For pretty much my entire adult life, since I graduated from college, I have worn my nails one way: short, slightly squared off, and painted a neutral pinkish-white shade (Essie Ballet Slippers, OPI Bubble Bath or Waltz, etc…). I loved how clean, elegant and natural they looked and how they complemented everything I wore. Except for a brief dalliance with Vamp in the mid-90s, and the very occasional short-and-red moment, this was my look.
Since I’ve had my girls, my regular weekly salon manicures are a thing of the past, and being an all or nothing kind of girl, I’ve eschewed home manis in favor of doing nothing at all – leaving them short and unpolished and sad looking. I kept my toes painted, since they are easier and more efficient, and in my mind, more essential, but my fingers have been long neglected. Then tonight, spontaneously, I decided to paint my toes a bright, bubbly pink: OPI’s Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot. And since we were watching an episode of Mad Men I went ahead and painted my fingers, too, since I had the rare luxury of a little time. And I didn’t trim my fingernails or file them down first. My fingernails grow very fast and very strong, which is actually kind of a pain when you like to wear them short. So I painted my just slightly longer nails (just barely past the tip – nothing too radical) this happy hue and suddenly my entire outlook changed. My fingers looked a little longer and more elegant without the blunt, short nail tip, and the color really set off my tan! It made me think of the way Eva Longoria’s nails looked on an episode of Desperate Housewives recently, which made me think, for the first time in forever, that a teeny weeny bit of length might not be a bad thing. I love them, and I know Kevin and the girls will feel the same way. Makes me wonder why I didn’t experiment with my nails a long time ago!
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