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The Nail Epic

So, as some may or may not know, I am working on trying to master caring for my own nails after my economic situation has required me to cancel my standing nail appointment with the "Amazing Alison". I have realized just how hard a job it is! My nails were in dreadful shape after having fake nails for so many years. I have battled brittle nails, peeling nails, polishing issues....you name it, and I suffer with it.

The first was the peeling of the nail layers right after the fake nails were first removed. I attempted to "strengthen" them with nail strengthening products such as OPI's Nail Envy. I found out that strength was not what I was needing because that led to my nails being so "strong", they would break with the slightest pressure since the Nail Envy did nothing to help with the nail's flexibility to give without breaking. I then ordered Nail Aid which I STILL use as a basecoat (this product is still my number one!).

The polish issues, more specifically BUBBLING, are still present. I haven't figured out how to polish my nails to the mirror finish like I always got when I visited the Amazing Alison, so I call her. She informed me that my nails need to be clean and the brush cannot be too dry nor too coated when applying the polish. Also, she said that the polish needs to be set up between coats and that natural nails take longer to dry. She said that they will NOT be completely dry for 24 hours. I now polish my nails first thing in the morning, and find that, for me, splitting up my coats gives me better end results. I have split it up between two days (I wish I could do it all in one day, but I just can't without seeing bubbles). The first day I do the first two coats, the second day the last two to three depending on what color I've chosen.
So there you have it! My progress so far. I have a VERY long way to go in mastering this, but I've also learned that after fake nails, the only thing that fixes your nails is time (and in the case of polish....lots and lots of practice). There is no miracle product to fix the problem, but there are some pretty good tips and products to help mask it. Good luck to everyone out there and if you have any tips to pass along....PLEASE do!

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Past 7 Days....

My Favorite Things Birthday Give-Away!!!

IT IS ON! Ok... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! I get to give stuff away! And not just ANY stuff.... MY FAVORITE STUFF!!!! Well, not ALL my favorite stuff, but certainly my favorites for at least ONE of my obsessions: NAILS!!! Maybe next year for my birthday I will be giving away craft supplies and exercise equipment... that would be AWESOME!!! But, this year's birthday give-away is HUGE with my favorite nail and beauty products and is open to ALL my followers. You guys are the best and deserve the best, so here is what ONE lucky winner is going to score: The Prize Haul: Konad Nail Art Stamping Set - Coraline I (I am addicted to Konad and I LOVE this set) Konad Nail art image disc - M63 (A little something extra from Kathleen... thank you) Fragrance Oil Set, types: China Rain, White Linen, Obsession (I love these for my relaxing baths) Nail Aid Nail Treatment Set including: Pink Natural Growth Therapy, Instant Wrap, Clear Liquid Bandage, Cuticle Cure, Peeling Nail Intense Repai...

Birthday/Bloggerversary Celebration!!!

WOO HOO!!!  Another blog hop!  I love these blog hops... filled with prizes, fun projects to see and a TON to learn.  This one is NO exception!  By now you should be arriving from Holly's AWESOME creation.  If you are just joining us, you will want to start our hop from the beginning ( HERE ) so you don't miss any of the blog hop goodness.  The blog candy up for grabs on this blog is TWO of the Skull Flower suckers like the one's pictured in Nicole's arrangement.  Just leave a comment on this post between now and the 7th for your chance to win.  I will pick the winner the evening of the 7th when the hop is over and post it on my blog.  Good luck everyone. So my holiday themed birthday project is... you guessed it... Valentines.  And I made this for our birthday girl/co-blog organizer Nicole, The Canadian Nickel.  Happy Birthday Nicole!!!  And thank you to my friend Barb for inspiring this blog hop project.  I used lots of...

Christmas Give Away

Ok gang! This is my second post for the day, but I thought it was important to get this one started as soon as possible!!! For the upcoming Christmas season, I'm giving away THREE Disney Cricut cartridges. These cartridges were not donated to this blog, I purchased all of these cartridges to give away. My followers are THE BEST and I wanted to give away something really nice for the holiday season. This is only open to those who appear on this blog's follower list, so if you're not one of my beloved followers, please become one (and I'm almost to 400 woo hoo!!!). All you have to do to enter to win these super fun Disney cartridges is share this give away with others. You can post it on your blog, shout it out on Facebook and Twitter, post the announcement in a message community or do all of the above. Then, leave a comment on this post letting me know where you shared and an email address to contact you. This will be open until December 11th and I will post the winne...