators.
c. Entered the 2nd. Floor to casino & convention center. I walked around and viewed the sights.
d. No issues to report.
11. Drove back to Hotel

DAY 4-Wed. 6/26/12 temp = 105 F
1. Watched weather report on the in-room TV. The heat was uncomfortable in wig & etc. I decided to leave Friday morning instead of staying until Saturday. I called the front desk to let them know I was leaving early & not get charged for that day
a. Breakfast in room, cereal & soy milk
b. Casual outfit – black pants, blue tunic top, flat sandals
2. Flores tailoring
a. Visit the Shop, tried on pants, still needs more reduction on the sides,
b. Should be ready Thursday, I hope.
2. Went to Fashion show mall since it was a designated ‘Cool Zone’.
a. It was very crowded!
b. Parking was difficult to find near an entrance.
c. Remember your parking space # & Color to help find it again later. The parking entrances from the Mall show the color to help find the right area. It was still difficult.
d. As I was entering the Mall, a young GG asked me, “Mam, is this the way to the parking garage?” Yes, I answered her and she didn’t seem to notice I was TG.
e. Chico’s is a women’s clothing store I entered and the young GG greeted me with a friendly Hello and smile. She asked me if I had been to this store before & I answered, No. She asked me what dress size I am. I said I’m a size 8. Well, she said in this store you’re a size One. I’m happy already. I picked out several full length brightly colored Summer dresses to try on. She walked me over to the dressing rooms. I loved the colors but these dresses were too short for me since I’m 5’9” tall. I tried on the Hi-Low uneven hem shirt. It showed my ankles and legs being large and I didn’t think it looked good on me.
f. Dillards store has lots of formal wear so I browsed through that dept. I was looking for something to wear for the DLV evening party. I didn’t need to buy it yet, just looking for what styles are flattering on my shape. The Sales gals in this store were much older and didn’t come over to offer any help. They seemed to be busy setting up displays and putting out clothes. I had no trouble trying on whatever I wanted in their dressing rooms.
g. Victoria Secret Lingerie’, this fancy fortress of femininity was a challenge I decided to try out on a whim as I walked by. I went into the shop and was greeted by a pretty & young GG who asked me what she could help me find. Since one of my goals was to try on bras I asked for my new size, 36D in a full coverage style. She went to the displays and found 4 bras in that size and escorted me right into the dressing rooms. My Heart was Pounding in my soon to be bare chest!! Another young GG, Destiny, opened the door to the dressing room and showed me inside. There were three floor-to-ceiling mirrors that pivoted to show off my figure. I closed the door behind me and tried to catch my breath. It was very warm inside the dressing room (so my nipples don’t pop-out, I guess (;-o)). I tried on the four bras and picked a fav. When I was done, Destiny gave me a Victoria Secret pink BRA card with my size and selection. WOW! What a souvenir!
3. Hotel
a. Back to room to change
b. Green/ black fitted dress with V-neck and black cage (4”) heels
4. Dinner at Firefly @ Paradise, 3824 Paradise Rd. 702-369-3971
a. I parked in the rear of the building. I noticed there were only ~60 parking spaces I the rear of this place. I looked around the parking lot to be sure it was safe. Then, walked around to the front of the restaurant.
b. I was greeted warmly by the hostess, I asked for the Mgr. Edgar. He was glad to see me return to try Dinner and evaluate the place for the DLV group. He offered me a free glass of sangria. I sat down at a small table near the center of the restaurant. No one took notice of me. The Dinner was outstanding. I had the ceviche of shrimp, scallop escargots and lamb skewers. ALL were excellent. Total was $29.19
c. I mentioned to the Manager, Edgar about the limited parking. He promised to hire a limo service for us to be sure we had a safe place to park and enough spaces for our group. I was blown-away by his suggestion. He sincerely wants to work with our group.
d. I visited the Ladies room which was beautifully decorated with marble floors and a vanity to ‘primp in’.
e. I strongly recommend this place as a DLV dinner location.
5. Drove around the LV strip which was so crowded that traffic was stopped all along the street. I was stuck in traffic for over one hour.
6. Palace Station hotel, 2411 W Sahara Ave
a. I drove into the self-park area and walked into the casino.
b. The casino had a railroad theme, so I wanted to know if they had any RR exhibits but I found nothing.
c. It was late & I decided to walk back to my car.
7. Returned to hotel to rest

