Earlier today the MTV Style blog tweeted, “Tired of French manicures for prom? SO ARE WE. We styled some nail ideas for EVERY high school clique!” with a link to a post where Celebrity Manicurist Lisa Logan gave some unique alternatives to traditional prom nail styles.

I tweeted in response, “French manicures are tired PERIOD.” That garnered quite a response from both French manicure fans and haters so I thought I would bring the discussion over here.

My take: I have never been a fan. To me, French manicures look fake and I rarely see them done well. The look was meant to emulate the perfect natural nail and thick or stark white tips are anything but natural looking. I also find the look very dated. The only time I’ve ever mentioned French manicures on this blog is when I discussed the difference between French & American manicures. Now colored/reverse/funky French’s are fun though I still don’t wear them often.

I remember talking to Deborah Lippmann about this very subject a year or so ago and we both agreed that we need to put a stop to French’s on fingers and don’t even get me started on French pedis. Just say no to stripper toes! Though, as Deborah joked, “As soon as we put an end to French manicures, they will come back in style again.” It would just figure, wouldn’t it?

The question I pose to you is… French Manicures – Yay or Nay?

Happy Friday Fanatics! Things have been a bit slow this week because I suffered a massive tear on my ring finger and I’ve been been babying it.  However I do have a few fun things to show you that will go up later today.

In the meantime, I was reading a recent article on Glamour’s Girls In The Beauty Department blog about whether or not nails need to “breathe” (they don’t btw) and in it they mentioned “buffing is key” to getting your natural nails to look good.

I’ve talked to many a manicurist over the years and there are definitely two camps when it comes to buffing.  Those that feel that an occasional light buffing to smooth out ridges/imperfections is okay and others who consider a regular buffing part of a proper manicure.

Now let me clarify, when I say “occasional” I mean once every few months and by “regular” I mean once every week/two.  I doubt I could find a manicurist worth their salt that would advise to buffing your nails every few days as that would severely weaken the nail plate.

Personally, I stand firmly in the anti-buffing camp.  I rarely buff my nails because they are naturally weak.  When I do, I use a tip I received from Celebrity Manicurist Elle who told me to apply cuticle oil to the nail plate prior to buffing.  The oil provides slip that prevents you from removing too many layers from the plate.

So what’s your take?  Is a good buffing part of your regular manicure routine?  Are you in the no-buffing camp? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

With Easter coming up this weekend, I started thinking about what I’ll wear to dinner with the folks on Sunday and, of course, what nail polish to choose.  I was surfing the web as I was pondering when I happened upon the pic below of Emmy Rossum and Zach Braff at “The Darker Side of Green” Debate and I couldn’t help but notice Emmy’s scarlet dress and matching nails.  It got me thinking about the whole matchy-matchy thing.

Typically, if I plan my outfit, I tend to wear polish colors to compliment, not match, though most days I’m running around with something that just plain clashes.  I’ve noticed that a lot of celebs tend to go neutral or play the matching game and even in my area I see a lot of nude, French or matching nails.  So am I alone in my ways?

What about you?  When you plan out an ensemble do you tend to choose a nail color that matches or coordinates with your outfit?  Or do you go the nude/sheer route?

Whenever I post a discontinued, high priced or limited edition polish the first question out of the gate is… is there a dupe? From my experience fanatics look for dupes for three reasons:

1. To avoid adding an identical color to their collection.
2. To find a low cost alternative
3. To quell their desire for a hard-to-find polish with an accessible version.

It’s that last reason that brings me to today’s Fanatic Feedback query. Even if you find or franken a twin to a coveted discontinued beauty, will that satisfy you? Is an OPI Rainforest look-a-like just as good as scoring the original? Would you discontinue the hunt for Chanel Night Sky if you found an dead-on dupe in a Wet N Wild bottle?

Is it about the hunt, the brand, owning the original or do you just want the color no matter who makes it?

On a recent post, reader Debbie suggested that I poll all of you to see who out there is a fellow reformed nail biter. Being that polish is what cured me of the nasty habit and spawned my love affair with nail color, I can’t believe I never thought of it earlier. Thanks so much for the suggestion Debbie!

So Fanatics, who use nibble on their nails before becoming obsessed with lacquer? Was regular manicures your cure or did something else do the trick? Share your rehab stories with the group!

With the economy being what it is (in the crapper) I’ve been cutting back my expenses any way I can. I’ve always been an at-home manicurist and I’ll splurge on the occasional salon mani but I absolutely hate doing my toes so I’m pretty religious about getting pedicures. Recently I’ve switched from full spa pedis to express versions to save money since I refuse to give them up.

So my question to all of you is… Where do you get your nails done? At home? In a salon? Did you used to be a salon girl before the market tanked? If you still go to a salon, do you space your appointments out more to fit your budget? Has the economy affected your nail routine?

I was going through my collection recently, sorting colors, weeding out dupes. It got me thinking about how old some of my polishes are and wondering… Am I the only one that hoards old colors, even if they’re a bit goopy, just because the color is so great? That brings me to my questions for you. What age is your oldest bottle? What is it? Or, if you’re the type to regularly purge, how long do you keep polishes for before giving them the heave ho?

My answer: I believe my bottles of OPI Rainforest are the oldest polishes I own. Since no one knows the exact release date and there is collection information dating back to the early 90s with no mention of Rainforest, I can only assume it’s from the 80s. Still applies like a dream though.

When it comes to nail polish formulas, my ideal would be to use a medium thickness, highly pigmented, requiring only two coats, lacquer that flows evenly onto the nail. And while I’m sure that most brands strive to achieve that we all know, for the majority, it’s not the case. So what if you had to choose? If given only two options, what’s your preference?

A. A thinner polish that applies smooth but lacks pigmentation, requiring 3+ coats.

B. A thicker, more pigmented polish that only needs 2 coats but requires a bit more work for a flawless finish.

Share with us in the comments!

With the current state of the economy more and more of us are turning to drugstores and mass retailers like Wal-Mart, K-mart and Target for our beauty needs than ever. I realize some of you have always been drugstore divas. I used to be but over the years I’ve become more of a brand snob than I was during college when I was broke as a joke. And I realize that price doesn’t always equal quality.

So to those of you that shop the mass market brands, which ones are your faves? Why? Who has the best formula? Color range? Value?

I’ve been receiving a lot of questions regarding treatment products. Seems we’re all having nail health issues lately. It could be due to the fiercely cold, dry winter a lot of us experienced or excessive dryness thanks to frequent polish changes. Regardless, we’re all looking for that magic potion to produce healthy nails that don’t split, peel or break.

What makes giving treatment advice difficult is that I can only base my recommendations on my specific problems so I’d love to hear what products make you jump up and cheer.

Tell us what ailments plague your nails and your favorite solution. Let’s help each other work towards better tip health in 2009.