A New Manicure Convert

I've been doing something very unusual for me lately - painting my nails regularly and actually not biting them off the very next day. My entire life, I have been constantly chewing on my cuticles and nails; doesn't matter if I'm studying, reading stuff on the Internet, watching TV, if I have a free hand I'm probably eating it.

I'm not sure if it's out of nervousness or boredom, but the result was very short, stubby looking nails. Sure, my piano teacher was happy, but I knew it was a bad habit and was embarrassed about my nails while other girls showed off long, tapered fingers. For a time, I refused to get manicures because the technicians would cluck at me about my scraggly tips, how short they were, how much better longer ones were, blah.

I knew though that one of the best ways to stop nail-biting is to get a manicure every week. The thought is, you won't bite if your nails are smooth and pretty, and if you keep it up for 12 weeks, the habit will become a thing of the past. It's slightly painful to the wallet but there goes another incentive to not ruin your nails. So I sat down for my first manicure in years.

That was 4 weeks ago, and I have really been loving the look of smooth, well groomed nails! It's a small pleasure to look down at my hands while they're tapping away at the keyboard and admire how uniform, rounded, and NOT UGLY they look. I feel more like a grown woman with her act together haha. It really does look more professional in the office to have polished nails. The other day, I saw my coworker chewing sideways at his nails and it was pretty unattractive. I wonder if I used to also look like a cavewoman.

The verdict? I haven't bitten my nails in the longest period of my life, and my hands look much healthier. They're probably the longest they've ever been; the other day, I was so not used to the length that I started scratching my nails against my blanket and the boyfriend showed me a picture of a cat and its scratching post. Hey, I could relate. 

Roommate's collection of nail polishes. Obviously her preferred brand is OPI. Recently, I'm liking Essie's light color choices.

Tonight was a manicure night, the first time I put dark polish on. Previously, I was shaky with the nail application techniques and only trusted myself to do light / beigey / pinky colors, and there were still plenty of bubbles and streaking. For a challenge, I used OPI's 25 Colorful Years, a deep red with purpley tinges which you can't see well in the picture. In person the paint looks a lot more deep and saturated.

It came out well! The best application I've done yet and I was goofily excited and proud. Maybe it was the Sephora OPI Strenghter I just received, maybe it was the OPI polish formula, but there was no bubbling, no unevenness. Being my clumsy self though, I've already smudged one finger and slightly chipped the paint on my thumb a little. Live and learn.

 

 Any favorite techniques on giving self-manicures? Is the brand of nail polish the most important factor in a smooth application, or is it more the skill of whoever is applying?