I do not excel at DIY projects often. I get so excited at the prospect of making or doing something awesome all by myself and 90% of the time, I run out of enthusiasm about 5 minutes into the project. After years and years of trials and errors, I'm confident that I know what my niches are. I don't feel guilty about leaving my technical shortfalls to the professionals out there.
There are a few DIY things that historically I'm not so craptastic at. For instance, I made a baby one time and he turned out to be pretty awesome. I'm clutch at making dinner out of a nearly-empty pantry. My husband thinks I have a real talent for SnapChatting. So, though I don't claim to be at the top of my field in any of those aforementioned arenas (certainly there is always room for improvement, ) I mean, give credit where credit is due.
If there is one DIY activity that I kill it's manis. I've been doing my own nails since I turned 11. In my 19 years of at-home manicuring, I've only gotten better through trial and error. My aresenal has grown stronger. My obsession with everything mani accelerates with every debuted "new color collection" each season. It's my thing.
My attitude towards my nails is much like my husband's attitude towards food: purist. My husband likes his cheesecake plain, his pizza with meat and cheese (NO BBQ! NO WEIRD STUFF!.) I like my nails candy-coated with lacquer. 24/7. The world of at-home manis is expanding. I know a lot of people who last year were really into gel manicures. This year, Jamberry is blowing up. And, without trying either of them, I can say confidently that neither one of them is for me. "But how can you rule out something you never tried!?!?" I'll tell you how I can rule it out. I can rule it out the same way I've ruled out doing other things in life without trying them: I've educated myself enough on the options to know that they just aren't for me. I mean, I've never tried lighting my hair on fire but I feel confident that it's not on my Bucket List. But I guess never say never, right?
More to the point, I like having a flirty relationship with my nail color. I'm not looking for anything long-term. Nail color commitment scares me. I'm in it for fun, little flings. I'm married. I have enough monogamy in my life.
I 100% enjoy my little nail ritual. I enjoy it so much that even though I can get my at-home manis to last a solid seven days+ (no, really, I can) I switch up my color at least twice a week. My mani routine, from start to finish, takes about 30 minutes (including dry time.) I usually do a mani right before bed or right before a run (but after putting on my sports bra...trust me on that one.)
One of the best little finds in recent years came through a referral by my friend Alissa. Alissa and I worked together for a few years and bonded instantly over our love of nails. She has the same attention span towards and lust for lacquer as I do. She told me to check out Essie 3-Way Glaze, an all-in-one nail primer, basecoat, and topcoat. It has proved to be the most valuable weapon in my mani arsenal since 100% acetone industrial nail polish remover.
I apply 3-way to clean nails after I've done the prep work (ie: remove prior polish, file, smooth, buff, shine, remove cuticles, wash hands.) Once dry, I apply 1-2 coats of lacquer. Once that coat dries, throw on a quick topcoat of 3-way, give it a quick spray with a drying agent, and baby, you have some gorgeous nails going on. What I super like about 3-way is that it primes nails in a way that even lower-end polishes like Wet 'n Wild, and NYC cover better and last longer. Who says cheap can't be chic? I love mixing high/low beauty products!
Here's a peak of my basic mani kit. I rarely cut my nails with a trimmer, mostly just filing since I do my nails so often. There's some good stuff in there, ladies. Check it out! Have a fabulous Mani-Monday!
There are a few DIY things that historically I'm not so craptastic at. For instance, I made a baby one time and he turned out to be pretty awesome. I'm clutch at making dinner out of a nearly-empty pantry. My husband thinks I have a real talent for SnapChatting. So, though I don't claim to be at the top of my field in any of those aforementioned arenas (certainly there is always room for improvement, ) I mean, give credit where credit is due.
If there is one DIY activity that I kill it's manis. I've been doing my own nails since I turned 11. In my 19 years of at-home manicuring, I've only gotten better through trial and error. My aresenal has grown stronger. My obsession with everything mani accelerates with every debuted "new color collection" each season. It's my thing.
Current mani featuring Eye Popping Poppy by Ulta.
My attitude towards my nails is much like my husband's attitude towards food: purist. My husband likes his cheesecake plain, his pizza with meat and cheese (NO BBQ! NO WEIRD STUFF!.) I like my nails candy-coated with lacquer. 24/7. The world of at-home manis is expanding. I know a lot of people who last year were really into gel manicures. This year, Jamberry is blowing up. And, without trying either of them, I can say confidently that neither one of them is for me. "But how can you rule out something you never tried!?!?" I'll tell you how I can rule it out. I can rule it out the same way I've ruled out doing other things in life without trying them: I've educated myself enough on the options to know that they just aren't for me. I mean, I've never tried lighting my hair on fire but I feel confident that it's not on my Bucket List. But I guess never say never, right?
More to the point, I like having a flirty relationship with my nail color. I'm not looking for anything long-term. Nail color commitment scares me. I'm in it for fun, little flings. I'm married. I have enough monogamy in my life.
I 100% enjoy my little nail ritual. I enjoy it so much that even though I can get my at-home manis to last a solid seven days+ (no, really, I can) I switch up my color at least twice a week. My mani routine, from start to finish, takes about 30 minutes (including dry time.) I usually do a mani right before bed or right before a run (but after putting on my sports bra...trust me on that one.)
One of the best little finds in recent years came through a referral by my friend Alissa. Alissa and I worked together for a few years and bonded instantly over our love of nails. She has the same attention span towards and lust for lacquer as I do. She told me to check out Essie 3-Way Glaze, an all-in-one nail primer, basecoat, and topcoat. It has proved to be the most valuable weapon in my mani arsenal since 100% acetone industrial nail polish remover.
I apply 3-way to clean nails after I've done the prep work (ie: remove prior polish, file, smooth, buff, shine, remove cuticles, wash hands.) Once dry, I apply 1-2 coats of lacquer. Once that coat dries, throw on a quick topcoat of 3-way, give it a quick spray with a drying agent, and baby, you have some gorgeous nails going on. What I super like about 3-way is that it primes nails in a way that even lower-end polishes like Wet 'n Wild, and NYC cover better and last longer. Who says cheap can't be chic? I love mixing high/low beauty products!
Here's a peak of my basic mani kit. I rarely cut my nails with a trimmer, mostly just filing since I do my nails so often. There's some good stuff in there, ladies. Check it out! Have a fabulous Mani-Monday!
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