So Now What?

The nail art challenge has ended and it was a fantastic learning experience for me.  I am hoping to do more in the future.  But now the question I've been asking myself is....what do I do with this little blog of mine?

I originally created it so that I could talk about our trips to Malta and all my friends could read about it for themselves, instead of my retelling stories over and over.  Then I used it to vent my spleen a little bit after a trip to the mall.  And, finally, the nail art challenge.

I've had a couple friends say I should just keep doing a nail blog.  My reply had been that there's already sooo many nail related blogs out there, why add another? Especially one by someone whose nails rarely look perfect, is an amateur at nail art and doesn't even have all her nails the same length (my nails break easily due to Crohns mal-nutrition, so when I get one to actually grow out I consider it a triumph).

But then again, why not?  I mean, this blog was only supposed to be for friends and family to start with and they're the ones who ask me questions.  Why not answer them and talk about this stuff?  And if anyone else happens to enjoy reading something I've written..hey, bonus, right?

So here it is.  My manis won't be perfect, any attempts at nail art will be hit or miss (not that I'll really be posting my disasters).  But I can talk about what works for me and what I've seen/heard works for others.  And if I don't know something, I can almost certainly link people to the blog of someone who DOES know.  I think I have enough Indie polishes in my collection to talk about them and, hopefully, encourage others to support independent polish makers....likewise, I have more than enough 'main stream' polishes to give my honest opinions on this brand or that.

At any rate, yeah....I think I'll keep it going.  And maybe somewhere along the way others will dabble a bit and find that they like this little polish hobby as much as I do.  There's a community here and so much information to be had if one is willing to look for it. 

Okay, Kim, where should we start looking?

Easy.  The infamous Nail Board of makeupalley.com.  You'll learn a lot if you hang around long enough, plus you'll get to see some awesome creations posted by some very talented people.  There's tips and tricks to be had, and products you've probably never heard of before suggested.  You'll also learn one of the most important words in the polish world.....Lemming.  A 'lemming' is the term for something that you REALLY want. Asking someone to 'feed' a lemming is to ask for others to encourage/support/tempt you into purchasing something.  To 'kill' a lemming is to ask for others to dissuade/discourage you from purchasing.  Most lemmings are killed when others have related bad experiences with a particular polish/polish maker, or if a 'dupe' for that polish is found.  There's another new word for you...'dupe'.  It's pretty self-explanatory.  When someone asks for a 'dupe' of something, they usually mean a substitute that is either cheaper or more readily available.  For example....Orly Smolder is one of the closest 'dupes' for Chanel Malice (I own both and the differences are minor).  Smolder is also cheaper than Malice and, for a while, was a bit easier to get as most dept. stores ran out of Malice almost as soon as it was released.

Another blog you want to read is Loodie Loodie Loodie. This blog is a treasure trove of information regarding nail care, from articles about nail strengtheners/hardeners, right on down to how to file your nails properly to get the shape you want without damaging them.

One last word for your new vocabulary.  MOISTURIZE.  You need to be moisturizing your nails at least twice a day.  What products you choose are a matter of preference, but you want ones with Jojoba Oil in them.  Two fantastic suppliers of cuticle products are:

Simple Nail Art Tips. This stuff is awesome and does exactly what it says it does. Get the starter kit and take Anas 'Get Naked' challenge. And trust me, you'll LOVE how good it smells.  You can see several before and after photos of people who've done the challenge if you go to her Facebook page.

365 Days of Color. Ah, Sunny. How I love her. Her polishes were my first Indies...the Hocus Pocus collection.  All her hand/nail products are homemade and her balms/oils are to die for...and the scents!  Wow.  Some of them will make you want to eat your fingers. Her polishes are beautiful and if you happen to stop by when she's selling some of her holiday 'mystery' bags, be sure to snap one up cause they're always worth it.

Anywho, I think that's enough for now.  I hope you enjoyed this post and maybe I'll see you back again for the next one!