keads.com: Let's Talk About Nails.

26 January 2012

Let's Talk About Nails.

New Years Eve party nails

Fun fact: I grew up biting my nails down to stumps. My entire immediate family did, and we're all recovering nail biters. After kicking the habit for a while in high school, I finally stopped for good in 2007 by wearing fake nails for about 3 months. They were thick and comprised of nasty chemicals, but that's not what stopped me from biting them, pathetically enough. They were just so beautiful. I painted them bright, neon colors and couldn't stop staring at them. I knew I had to get some of my own.

Luckily for me, after the fake nails came off, my real nails grew in strong and thick. They even feel like fake nails. How could I have been biting these babies off all these years? I felt like I cheated myself growing up.

Now I have a new addiction: painting my nails.

Sometimes I suspect Sam thinks I'm crazy for liking nail polish as much as I do, but to me it's such a easy way to brighten my wardrobe and cheer myself up. Fingernails are the perfect tiny canvas for bright colors and crazy patterns I might not otherwise wear.

Before we left for New Zealand, I gave away most of my polishes. I kept a few, contained in an old whisky tube for safe travel in my suitcase. I've been having slight polish withdrawals while we've been traveling, but I'm holding up alright. I still like to ogle those little bottles of colors in the pharmacies, but when they retail as much as $24.99 a bottle, it's easy to resist.

Conversation hearts nails - all Essie colors

Sometimes my nails are inspired by things I see around me, such as conversation hearts, a piece of jewelry, or even scissors. Sometimes they turn out kind of weird or over-the-top, but I enjoy experimenting.