I have often patched a nail here or there between manicures but rarely go two months or longer without getting a fill or manicure. COVID-19 puts our Do-It-Yourself skills to the test while homebound.

After COVID-19 week 4 I had to do my first acrylic fill or patch.  I pulled out my travel nail kit; nail files, superglue, acrylic fill kit, polish and the gamut in attempts to do it myself.  I had waited long enough and while my most recent or last manicure in early March was done well, it had grown out. 

I created what I’m calling the backwards French manicure.  The tips of my turquoise blue nails still looked pretty good. I cleaned them up by doing a little shaping touch-up and then at the cuticles, where the acrylic had grown out or had come off, I focused on cleaning that up. First, I chipped away the loose acrylic and super glued down pieces I could save, drilled and filed the remainder and gave my nails a half-baked fill. It took about an hour and half (maybe two hours) to complete from start to finish. I did a pretty good job without ruining the top half of the nail with all that gluey mess.

I did not have the same shade of blue polish at home, so I improvised with a close match – hence the backwards French.

Another two weeks later (COVID-19 week 6), I needed to take the turquoise polish off completely. It looked terrible and they were lifting something awful. My hair was getting stuck under the loose acrylic and they were snagging my clothes. Before I ripped my nails off completely by accident and hurt myself, or got an infection, I decided to start over from the beginning. I proceeded with another powder acrylic fill, more nail glue and was able to do a better job on my entire nail bed. I polished them a neutral color and they looked okay. This took about 2.5 hours one evening between sipping wine and watching TV. What a way to kill the time being homebound.

About another ten days later, it was time again during COVID-19 Week 8 but then it only took about 15 minutes. I removed the polish, filed them, no fill and just a little superglue with fresh pink polish.

Now it’s going on COVID-19 week 8 and I guess from a distance my nails don’t look too bad.  I know when I return to the nail salon, they are going to have a hey day with me. They may laugh at my DIY nail art, but it got me by. During these troubling times, we make do from stove-top cooking recipes, microwave foods, deliveries to beautifying and styling. I’m often asked, ‘why don’t you just cut them off’, and as last resort, we’ll see how long I can hold out.

All the best with your beautifying.