This blog post is dedicated to a new obsession
of mine, nails. No, not the metal, DIY, spikey nails that are used to be
hammered into walls, (although I may develop an obsession over their beautiful
metallic structure - maybe next blog post?) I’m talking about the nails that
are attached to our fingertips.
Nail art has become
an industry in itself. And it is bigger and better now than it has ever been
before. Nail brands such as Essie and Nails Inc are the seemingly ‘top dogs’ of
the business but other brands have also focused their attention on their nail
sections now more than ever. Why? Well it’s simple. People are realising that
nails hold a beauty of their own. With a splash of colour, sparkles, gems or
pattern, people can express themselves through their nail designs.
In a way nail art may be easier for some than
trying to find the perfect accessory. The nails hold such as statement that
they replace the accessory that once was worn for the same purpose, to make a
point. People don’t accessorise for the
fun of it. Accessories were made to be bold, hold power and be the leader of
the outfit. Without accessories an outfit can seem lifeless, almost pointless
and holds no purpose. This is where the
story begins.. Like a killer bracelet or a bold ring that tells a story of
power, nails too can be the narrator of an emotion.
I’ve never been
particularly skilled in doing my own nails. I have the common problem of
painting my left (or for most people right) hand. I’m a leftie, a left-handed ol’
soul, so when I’ve finished painting my right hand comfortably and with ease
there comes the wobbly disaster of trying to do delicate patterns on my left
hand using my untrained and unused right hand. While I love accessories I also
appreciate they can be a tad bit of a hassle.
Take rings for example, they’re all cool and fun until you take them off
on a toilet break to wash your hands to stop the cheap metal rusting under the
water (unless you are fortunate enough to own the real deal silver/gold) and then
realise that you’ve either left them at home on a dash out of the house or you’ve
left them in a public toilet…not convenient and not stylish as you walk
barehanded and shamelessly unaccessorised around the place. Here’s where I
discovered the beauty of nail art..
With the right, versatile colour/pattern, nail art is enough
of a statement to accessorise in a subtle way. It gives me the excuse I need to accessorise without making too much of an effort. To confess, I haven’t yet
discovered the ‘real’ nail art like the nail pens to create ‘funky’,
complicated designs but I’m inching one step closer..Here are my favourite,
newly found and newly bought nail varnishes.
To start with I’ll excuse my little population of Barry M
nail varnishes by saying that they were on offer in Boots (so naturally I
couldn’t resist).
Colours:(Left-right)
309 strawberry ice cream, 308 berry ice cream, 318 peach melba
I love these Barry M colours because they are summer sunshine
in a bottle and living in the UK where I’ve literally only ever seen the sun in
pictures, that’s good enough for me. Their names make them even more appealing
in that two of them have the word 'ice cream' in their label - any nail varnish that is labelled as
a food should be a girl’s best friend, right? (Note to Barry M: Congrats on
superb marketing there chaps.) Although they haven’t got any complex
texturizing effect to make them particularly bold, they’re subtle, summery vibe creates a statement suitable for the season that is apparently Summer. You
may have seen my nails in my most recent blog post, 'Scribbles on the runway' where I did this, but another great thing about these shades is that if you
alternate them, painting one colour on each finger and repeating the sequence
they create an impression of a collection of smarties - You’ll be prancing
around like a jolly smartie (and all the best colours of course!).
(The smartie effect)
My second most favourite brand of nail varnishes is Revlon’s
collection of sparkly goodness.
Colours:(Left) 441 Radiant
Above I am wearing Revlon's radiant shade.
This was my step closer to the real ‘nail art’. I figured
that the sparkles created a bit more of a statement. Don’t be fooled, a sparkle
doesn’t just say ‘I’m girly and I like glitz and glamour’, for that common
misconception is so wrong. A sparkle here and there can say much more. It can
speak a message of inner power and a fun, happy soul.
So, those are my new purchases! Remember, nail varnish is more
than just a colour, a pattern or a texture, it can speak a message of inner
emotion and can accessorise in a way that perhaps a ring couldn’t. The beauty
of nail art is that you have the power and control of what you design. After
all, that’s why they call it nail ‘art’, right?
