Sunday, November 10, 2013

See me nekkid!!! ...Well my nails anyhow! And read my nail story!

Hello lovely ladies of the nail realm! First of all I want to explain my week long hiatus. As many of you know or have read, I suffer from depression. Last week, I started new meds, and they are KICKING MY ASS! xxxxx Is it OK to say that? EEEEK! I hope so. I don't want to be rude, but I want to be me. Anyhow, I have felt like a zombie all week, because mixed with the upped dosage of my other meds, I have been so drowsy. Anywho.... let's get on to my nakedness!!!

So, it has been a WHOLE YEAR since I have last chewed my nails. I am 39 years young, and I chewed my nails my entire life until last late October when I had extensive dental work done which changed the position of my front teeth. I went to chew my nails as usual, and guess what was not happening? I could not chew my nails!!! So... for the first time in November, I started growing little nubs. I was so excited! I am not going to lie, this is a picture heavy post, but I wanted to take you on a journey with me through this last year and show you what a transformation I have been on.

First up is where I began, and this about a week after I couldn't chew them anymore.

 
Next up, is December. My mother in law and sister in law took me to a spa for a massage and manicure as a Christmas gift. I didn't have much for nails, but I went with it and ended up selecting Essie No Place Like Chrome with the Silver Essie Glitter. You can see a HUGE improvement in my cuticles in this photo.
 
 
Next we have early January and late January. I really hit a growth spurt in January. I also started acquiring polish then too when my mother in law handed me her stash of about 6 polishes.
 
 
February nails. My nails were funny shaped. I really believe it was because I had so much skin for my nails to grow over and because I just did not know how to shape them. I was so excited to finally have nails. I missed out on all this for 39 years? I MUST GO BUY MORE POLISH!!! <--- That's what I was thinking and what I did. At this point I had about 150 polishes.
 
 
March nails. Also my first attempt at water marbling. Not too shabby. This opened the door to nail art and more possibilities to me. I NEEDED MORE POLISH AND STRIPERS AND DUCT TAPE AND EMBELLISHMENTS AND DOTTING TOOLS AND STRIPING TAPE AND OMG!!!!
 
 
April nails. Finally long enough to do some decent looking French nail art! These are some of my favorite to do! As you can see, I have one shorty. Because I was not used to long nails, I was not used to keeping them strong. I began searching the groups and Facebook for tips. So many helpful ladies out there! My hubby at this point is saying, "WHY DO YOU NEED 300 NAIL POLISHES?" I am saying, "I MUST HAVE THAT POLISH, AND I NEED MORE OF THAT BRAND TOO!"
 
 
May's nails. This is about my third or fourth water marble now. This was one mf my favorite designs and color combos this year. I am now up to over 400 polishes at this point.
 
 
June's Nails. Love these simple flowers. I had lots of compliments on them too. Collection is now at about 475. SCARY!!! I think I have a serious problem at this point! LOL!
 
 
I did not paint my nails much in July and August due to moving. :( That did not stop me from buying polish though. I brought my number up to around 600 by September 1st. So, September's nails.
 


Yes, I like to water marble. It relaxes me. It helps take my mind off other things. So Octobers mani is also a water marble. At this point I am over 800.
 


For November, let me explain. today was my weekly Sunday nail maintenance day. Each Sunday I strip my nail of polish, remove cuticles (the safe way, not by cutting), I wash my nails with a brush, peroxide, and baking soda, I do an intense moisture treatment of Sunny's Hand Cream inside a pair of gloves for 15 minutes, and I then do my mani. I also treat my cuticles with Pure Nail Oil. Before I do my mani though, I use a wide paint brush with acetone to remove all of the oils from my nail. My base coat is always a nail strengthener (one of the three in the photo). Here is a photo of my nail necessities.
 


Here is my naked nails today, and my painted nails today with one of my new favorite polishes, KB Shimmer Myth You Lots.
 
 
 
 
What was your nail journey like? Have you always had nails or did you struggle? I love that I now have nails and wouldn't dream of biting them now. I tried everything to stop biting them for years. One thing I never dreamed of stopping me did! I give my dentist praise every time I see him. The hubby always tells him thanks for costing me a fortune in not only dental bills but in nail polish as well! LOL!
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

13 comments:

  1. I absolutely love this blog post!!!! Your nails have came along way. I love your nails!!

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    1. Thanks Jennifer! I always love your swatches! :) I am a mom of 4 boys so I have always watched your blog too. LOL!

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  2. *LOVE* how your nails look & congrats on growing them! & your water marbles look great!

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  3. Love this! I'm so happy for you and your progress :) And people's journeys into nail fanaticism are always fun :D I also couldn't grow my nails out, partially because of biting them. I guess I stopped because I started liking and buying so much nail polish that I just always wanted them to be pretty. I also think they were able to grow out strong because I just used Nailtiques consistently for a month. :)

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    1. I have never tried Nailtiques but read all the time in Facebook groups about people using it. I might try it on my toes because they look pitiful! LOL!

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  4. I have been a cuticle biter for all of my life until December when I discovered the nail world. I also use Pure. I can not imagine my life without it now. It is by far the best product I have ever used. I also love my Biotin, which I can not get my new bottle open right now and have missed 3 days because I can not open it! LOL I love your nails and your blog posts!

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    1. When I get nervous I pick at my hanging cuticles. I have to keep them moist and healthy because if I don't they hang pretty badly! I take Biotin, not as religiously as I should probably, but I have so many pills to take that it often gets lost in the shuffle.

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  5. I love this blog post! You've come a long way honey. I am so proud of your progress.

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  6. This is so sweet. I fight with nail strength and cuticles as well. I loved reading your story. Thank you so much for taking the time to share.

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    1. Thank you Nik! Thanks for stopping by! I hope you come back!

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