DAY 5-Thurs. (6/27/13) temp = 110 F ( uncomfortable, cool zones setup around town, my rental car bumper expands and comes apart)
1. Breakfast in room
a. Do MU with new Bare Minerals kits in room. It comes out great!
b. Casual outfit - Black pants with flat sandals, multi-blue tunic top
2. Flores Alterations
a. Pick up pants & try on for size – fits OK
3. Fashion Show Mall
a. Go to Bare Escentuals & Say thanks to Gals for their help.
b. Promised to write up MU cookbook
4. Lunch @ Buca de Beppo,
a. meet with Jocelyn, catering & sales
b. I ordered the Chicken Marsala with pasta.($19)
c. It was ready quickly and tasted very good.
d. Jocelyn sat with me to review the menu options. For groups the meals are served ‘Family style’, meaning large shared portions. She seemed easy to work with to setup the reservations & payment options.
e. Buca could easily accommodate entire group up to 200 people with reservations & advance payments.
f. She & I email’d several times to learn how to setup a Dinner group.
g. I recommend we try adding this to the DLV 2014 calendar.
5. Back to hotel to change outfits
a. Black dress v-neck, purple pumps, black purse with purple scarf
6. Caesars Palace Forum Shops 3500 S Las Vegas Blvd., across street from QUAD ( IP)
a. Drove into the Valet parking and took escalator to first floor.
b. Walked around the Forum Shops,
c. Mainstream shopping and people watching,
d. Trevi restaurant, I was greeted warmly, found a table quickly, ordered the Ahi Tuna Salad. It was excellent, cost $20 including tip. I went into the Ladies room to comb my hair. No issues to report.
e. Walked back to Valet & got into my car with just a tip for the service.
7. Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South
a. This was THE Best night out walking around the Mandalay hotel & shops,
b. OPTICA shop for sunglasses, helped by Kamisha, we became good friends during my visit She was so easy to talk with and helpful.
c. Daily Blues shop for women’s clothes & shoes. Two Israeli guys run this shop and were very helpful. I asked to try on a pair of Wedges with purple straps that I saw in the window. They gave me the shoes to walk around in and I enjoyed them. I need to replace the wedges that came apart in the heat but decided not to get these. They gave me the Brand, Qupid and model# CAFÉ 13. I thought they gave great service here.
d. Visited The Mix Lounge, Found Beatles cover band playing and sat down for a drink, waitress was friendly & said no minimum drink order was required. I enjoyed the band and wished I had someone to dance with. Sigh
8. Drive back to hotel
a. Sorry that the adventures were over for this trip!
b. Tried to remove the Nails but polish remover only took off the color, not the nails! I soaked the nails in the remover but no luck. So, I didn’t want to use the nail clippers but had no choice at this point. I continued to soak the nails in remover but they didn’t even get soft. I filed them down but the thumbnails were 5X thicker than my normal nails. This issue would have to wait until I returned home.

