I have discovered a striking new manicure technique. It's very eye-catching, if a little dark.
You should all be familiar with a French manicure. Two-tone white and colour paint for your nails. Most impressive when done well.
But what about black instead of white? A little Goth, perhaps?
Simple to do though. Take one Rusty Old Wreck, and fit it with a new clutch. The accumulated oily grime of five decades of motoring accumulates under your nails, and like all the best quality cosmetics it has impressive sticking power.
Damn, I'm out with my wife tomorrow evening and I don't want to be sporting black lines on my fingernails!
For years and years I had the scars and grease embedded in my skin and under my nails. I wore it has a visible sign that I too was a man.
ReplyDeleteNow I swear by heavy duty medical gloves. Thin enough to delicate work and strong enough to keep the gunk off ones hands and manicure.
Hugs,
April
The gritty soap can only do so much, and that stuff under the nails resists. Have you tried digging your nails into a regular bar of soap (getting the soap right under the nail to displace the dirt) and then using a nail brush to remove soap and all? That has worked for me in the past.
ReplyDeleteI can never find the latex gloves when I need them but have finally started using gardening gloves for most projects where 'feel' is unimportant.
I always carry a bumper box of those gloves with me in the car, but on a major job I always end up with filthy hands anyway. I recall a petrol station cashier recoiling in surprise when I proferred the money, on a motorway journey shortly after changing the universal joint on the driveshaft....
ReplyDeleteI managed that changing the oil on the R6 at the weekend... Should have been a clean job except that someone decided to locate the oil filter right next to the chain guard where it collects all of the grease form the chain...
ReplyDeleteI managed to pick my finger nail clean, but getting the black from the lines in my skin is proving interesting...
Stace
Hm, why not start a new trend?
ReplyDeleteI do wear make-up and I like my hair in place but.....my purse does not contain a lipstick nor a hairbrush. It contains a pair of latex gloves at all times just in case I get into a situation where I feel the need to keep my hands clean such as dropping in on family or friends and discovering that they could use some help with a dirty job.
Halle's suggestion of digging your nails into a bar soap and then using a nail brush to clean it all away sounds a good idea but a better one would be to dig your nails into the soap bar BEFORE you start work. This would prevent the dirt getting in there in the first place. Also it is wiser to use a barrier cream before working with oils and grease to prevent the ingress of dirt and to minimise skin problems. If you can work using the latex gloves without them becoming damaged then that is also a good idea. I find though that wearing latex gloves for long periods makes my hands perspire profusely.
ReplyDeleteShirley Anne xxx
A lovely long hot soak in a bath (hands in the water) helps shift under the nail dirt, as well as being relaxing after a good fettle.
ReplyDeleteEvening all, and thanks for your comments.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid those gloves never quite fit me. I'm fortunate in having very long and narrow hands so their proportions do not look too huge and masculine, but because I am very large, so are they. I use the gloves when working with epoxy or resin filler but when working with fiddly nuts and bolts in tight spaces I find they restrict finger movement.
I should have prepared myself with soap under my nails. Next time maybe I will. A good long bath and a careful scrub did shift most of it but I still have a very stubborn little bit in one place. It'll go with another attack, but right now my nail beds are rather sore from scrubbing.
I think I've learned something :)