outfits for Recruitment
 

okay, daughter and I have the "outfits" together (at least in our minds). however several questions,
1. daughter really isn't a jewelry person. usually just a gold chain with a few add a pearls and pearl studs. she does wear a watch, but has opted not to wear as she doesn't want anyone at party to think she is watching the clock. will "boring" jewelry go against her? if she tried to "jazz it up", i can see her fiddling more with the jewelry than the conversation

2. do girls really change their nail color each night? how to make sure the mani stays looking good and not smudged with not enough time to really dry? wouldn't a good neutral nail color with a nice length nail be better?

3. when is it safe to wear shoes that are fashionable and maybe not the best to walk in? wait until round 2? round 3?

1. If she is a fiddler than be safe and go with what she is used to. Also, think of it as classic instead of boring. Pearls are a nice touch.

2. I honestly have no idea, but I would suggest having a manicure and making sure it stays clean and polished. I never noticed any nail colors let alone remember what color a PNM had from day to day. I did notice if it was clean or not.

3. I wore fashionable shoes most day, but was not in the south. My option, as well as many others, was to wear flip flops from chapter house to chapter house and then put on the shoes. It may not be possible where your daughter is attending.

3. I think people automatically assume that fashionable means uncomfortable. I have several pairs of really cute low wedges and several pairs of really cute flats that I could definitely wear all day in a walking/standing situation. There are many really cute sandals out there that are both comfortable and really cute for the early rounds. If you have an iPad download the Shop Style app. It's free and you can type in keywords for what you want and the app gives you the photos and links to order what you want. I love that app.

The other option is to wear the fashionable but not super comfortable shoe and she can pack a pair of flip flops in her bag for walking from house to house or down time.

I think a new nail color for each round is a little excessive. Plus, with the stress of rush, worrying about your nails is the last thing a pnm needs! I would get a gel manicure in a nice neutral color right before rush week. That way, her nails are polished and look nice without any effort. Or just get a manicure with clear polish. It's easy to touch up if she needs to. You could even just shape and buff your nails at the beginning of rush and make sure they are clean and shaped for each day.

I agree.

Today I had an appt. with a woman who had reeaaalllly long, creepy, bare nails. She's probably proud of them, but they were really yucky.

This. Get a Gelish manicure in a pretty neutral color and you won't have to worry about your nails at all during recruitment. It's expensive compared to a regular manicure but 100% worth it for these kinds of situations.

I have a question on Gel manicures, D usually has gels in a French manicure. Is this considered out of date?

That is going to depend on the school, but around here (in the Deep South) many of the girls in the chapters will have a French manicure or a lighter American that is not quite so white. The gel version will look nice for about 10 days as opposed to a regular French manicure where you might chip the tips after a couple of days. The problem that I have with the gels is to get it off you have to soak your hands in acetone for 15-20 minutes and then she scrapes the rest of it off - that can't be good for you to be doing all of the time....

That does sound like a good option for recruitment, though. I am definitely going to suggest it to my daughter...a regular manicure always chips quickly for her and a gel sounds like a good "get it and forget about it" option.

That's why you only do it for special occasions.

If you want to go with French-ish, I like the lighter version that isn't so ENDS OF NAILS ARE WHITE high contrast.

Oh for sure they are damaging because they even rough up your nails to apply them. You can't get them regularly or they will weaken your nails. I just get them for special occasions like rush and breaks and vacations when I don't want to be bothered with a manicure. Some girls still do French or American but personally I like a pretty neutral natural color. I think some French manicures look ridiculous depending on who does them.

Buffed, nude-colored, or clear-polished nails are always a better choice than chipped, brightly or deeply colored nails. If she gets a french manicure, she can always get a bottle of white nail polish (try finding one of those mini-bottles for $3) and fix up chips each night. Or in a pinch, use some White Out.

My daughters would say to wear fashionable shoes through all the rounds....just have a pair of flipflops in the purse to change in between parties. Or another pair of shoes for the emergency...

Out here in the west French manicures are not in fashion. And changing polish every night is labor intensive. A sheer polish with the bottle for chips much better.