Take Care of Your Nails!!

No fancy nail art/designs/polish today (I actually mentioned on Twitter this morning that I was going to work with naked nails! lol) It doesn't happen often, but I think every once in a while, my nails might need to breathe the fresh air!

Today, I thought I'd take a moment to talk about nail health! You know I'm a huge HUGE proponent of BASE COAT!! I wasn't always. Especially when I was younger, I thought I just needed the colored polish and I'd have pretty nails. This is all good and fine 'til your nails start turning an ugly shade of yellow/orange/grossness from the (especially darker) polishes that have seeped into your nail beds! (okay, I'm not sure that's what happens, but it sounds good, so go with it;) Base Coat is genius because it puts a barrier between your nail and the colored polish. So, if I haven't stressed this enough, USE BASE COAT!!!!

 A few other things you could/should do to keep your nails looking and feeling healthy:

1. Buff them. I discovered this buffing block nearly ten years ago. The concept is simple, file nail edges, remove ridges, smooth nail, shine nail. Basically, what happens after you do all four steps, your nails will be so shiny they'll look like you have a coat of clear polish on! Also, the polish goes on smoother and cleaner since your nails are smoother:) If you've never used one, you can get one for cheap--in the block or the stick form (I prefer the block, just 'cause it gives me more source to hold on to.) If you don't know how to use one, let me know! I'd be happy to explain in greater detail or film a tutorial for you!:) (mine is Ms. Manicure for about $2)
2. This is an item I've only recently started using: Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream! The best way I can describe this stuff is that it's like a lip balm for your finger nails! It's super easy to use! Just massage it into your nails and cuticle areas! It moisturizes your nails and softens cuticles! I've been using it for only a couple weeks, and I'm not sure if I see a huge difference yet, but I love the smell of it! It's like lemon meringue pie!! yummy!!! My one complaint is it comes in the little tins that are nearly impossible for me to open:( But that's just me:( (Walgreens, $5.99)

So these are the tips I have for now! What do you do to keep your nails looking and feeling healthy and beautiful?? :)

I Heart Nail Polish!!

Wow! So I used to feel like I had allllll this time to blog--til I start one, then suddenly my life is crazy and I have no time to write about anything!! 


Anyway, today's topic is nails! Like lip gloss, it has been a fascination obsession of mine for quite some years now. I still remember the first polish I ever had--I was about seven, and my aunt got me this bottle of goldish-rosy-pink. My dad was all worried about me growing up too fast or something crazy, but my aunt was smart and got a kind that just peeled off! No remover needed! (thinking back about this, it's actually a genius idea; and I would totally use a polish like that if there were still such a product!) Anyway, I would paint my nails; peel it off, and paint them again. 


Then I had some from Claire's--a super hot pink one (some things never change;) In 7th grade, I had green, blue, and glitter--omg, how I loved sparkly polishes!! There was a girl in 8th grade named Sarah H. and she changed her polish so much that her nails were completely stained orange. I was kinda repulsed by them, but at the same time so jealous that she had so many different kinds to change them to almost every outfit she had! Little did I know, that I too would someday be on that road... 


Let's interrupt this part of the story with a public service announcement! Please take care of your nails. With the right base coat, you should never have orange nails. Buff them, shine them, protect them; and if you remember nothing else take this with you--base coat! base coat! base coat!!! Now back to your regularly scheduled blog post...


...anyway, the point of the matter is, I love polish. It's one of those things that you can use to express yourself without completely overpowering the rest of your appearance. You can project the kind of mood you're in, the type of person you are, and a whole host of other things. It doesn't matter if you're tall, fat, short, skinny--your nails are just there. They always fit and they are always in style. Like perfect little canvases just waiting to accept any art you give them:)

You'll see in the coming days, weeks, months all the fun, cute (and sometimes really not cute at all) ideas I try with my nails. I really stuck to a lot of just one color nails. But then... I found.... YouTube... omg, all the tutorials there are endless! And I started thinking, hey, I could do that. Or I'd come up with fun stuff on my own (so far, the 4th of July nails are some of my best work;) Then there was the first (and currently only) time I tried water marbling! (if you haven't done it, you need to try it at least once! I'll post all about that sometime, promise!)


Anyway, I have Halloween Nails Part 1 (thanks to O.P.I Spookettes), and I'm pretty sure I like them (they still need to be cleaned up around the edges!); but there's still a week 'til Halloween and I think I'll step it up a notch. Look for a review on them soon:) 




More to come!!


xoxo,