On Beauty (and some nail spam)

So I was talking to my BFF yesterday after a rather upsetting meeting with the cardiologist and during our conversation she mentioned that her hubby had found photos from when they were really young. Long story/"Reader's Digest Version": She married her half-sister's cousin on the side of the parent they don't share. (they have the same Mother.)  They've known each other for YEARS and finally realized that this love they've always felt for one another isn't forbidden or incestuous after all. And I am so happy they are together, as I see them both glowing from a dream fulfilled. But I digress.

Upon her mention of the photos, I asked her if she could look at her younger self and see the gorgeous young woman she was, and she said yes. (Actually she said Hell yes! Damn! I was fine! lol)  And I asked her to remember how unaccepting she was of that young woman when she inhabited THAT body. She remembered, (think about it, we all do). So I asked her then if she could take that knowledge and allow herself to believe that she is still that beautiful woman, just older and wiser - and she said no. :(  She did add that her husband thought she was and that that was good enough for her.

But I have been pondering this since we had that conversation. Why are we so unaccepting of where we are RIGHT NOW? Why do we focus on our flaws rather than show off our beauty? Why don't we love ourselves as we look NOW the same way we love those old pictures of the younger version? Why are we still having trouble being comfortable in our own skin?

I don't have the answer, this is just what I'm pondering right now, and working on changing within myself. Yes I am carrying extra weight, and the current stress I'm under sometimes has me reverting to old habits of reaching for easy, bad choices for food.  But that doesn't change that I am a beautiful person. I have pretty eyes, amazing cheekbones and my hair can look amazing when I take time to style it. I have pretty feet! I do! And my legs aren't bad either. Even at this larger size, the legs seem to keep their shape and I'm proud of them.

So, I may not be perfect but, parts of me are excellent. I'm a work in progress and I'm working on allowing myself to realize how beautiful, talented, caring, funny and kind I am.

I know this is a blog about nail polish, so I'll share some spam now. :)

 A Lovely H&M polish which I don't remember the name of and I am in bed now so I'm not getting up to find out and Orly Rage on the tips (ala EvilAngel)

 In the shade

 Lippman Across the Universe. (LOVE)

 Shady close up...such depth. Love this so much.

 Sunny shot. This is definitely up there on my list with ChG Atlantis.

 China Glaze Crystal Ball - A lemming fulfilled. Sooooo pretty!

 Halloween Nails I did for a friend/co-worker during lunch one day last week. Used Miss Marion Ebony (black creme) and Sally Hansen Insta Dry white for the stamping. The Jewels were sent to me from KONADomania a long time ago in a fantastic swap that I didn't take pictures of but am enjoying so very much. In fact, the H&M pictured at top was part of that. (I cannot find the blue!!! *cries*)

 Close up of thumb. She has tiny hands.

 Blurry close up

One more to show the horrific job I did at applying the black. Oh well, she loved it and it was pretty too!

So, find a picture of yourself and post it up on your blog or send me a link here. Let's learn to treat ourselves now as we would have treated that younger woman. And for you younger woman reading, pay attention to us older ladies. There's a good lesson here and you'll be ahead of the game if you get the hang of this now.

Here's mine:

 Taken in 1983 or 1984...Summer time. I was in a dear friend's wedding.

The night before at her Bachelorette party. 

A few sheets to the wind, but having fun.

Alright, your turn! GO!

Been struggling a lot lately

Funny how October is, among other things, Depression Awareness month. Funny how my blog is basically green. Funny how I'm struggling through a bout of depression...yeah, funny that.

Today, I had a good cry, did some writing (it's where my songs come from...oh yeah, I'm taking a songwriting class)  and shared what I'd written with my husband. He pointed me to this video which basically shares what I and so many people I know are struggling to understand.

So my friends, I wanted to share it with you too. When you have 20 mins to care for yourselves, take the time to watch this video from a TedX talk in Houston, Texas.  This is exactly what I am struggling with and knowing I am not alone gives me courage to work toward living authentically. If watching can help just one of you, if you share it and help just one person...then the world will slowly become a better place.

Thank you for reading, thank you for following even though I've not posted in forever. Thank you for commenting and thank you for being there even when I'm withdrawn, shaking and feeling like I'm not enough.

NUBBINS!!!

Hi Everyone that is still around this pathetically neglected blog of mine. I am so sorry I've neglected you all by not posting anything here.

Life got pretty out of hand there for a while and it's currently showing no signs of stopping but I'll do my best to post at least once a week. Ok?

Life has tossed me into the abyss and I'm doing lots of fun things to keep from getting sucked in but some days, it's difficult. I won't go into the challenges, only the good stuffs though.

