I'm pretty low maintenance. I rarely wear makeup. I usually teach in jeans, and I often wear t-shirts to lab.
I'm equally low key about my nails. I never get manicures (only once in my life!), and I never wear polish. I just buff them once a month, and I'm good to go. I let them grow until they click on the keyboard, and then I cut them pretty close to the pink part. Let me toot my own horn here: I have good nails. The beds are nice and pink, and the tips are very white. If I had yellow fingernails, perhaps I would put more time into them.
Some of my (female) colleagues spend quite a lot of time and upkeep on their manicures. I find painted fingernails distracting. I inwardly roll my eyes at bright red talons. Not sure why. But I do. Do I think that they are unnecessary? Absolutely. Is it unprofessional for a woman to paint her nails? It shouldn't be.
Students comment about professorial attire all the time. I wonder where they stand on decorated digits?