DAY 6-Friday (6/28/13) temp = 112 F and rising
1. Check out of hotel
a. Credit back the extra day, found several charges I didn’t expect, the desk person removed them without any problems.
2. Travel back home in guy mode.
3. Filled up with gas at ARCO, paid $3.47/ gal.
4. Spring Mountain motorsports. 3601 South Hwy 160, Pahrump, NV 89048
a. This racetrack has a Corvette high performance driving school. So, I stopped by and asked for a tour.
b. There were two cars on the track running laps.
c. We walked thru the garage, driving school & club areas.
d. This is an exciting place for performance driving-lovers!
5. Drove back to California via Death Valley, 120 F degrees outside
6. Arrived back to San Diego where it was 81 F outside
7. Gel Nail Removal – This is still an issue and needed to be solved, soon. I tried soaking in polish remover for 20 minutes but the gel only got slightly softer. I asked some friends online for advice. One suggested ‘use a nail file’ but there’s too much gel for this approach. I tried a Dremel power tool but that was painful and I knew I was damaging my natural nails. I noticed the inside corner near the cuticles had a small gap. I put baby oil into that gap and the gels could be removed. I got them all off this way but my natural nails were now rough and uneven. These will take some time to heal but are back to normal. This was a painful lesson. Next time, I will remember to ask for soft gel or no gel on my nails. Live & learn, I guess.

Saturday, 6/29/13
I returned the rental car to FOX, early, before 1 pm. Since the car ‘melted’ in the LV heat, I returned it, as it was. The lot attendant wanted to write up an Accident report due to the bumper coming apart. I insisted it was the LV high heat but he wouldn’t accept the car back without the report. I knew their policy would have them charge me to repair this damage plus any time lost that they couldn’t rent that car out, again.

So, I asked for the car back and drove it back home. I re-assembled the bumper and discovered that it had previously been repaired with drywall screws!! I re-aligned the bumper and returned back to FOX before the 3 PM deadline. I was fortunate to get a different lot attendant to help me this time. No charges were incurred. I checked my AMEX card to verify I got the deposit back. Yes! Whew!!

Summary
It was a great vacation, along with a confidence building trip. I had lots of adventurous outings, mainstream exposure and just lots of fun!

All Goals met
Unplug & enjoy – I was indeed unplugged since the hotel WiFi connection was spotty. It means that this report didn’t get done earlier. It was not clear to me if the high heat effected the connection or equipment.
Learn MU application – Thanks to Stephanie & the Gals at Bare Escentuals this was a great experience. My MU cookbook is almost ready.
I visited more mainstream places, the Ladies room with each stop and all without incident.
My new sizes worked great and I will share the sizing calculations on my new website, http://www.2Bshapely.com when it is ready
I reported back on several new places to consider for DLV 2014. I would have more places if the weather didn’t force me to return one day early.
Overall, this was a successful and reasonable cost vacation. I saved money where ever I could, as shown above.
Key words
DLV = Diva Las Vegas http://www.geekbabe.com/DLV/
GG = genetic girl, born female
MU = Make-Up
TG = Trans-gender (Cross-Dresser)
TV = TeleVision ( silly)

[External Poster]

This posting is from: Amber Nicks
----------

The trick for gel nail removal requires 5 things: acetone, saran
wrap, aluminum foil, cotton balls, and 1 hour give or take.

1) Dip a cotton ball in some acetone. The cotton ball needs to be almost
but not quite dripping wet.

2) Place the cotton ball on top of a nail.

3) Secure in place by wrapping with saran wrap, up to about the second
knuckle.

4) Wrap again, this time with the aluminum foil.

5) Repeat for all your fingers.

6) Relax. Watch a TV show, movie, sunset, or take a nap.

7) After about an hour, the nail should be soft enough to remove. If
not, try another cotton ball, with more acetone than you used last time.

8) If you're going to be sipping a beverage, or otherwise trying to use
your hands, it may help to put a wrap of tape around the aluminum foil
to help hold things together.

HTH,
Amber

----------
(This posting was entered by Amber Nicks, an external user of MyDLV.)

[External Poster]

This posting is from: Gina Roberts
----------

Or just leave them on and shorten them.

Worked for me for many years,

Gina

----------
(This posting was entered by Gina Roberts, an external user of MyDLV.)

[External Poster]

This posting is from: Veronica Lynn Sevier
----------

Shorten what??

