Anyone that knows me at all, knows that I do enjoy nail polish. Lots of women do, but I do so in a slightly...different way. I abhor having my nails done, and am enthralled while doing them myself. While the whole "nail art" trend intrigues me, and yes, I've seen some that have looked pretty awesome, I don't practice it on myself. To me, it just looks silly on me. So I'll leave it to younger ladies. :)
I absolutely do not wear false nails. My mother talked me into trying acrylics (at-home acrylics, at that!) way back when I was in middle school, in an attempt to get me to stop biting my fingernails. While it not only failed miserably, I hated them: they were too long, and my natural nails curve a lot around my fingers, which makes it actually painful to grow them out (or have acrylics that are) too long. It was a terrible experience, as not only did I chew the fingernail, I also chewed the cuticle, so the soak in acetone to remove them was absolute agony. It tore up my fingernails so badly, that they flaked and were rough and scratchy (which just made the chewing worse!) for weeks afterward. I haven't touched false nails since.
Years later, in high school, I decided it was time to stop the biting habit. I realized that, on the rare occasions that I painted my fingernails (which I was not skilled at!), I would frequently stop biting them until the "wet" feeling wore off, a day or two after painting them. I realized then, that it was simply because I was hyper-aware of my fingernails, thus chewing, which was an unconscious habit, stopped. For over a year, I religiously painted my fingernails every other day to every three days, and those little bottles of BonBons nail polish were my best friends.
After a year, my habit was broken, but I had developed a new skill: I had learned how to properly paint my nails, so that they didn't look like a mess afterwards. I also learned not to freak out over accidentally overpainting, because I noticed that later that evening, while showering, the water would soften the polish on my skin, and the act of washing my hair would typically remove any polish that was stuck to my skin. Trying to remove those bits were often what would ruin my manicure, so this was a particularly nice discovery!
Today, I've become rather fond of the French tip style, though I'm just as happy with it in a bright, happy color, as I am with the classic white. The photo above, taken just a few minutes ago, features my absolute favorite brand of nail polish, Zoya, which is formulated to be used specifically on natural nails, rather than acrylics, and is "Big 5 Free," meaning it lacks formaldehyde (and formaldehyde resin), toluene, camphor, and dibutyl phthalate, and is vegan-friendly (though I am definitely not a vegan! ^^; ) In the picture, I am wearing colors Olivia as the bottom coat, a top coat of a Sally Hensen Hard as Nails clearcoat, and a tip of the Zoya Pixiedust polish called Vespa. They sell over 300 colors, have a color finder feature (which I use regularly, as I am horrible about matching colors to my skintone!), and have some specialty colors, such as the Matte Velvet colors (which have a velvety, rubbery finish,) the Pixiedust colors (which have an almost sandpaper, glitter finish), as well as a ton of foil, creme, and glitter colors, among others!
I know this post totally sounds like an ad for them, but seriously, if you ever try their polish, you'll understand the ravings! It's unlike anything you've ever used before, and I am most definitely planning on ordering another bottle specifically for doing my nails for my wedding next year. While I definitely want to go "classic" French tip, I love a little sparkle, and I think their Pixiedust polish in Tomoko will be perfect for that! They also do a TON of promotions (in fact, just before the 4th, they had a "Threedom" flash promo, where you could select any 3 polishes, pay $12 in shipping, and they would ship them to you! Super cheap!) Most polishes are $8, Pixiedust and Matte Velvet ones are $10, and shipping is typically $6.95, though they frequently have free shipping promos. Flash promos pop up on ANY of their ad venues (social media, email, etc.) and they typically only do them on one outlet at a time.
If you love nail polish, and love to play with different colors and designs, Zoya is definitely the place to shop for your polishes! Oh, and if you're wondering about longevity, The manicure in the picture is 3 days old. I typically go a full week before I notice any chips in my Zoya polishes, while most other brands only last 2-3 days. How's that for quality? :)
I absolutely do not wear false nails. My mother talked me into trying acrylics (at-home acrylics, at that!) way back when I was in middle school, in an attempt to get me to stop biting my fingernails. While it not only failed miserably, I hated them: they were too long, and my natural nails curve a lot around my fingers, which makes it actually painful to grow them out (or have acrylics that are) too long. It was a terrible experience, as not only did I chew the fingernail, I also chewed the cuticle, so the soak in acetone to remove them was absolute agony. It tore up my fingernails so badly, that they flaked and were rough and scratchy (which just made the chewing worse!) for weeks afterward. I haven't touched false nails since.
Years later, in high school, I decided it was time to stop the biting habit. I realized that, on the rare occasions that I painted my fingernails (which I was not skilled at!), I would frequently stop biting them until the "wet" feeling wore off, a day or two after painting them. I realized then, that it was simply because I was hyper-aware of my fingernails, thus chewing, which was an unconscious habit, stopped. For over a year, I religiously painted my fingernails every other day to every three days, and those little bottles of BonBons nail polish were my best friends.
After a year, my habit was broken, but I had developed a new skill: I had learned how to properly paint my nails, so that they didn't look like a mess afterwards. I also learned not to freak out over accidentally overpainting, because I noticed that later that evening, while showering, the water would soften the polish on my skin, and the act of washing my hair would typically remove any polish that was stuck to my skin. Trying to remove those bits were often what would ruin my manicure, so this was a particularly nice discovery!
Today, I've become rather fond of the French tip style, though I'm just as happy with it in a bright, happy color, as I am with the classic white. The photo above, taken just a few minutes ago, features my absolute favorite brand of nail polish, Zoya, which is formulated to be used specifically on natural nails, rather than acrylics, and is "Big 5 Free," meaning it lacks formaldehyde (and formaldehyde resin), toluene, camphor, and dibutyl phthalate, and is vegan-friendly (though I am definitely not a vegan! ^^; ) In the picture, I am wearing colors Olivia as the bottom coat, a top coat of a Sally Hensen Hard as Nails clearcoat, and a tip of the Zoya Pixiedust polish called Vespa. They sell over 300 colors, have a color finder feature (which I use regularly, as I am horrible about matching colors to my skintone!), and have some specialty colors, such as the Matte Velvet colors (which have a velvety, rubbery finish,) the Pixiedust colors (which have an almost sandpaper, glitter finish), as well as a ton of foil, creme, and glitter colors, among others!
I know this post totally sounds like an ad for them, but seriously, if you ever try their polish, you'll understand the ravings! It's unlike anything you've ever used before, and I am most definitely planning on ordering another bottle specifically for doing my nails for my wedding next year. While I definitely want to go "classic" French tip, I love a little sparkle, and I think their Pixiedust polish in Tomoko will be perfect for that! They also do a TON of promotions (in fact, just before the 4th, they had a "Threedom" flash promo, where you could select any 3 polishes, pay $12 in shipping, and they would ship them to you! Super cheap!) Most polishes are $8, Pixiedust and Matte Velvet ones are $10, and shipping is typically $6.95, though they frequently have free shipping promos. Flash promos pop up on ANY of their ad venues (social media, email, etc.) and they typically only do them on one outlet at a time.
If you love nail polish, and love to play with different colors and designs, Zoya is definitely the place to shop for your polishes! Oh, and if you're wondering about longevity, The manicure in the picture is 3 days old. I typically go a full week before I notice any chips in my Zoya polishes, while most other brands only last 2-3 days. How's that for quality? :)