Good stuff number one: I'm finally learning how to play the piano and really truly read music. This is something so close to my heart, so deeply ingrained into my very being, that it is amazing to me that I've taken this long to do it. But here I am, and I am HAVING A BLAST!!! Granted, I can only play Mary Had a Little Lamb and other very simple songs using both hands, but I can PLAY and I'm learning fast.  Unfortunately, as a part of this, I've had to resort to nubbins. (Sad Face Goes Here.) They are, of course, polished, but they are, most definitely, nubbins. Once I'm done learning to play the "Piano" I can grow them out again and play the "Keyboard" without having to worry about the nails. For now, those weighted keys are hard to play correctly with the talons. I did try to go with short rounded, but even those were too long. (Another Sad Face Goes Here.)

On top of that, I am taking a song writing class. Haven't written anything yet, but I think it's due to all the STUFF going on in life right now. I had to re-commit to sitting down for 30 mins a day and just writing. whatever. comes. up. So far, just a bunch of whining and garbage, but I've done this part before, so I know the gem will show up. Hopefully more than one. And this time, I'll be able to write some accompaniment.

You've all seen this one before but it's gorgeous, even on my shorter, almond shaped nails. This is prior to the major chopping I did just last night before the mid-term exam. :)

Orly Space Cadet

Look at it! It's simply gorgeous. This is under incandescent lighting at night...this color is just amazing and it's in my top 5 of all time. Orly sure got this one right in my opinion. From the application to the wear, it was amazing.

Currently, I'm sporting Sally Hansen Xtreme Purple Gala and it's almost a kissing cousin to Space Cadet...but it's a dead-on dupe for Hard Candy's Mr. Wrong. (I finally got one of those a couple weekends ago so I've compared and it's true!)  Without further ado, I give you my NUBBINS!

Sally Hansen Xtreme Purple Gala

Also taken in incandescent light. Heh! My husband said this was subtle! Then he qualified that by adding, "to what you usually wear." heheheh Yeah, that's me, Mrs. Subtle. 

So, I'll be nubbinsy for a while, but I'll be around. Hope you enjoyed the post and I have a question for you all: If you could do ONE thing that you've always wanted to, but couldn't...and you were the prettiest princess in all the land, so there were absolutely NO LIMITATIONS on what you were able to do...what would you do? Please share! I'd love to read your comments.

New Polish Line - CULT NAILS - Release Date 2011

Cult Nails Press Release:

August 31, 2010 Nail polish blogger R3 Daily announces a new nail polish line, Cult Nails. Maria Morrison is the blogger of R3 Daily and creator of Cult Nails. The polish line will be B3 Free which means it does not contain formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phtalate. Cult Nails polish line is also camphor free, cruelty free and considered a vegan friendly product. "When creating this line it was important to me that not only can I safely wear it, but so can my daughters."

The line will launch in early 2011 with only three colors. Cult Nails will continue to introduce colors to the line throughout each fashion season in 2011. Maria stated that "While I was very excited about the opportunity, I had to be realistic in what I could bring to the table. A small line with a limited collection is a perfect introduction for Cult Nails. The focus is on creating trend setting polish colors that are fun and safe while taking an earth friendly stance in everything we do" In fact Cult Nails committment to being earth friendly means removing unneccesary packaging, using boxes for shipping that are made from 100% recycled materials and shipping packages with reusable packing materials, like cotton balls.

The three introductory shades will retail for $10 per bottle and will include a vibrant holographic red aptly named "Follow Me", a true grey purple creme with a subtle shimmer named "My Kind of Cool Aid" and a yet to be chosen color that R3 Daily's blog followers will have an opportunity to create. Maria's goal is to involve the polish blogging community in the creation of this new line, "Polish bloggers and followers are the most amazing group of women I have seen. They are so supportive of each other and have amazing ideas when it comes to polish. I can't wait to see what they create! This line isn't just for me, it's for all of us!"

For more information on R3 Daily or Cult nails go to: http://www.r3daily.com/ or http://www.cultnails.com/

Congratulations Maria!!!

Nubar Sale!

This just in!

Nubar offers our retail customers 20% off retail orders of $30 or more with code AUG2030 August 6 through August 7, with free shipping on orders of $75 or more after the discount is applied. Visit us at www.bynubar.com to take advantage of this offer!

Guest Blogger Diane shares some Orly Cosmix and one from the Christmas Collex!

Since I am a complete slacker, I asked a friend to do a post for me. She's done a most excellent job of it...I may never have to blog again!

