Nails

I actually liked taking care of my nails. Keeping them trimmed and cleaned was already something I was accustomed to for practical reasons. Soaking them was simple enough, and since I didn't have cuticle cutters I just pushed them back and they seemed fine for the nail polish.

A few weeks later I was taken out for a rare treat of getting my nails done professionally (something I haven't done in over a decade). I was happy to find out that the lovely woman who was doing my nails, who had 15 years of experience, told me that my cuticles were fine, and that I didn't have much to clip off anyway. She showed me how to just cut the the tiny jagged parts on the edges. She also explained that many women try snipping off all their cuticles and only wind up causing infections which look worse.

I was shocked by all the layers it took, and admittedly I smudged one of them before they were dry. I When I painted them at home I only had a few types of nail polish to play with, but I noticed that each one was very different. I didn't even own top coat or base coat so I typically just painted two layers with the polish I was using. It seemed that my better nail polish lasted almost as long as the work done by the professional, though it wasn't as shiny and fancy looking. The professional work has a certain finesse that I still don't fully understand how to accomplish.

After my experiments, I haven't really kept painting my nails. I try to do it for a special occasion if I can remember to get it done the night before, which is a cardinal rule I've learned when I do them myself. I'm much more likely to smudge if I do it the same day. Also the little imperfections that get on the sides of my fingers are usually gone by the next day, so if I don't remember to do it the night before, I don't bother doing it the same day.

My girls love when I do their nails. Right now their nails are so small that it can be tough for me to paint them without getting some on their fingers. Also, especially for the little one, I have to use the fast drying one or else she will smudge everything. I'm sure as they get older this will become more fun and easier for all of us.