Over lunch recently, a friend casually mentioned that her nails hurt when they’re bare: “They just don’t feel right without gel polish on them,” she told me. “It’s like they ache.” ...

I love getting my nails done as much as the next person—from a structured gel mani to the TikTok-famous Russian manicure, I'm down to try anything. That's the fun part. The not-so-fun part?

Over lunch recently, a friend casually mentioned that her nails hurt when they’re bare: “They just don’t feel right without gel polish on them,” she told me. “It’s like they ache.” ...