Veronica

----------
(This posting was entered by Veronica Lynn Sevier, an external user of MyDLV.)

[External Poster]

This posting is from: tomw123456
----------

"Shorten" the acrylic nails ....

Nail polish remover is Acetone, you can pick up a pint, quart, gallon at
Home Depot or any hardware store. (A lot cheaper than "nail polish
remover") I was surprised that it was that difficult to remove them and
checked on-line. Seems that it takes a long soaking to get them off ...
like 30 minutes .... and maybe having to do it again for another 20 or
30 minutes ... Seems to be quite a few "on-line articles" about
removing acrylic nails so it's obviously not a new or easy thing .....

----------
(This posting was entered by tomw123456, an external user of MyDLV.)

[External Poster]

This posting is from: kumiko yvonne watanabe
----------

some hints on nail care --- was a yahoo article on damaging your nails:

http://voices.yahoo.com/5-things-youre-doing-damage-fingernails-11061522.html?cat=5

The acetone soaking finger bath to remove the salon installed fake nails
also damages the tops of the nails... it can discolor the nails, and
softens or weaken them. Some thing simple as water while bathing softens
the nails too - which is why its easier to cut thick nails after a bath,
than when the nails and hands have been dry for some time.

If its just to remove the paint from the nails, nail polish remover pads
and containers for the liquid can and many contain acetone as probably
the main removal agent and other added chemicals, but the exposure time
is very short to just clean off the paint than leaving the fingers in
acetone till it melts the fake nails and bonding agent.

I worry about what acetone is doing to the body if it gets absorbed
while using it to get the nail polish off too.

Grinding them off may also grind the top of the natural nails also makes
them thinner and will break easier. For some the natural nails are also
ground or filed to make a rough surface for the glue for the fake nails
to make a stronger and tighter bond to the natural nail, so already
layers of nail is being removed.

It can create a painful and some bleeding if the soften or thinned out
nail cracks or tears and the nail still has flesh under it.

Its a good thing nails grows and given time will grow the damaged nail
out.

----------
(This posting was entered by kumiko yvonne watanabe, an external user of MyDLV.)

[External Poster]

This posting is from: kumiko yvonne watanabe
----------

another article by yahoo - on potential dangers of just using nail
polish... So it may be a good thing we don't do this on a daily basis or
for some if they do use it on a daily basis - be aware of this....

http://voices.yahoo.com/what-dangers-nail-polish-2345626.html?cat=69

Many ggs just go natural too. Seems genetically, I can't find the
article, but I read someplace that women overall have been found to
have stronger/thicker nails over men.

It had the theory that females need and uses nails for everyday use more
than men so by evolution, and nature has better nails than men.

----------
(This posting was entered by kumiko yvonne watanabe, an external user of MyDLV.)

[annie]

> I worry about what acetone is doing to the body if it gets
> absorbed while using it to get the nail polish off too.

Trace amounts of acetone occur naturally in the human body.

It's used in a number of derm procedures. I've also seen it used as a skin prep when attaching certain monitoring electrodes.

I'm sure it's not good for you to go swigging it, as one might do with Galiano [sic] or trying to get a buzz by sniffing the fumes, but a weekly or so NP removal job most likely will not be toxic.

[External Poster]

This posting is from: Sara P.
----------

You are right, many women do just fine with natural nails. That is
something I learned from my friend Diana, that sometimes less is more.
When it comes to a pedi though, all bets are off. That is a must in my
book, especially with any sort of open-toe shoe or sandal.

And I'm sooooooo done with acrylics. I did them two DLV's in a row and
while I loved the look, the lasting damage to my nails was not worth
it.

----------
(This posting was entered by Sara P., an external user of MyDLV.)

[annie]

> You are right, many women do just fine with natural nails.

I've tried the Lee Press On and the glue-on back in the 80s. Not worth the hassle, in my not so humble opinion. I value my dexterity.

I'm fine with moderate length natural nails and plain old drug store polish.