A few months ago, I decided it was time to quit chewing my nails for good. I’ve gone through many phases of not chewing my nails – it never lasts very long though. I end up get stressed out at work, usually on a Monday afternoon, and chew every single one off. Sometimes, I would just go into the bathroom, take the clippers out, and cut all my fingernails there so my coworkers won’t be annoyed by that biting noise (because it really, really annoys me!).
What was different this last time? Really, it’s a mix between an appearance and work-related thing. I don’t like the look of short, stubby, bleeding fingernails (duh), but I also do a lot of pointing and explaining at work. I print out a plan, section, elevation, whatever, and say – “This is where such and such will be” or “This is how I imagine this will work.” If someone was presenting something to me, and had those nasty fingernails like I used to, I would be distracted!
This time, to get myself to stop, I just painted my nails in one of my standby OPI shades – No Bees Please, from the GardenParty collection. I only put on two coats, and it turns into a nice, natural, sheer pink. Every time I looked down at my nails, and saw that pretty shade, I thought about how nice it looked, and how much nicer it would look if I would quit chewing them.
A friend introduced me to the OPI nail polish brand quite a few years ago, and I have been hooked ever since. Their polish is the highest quality I have ever used. It seems to always go on smooth, and does not chip for a long time (sometimes 5 days or more!).
I usually do stick to sheer shades, but have been branching out more lately to try some darker ones – see Crêpes Suzi-ette and Eiffel For This Color, above (along with two other sheers I like).
I always paint my nails at home though. I got a manicure ONCE. On a whim. At one of those “college-salons” where people go to learn how to cut hair and poor college students go to get their hair cut. The girl who did my nails did SUCH AN AWFUL JOB, that I picked the nail polish off as soon as I got away from her, and stopped at a store on the way home to buy those travel nail-polish remover pads. (She didn’t let the base dry and put it on WAY too thick. Duh.)
That turned me off manicures. Of course, I realize that was just her, and not all are that bad. But if I can do a decent job at home, I just do it there.
It’s easy with sheer colors, but the dark ones are different. Mistakes are more noticeable! You really have to devote the time and patience to putting on the dark colors at home. Below are a few tips I read in the November InStyle about wearing dark polish:
- Keep Them Short: Trimming the nails to 1/4″ past the fingertip keeps them looking more modern. You’ll be able to tell if it looks a little… vamp! Time to trim!
- Be Well Rounded: Have you heard of the “squoval”? That is the shape salons recommend for nails – a rounded off square (hence, squoval). Straight hard edges look a little – straight and hard and uptight!’
- Take Your Time: Set aside an hour – dark shades dry slowly. I like to read blogs or type while mine dry!
- Stay Smooth: Moisturize and take care of those cuticles!
And my advice? This is only from experience of mistakes I’ve made.
- Use a Base Coat: Dark polishes STAIN your nails. Use a base coat so it won’t be as difficult to remove the polish, and you won’t have funny colored nude nails!
- Try One Coat: After the base, apply one coat. It may be enough! These dark colors put a lot in on one coat, unlike a sheer, where you have to apply a few shades.
- Add a Clear Top Coat: If you do go with one coat, think about adding a clear top coat for a bit of shine and to protect your nails.
And two general tips:
- Buff Your Nails: Use a 4-way buffer stick. They work wonders and smooth our your nails beautifully. AND add shine!
- Know the Return Policy: If you are spending $8.50 on a bottle of OPI nail polish, make sure you can return it. Ideally, you can use those little fake nails thing in the store to see if the color will work on you, but they might not have them. I really thought Tickle My France-y was going to look great on me, but it didn’t. I gave it to a friend who thought it would look nice on her, and it didn’t (who does this polish look nice on?!). A friend told me I could return it at Ulta. Phew. They’re not all meant to be!
Any advice/favorite brands to share with me? What polish are you wearing these days, if any?
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