There's Boys An’ Gels, An’ Wimmin An’ Blokes…

…so runs a line in an old Cockney monologue. My grandmother, with her East End roots, often referred to girls as ‘gels’. She pronounced gel as if it ended with a ‘w’. Bizarrely, in the Upper class homes where she was a lady’s maid, ‘gels’ were the daughters of the household, pronounced in a much posher voice. But now if you see the word gel in print, you probably think jell.

I had gel applied to my nails on June 17th – just over 3 weeks ago, so that my hands looked decent on the wedding photos. I don’t think my hands show on any of the pictures!
The treatment has lasted fairly well- although over the weekend some of the tips chipped a bit [and of course, as your nail grows, you get a clear space at the cuticle] But unlike regular varnish, you cannot just clean it off with acetone, it has to be properly softened and soaked off. So I bought a cheap bottle of Maybelline, to touch up the chips before I conducted Dawn’s funeral, so it didn’t look too scruffy. The cost of treatment includes removal, so yesterday I went back to Cloud Nine for the clean-up.
No thank you, I didn’t want the gel replaced immediately. It is Kids’ Club soon - I am anticipating being busy, which would mean gels would look tatty quickly. I want my good old working hands back.

“What have you been doing with your hands, Scarlett?"
"Oh nothing, It's just that I went riding last week without my gloves" "These don't belong to a lady, You've been working with them like a field hand”
Yes I was pleased with the way they looked at The Wedding, and yes, I think that the gel protected my nails so that they have all grown into a good, even shape [my nails are not strong, and never grow particularly long] Will I do it again? At just under £25, it has worked out at £1 a day. So on my budget…I cannot see it likely. Maybe for Liz’s wedding, or when hell freezes over- whichever of these events comes first!