First off, I want to thank Liz for giving me the opportunity to share these with you! My name is Diane, and I'm addicted to nail polish but I already run two blogs and really don't have time for a third. I do post all my manicures to my Facebook page, so feel free to add me if you like! Just let me know who you are :)

So, onto the amazing polishey goodness! Last week I went out to run some errands, and since I was in the area I couldn't resist a stop at my usual polish supply store which shall remain nameless in order to protect their faux pas.  I puttered around, picked up a few old polishes I'd been meaning to get (a few Art Club liners, ChG Frostbite and Heart of Africa) and as I was standing at the counter, I noticed a few strange Orly bottles on a shelf behind them. They were rich, glittery duochromes that looked familar but I couldn't place them. I asked to see them and when she handed me the bottles I checked the names. Space Cadet, Out of This World, and Meet Me Under the Mistletoe. The owner told me they were sample bottles, and they wouldn't be for sale until at least August. After a bit of whining on my part, she offered to sell me those three at her standard Orly prices, $7 a bottle. I was giddy, how could I refuse?

As soon as I got home, I took bottle photos to gloat online. They look just as gorgeous sitting around as the promo photos would have you believe. Please forgive the stray cat hair - I have an overly affectionate marmalade Maine Coon who gets into *everything*, including my polish storage and photo areas.

Without flash

With flash.

I was so eager to try them out, I did a full mani with Space Cadet immediately. Orly describes it as "Green with purple gold FX", but Liz called it "GAAAAHHH!!" and my friend Erin referred to it as "sexy-space-vampire-colored!", both of which I think are very apt descriptors. It's by far the most irridescent and multi-chrome. In indirect artificial light it generally looks like a warm raspberry, but as soon as you step into bright light or sunlight it goes absolutely nuts. It's an explosion of pink, orange, gold, and olive green with a dense gold glitter. This was three coats with a top coat.

I decided it wasn't over the top enough, I added a coat of Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure on top. It added a subtle flakey effect without killing the glory that is Space Cadet. These photos were taken after six full days of wear. And as you can see by the state of my hands in general, I am pretty abusive to them. I work in a toy store and do a fair bit of manual labour, as well as being on the computer or playing video games pretty much constantly in my spare time. The wear on these was pretty fantastic.

After posting photos of Space Cadet, Liz asked me if I'd be willing to swatch and blog about the other two. Always looking for excuses to repaint my nails, I waited until the tipwear on Space Cadet was too bad to deal with and gladly swatched the other two.

Next up is the other entry from the Cosmix collection, Out Of This World, which Orly describes as "Purple with pink silver FX". It's definitely purple, and I do see pink, but I'm not so sure about the silver. It's a very pretty colour, but has nowhere near the drama of Space Cadet. I did my best to capture the pink shimmer, but it doesn't translate so well on camera.

And taken in fluorescent indoor lighting in an attempt to capture the pink and silver

The last one I got was from the Holiday collection, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe. I haven't even found descriptions for this one yet, so I'm not sure what kooky promo text Orly's come up with for it. This is a beautiful green, in some lights it's a pure emerald and in some it's a very blue-leaning teal. The shimmer is green and slightly gold. I think it's definitely a great holiday colour, but very much like China Glaze's Emerald Sparkle, it will also be totally appropriate for other times of year. I apologize for the state of my cuticles - I'm still new to swatching and by this point my hands had given up! 

The formula for all three of these was about the same. Not too thin, not too thick, and very easy to control. They all started out very thin - the first coat went on watery and barely shimmery and I was worried it would take five or six to develop properly. I was pleasantly surprised when the second coats made them mostly opaque. I used a third coat just to help develop the shimmer, multi-chrome, and overall "oomph", but I think only Space Cadet really required it. Meet Me Under the Mistletoe and Out Of this World could probably have sufficed with two coats, but three just looks better. Removal was a bit of a nuisance, but not as bad as I'd anticipated. OPI's summer glitters (Catch Me In Your Net and Wing It!) were much worse to take off, to give a frame of reference.

Overall, these colours are all beautiful and unique, and I'm incredibly glad I got them. I will probably be snagging the rest of the Cosmix collection as soon as it's in stock. However, if I had to choose one out of the three, it would definitely be Space Cadet.

Thanks for reading! Now back to your regularly scheduled Lizard!
-Diane


Thanks Diane! I'm so happy that you were able to get those on your hands! Thanks for sharing them with those of us who still have to wait. :)  Diane also collects and documents her collection of Kimonos at www.moonblossum.net/blog/  Check her blog out, the collection is gorgeous1

Peeking in

Hi Everyone...

I've got stuff, really I do...just dealing with some "life stuff" right now and blogging time is not at a premium right now.  I'm reading your blogs (not always commenting) and that's keeping me connected with all you wonderful women. I'm cleaning out my closets, so to speak. Doing some great reading and just getting a new head space in place.

Life's been challenging, but I'm getting back to looking at the bright side. I'll post up some stuff this weekend!

Hugs all around,