my nails are short and broken and generally gross looking and I want to get them done. I had acrylics a few years ago but thought they screamed "fake!". do gels or silks look more natural? Which of those two is better?
I can't speak to silks, but I have Gels now (and tried acrylic a long time ago) and I love gels! IMO they look more natural that acrylics..I never liked how thick those looked. Gel are lighter and don't have that thick appearance. They are also better for your nails. I get a lot of compliments on mine. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. I know jacL also has gels, and I think I convinced mara to try them as well.
Yep, I like my gels. At first I had acrylic and then I switched to gel, which I like because they are not as damaging to your natural nail and are thinner than acrylics. I wear latex gloves all day at work and my nails were always peeling due to the moisture held in by the gloves. I don't have any problems with my nails now that I have the gels (the acrylic served the same purpose, but I like the gels better).
Just keep them to a natural length and don't go either super-square or super-round and they will look natural.