Monday, December 15, 2008

Inspirational Post for Girls Trying To Grow Their Short Nails

Good morning, Dear Readers!

Today I have a different kind of post for you because I don't have any new lovelies to share with you. Don't worry though, that isn't for long. I am expecting lots of new goodies from the UPS and Fed Ex Men both this week and next. I am also driving up to The OC (Orange County, LOL) today to visit the CHANEL Boutique in the South Coast Plaza to look at/buy the new Moscow Collection nail polishes. Right now the red and blue ones are callling to me but I might just end up with all three... we shall see! I am also hoping that they have that new purple color called Vendetta. 

Anyway, on to today's subject. I receive a lot of lovely compliments regarding my nails (some of them make me blush) and also a lot of questions. This post is for all of those girls out there with short nails that are longing for longer nails.

This is a picture of my nails back in May of this year:


I took this picture right after a manicure. I was wearing OPI Lincoln Park At Midnight, I think. This manicure was probably several weeks or maybe even a month or two after the manicure before. Look at my nubby little nails! This is right when I was starting to make the correlation between wearing nail polish and nail length/strength. I was always on and off the manicure bandwagon. I would go a few months getting regular manicures and then something would happen where I would miss an appointment, then another appointment, etc. Pretty soon any length I had managed to grow would be gone. My tips would break and peel off one by one.

Fast forward to July, when we moved from Michigan to California. After all of the moving madness was over, and things settled down, I had a lot of free time on my hands. One of the things that I found time for again was manicures! Once a week manicures. After a few weeks of weekly manicures, I really started to notice the difference that nail polish makes again. I could feel my nails getting harder and they started growing again. At one of my manicures, I ended up choosing a color that I didn't love. I forget what it was now, but as soon as I got home I wanted to take it of. When I repainted my nails, I realized that this was something that I really could be doing at home and that there were better things I could do with the cash. So I headed out to my local beauty supply store and picked up all of the essentials I needed to do my own manicures at home. **side note: little did I know that my at home manicures would spur a full blown nail polish obsession and that I would be quickly be spending more on nail polish than I was on manicures**

Look at this picture of my nails in September of this year (wearing Essie Decadent Diva): 

essie decadent diva nail polish swatch
HUGE difference in both nail length and overall condition of my nails and cuticles. What a difference 4 months makes!! I swear, it is mostly due to keeping my nails polished at all times. Nothing will protect your nails more. Want long nails? Keep them polished. Sure, you should follow my other tips too. But nothing will make more of a difference than nail polish. Heck, wear clear if you have to! 

Once you really get into a good nail polish routine, your nails should grow like weeds! I mean just look at the difference between my nails in this September picture and then my nails now, in more recent posts. I practically have claws now! They are dangerous! 

Well I just really wanted to share with all of you that picture of my little nubbies back in May, in hopes to inspire some of you girls that think you can't grow your nails. 

That is all for today!

xoxo,
Katee

15 comments:

  1. I just wanted to let you know that your blog is freakin phenomenal and that I am eagerly awaiting swatches from the chanel moscow collection. They're not available on Chanel.com yet but I think I'll be getting the gold and the blue. Thank you again for all of your dedication to this blog. You are an invaluable resource for any polish lover. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nail polish really does help - keeps the tips from breaking/cracking under "everyday" circumstances. My nails are very hard and grow fast naturally, but if I don't do my weekly manicure, they start breaking and chipping, and end up shorter just due to the breakage. The polish layers really do protect them well...

    Hear hear for weekly manicures! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. the collection is up on chanel.com, but still unavailable online and over the phone...i found out when i called Chanel today hoping to capitalize on their current complimentary shipping offer. i read somewhere that Vendetta won't be available until late January (THANK GOD, i might be buying the whole Russian Nights collection, my wallet needs a break) when the Spring '09 collection is released.

    i definitely agree, nail polish makes a huge difference for nail length. i even have one nail chipped at the surface that holds on because i never go without polish.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great post! I heard that it is really good to wear nailpolish especially in the summer because it is like sunscreen for them and your post just enforces it. My nails are very brittle and break easily (probably because I am allergic to dairy), have you heard of anything sort of nailpolish that is really good for building strong nails?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you Katee! I need the inspiration! I bite my nails and I keep reading nail blogs just to try to get hints and tips to stop! Your pictures make me want to really start to do a manicure myself! I think I can, I think I can!

    Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is the ONLY thing i can do to grow nails.

    Sunday night (or whatever night i do my manicure) i do one base coat of nail strenghtener (NailTek, orsally hansen diamond stenght) 2 coats nail polish, one coat top coat.

    Then everyday after that, i put another coat of top coat. Then a sunday, (or whatever day i did my manicure, just a week later) i take it all off and start over.

    My nails are always horrible, and i bit them and my cuticles so keeping nail polish on (specifically dark because you notice more chips lol) helps me KEEP MY MOUTH AWAY from them! lol

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sharon - thank you so much!! Comments like this from readers like you is why I love blogging so much.

    Jamie - Agree. Hear hear!! :)

    Nessa - China Glaze np has hardners and Lippman nail polishes have biotin in them. Though you may want to try a treatment product like opi nail envy or china glaze calcium gel nail fortifier to get your nails into shape!

    Susan - good luck! keeping my fingers crossed for you!! nail polish helps a lot of people to quit biting because when their nails look pretty they don't want to.

    Posey - great tips!!

    xoxo,
    Katee

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow Katee! That is an enormous difference! There is hope for the short nailed ladies out there. I completely agree that keeping your nails polish will definitely keep them stronger and longer. I'm actually giving my a break for a few days but I've already chipped one nail. This would have never happened had I been rockin' polish. ;)

    I can't wait to hear about your reviews of the Chanel polishes. Since I'm here in Orlando, I would stop by Chanel myself but I'd rather wait for your yay or nay. Have a wonderful upcoming week!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I found your blog through Sasha and you have TOTALLY inspired me, and this post today gives me hope that MAYBE my nails could look like yours in four months! :) I've pulled out my rubber gloves and renewed my love of nail polish! Jewels, not tools, baby!

    ReplyDelete
  10. B - that is why I wanted to share so that eveyrone didn't think that my long nails were the result of being a genetic freak - I had to work to grow them just like everyone else :) I don't recommend polish breaks either - go polish your nails now! I should have those chanel's posted in the next day or so.

    EllBee -Glad you found me! Just keep chanting the mantra! Jewels, not tools, jewels, not tools... Keep me updated on your progress :)

    xoxo,
    Katee

    ReplyDelete
  11. I just don't get it. Although your nails were short.. it still looked good. Now since i have those type of nails u never see.. the wide ones thats not meant to be long. "men nails" lol, how do one care for them making them look feminine without rocking fake nails?

    I cut my nails every time they grow its just so ugly!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Inspired - awww, I am sure they are not ugly. Just keep them on the shorter side if you are self conscious of them. Also what shape are you filing them in? I would recommend filing them in a shape that mimics the shape of your cuticle. That should be he most flattering :)

    xoxo,
    Katee

    ReplyDelete
  13. Personal taste, of course, but I think your nails looked beautiful short - so much more chic, especially for vampy shades!

    ReplyDelete
  14. eye4style: I am kind of missing my short nails too :) They might get filed down soon, one of these days.

    xoxo,
    Katee

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Katee!
    Can you suggest to me the best quick dry top coat that do the wet effect on the nail too?
    I have seen something about opi...but there are a lot of type i can't decide alone they are all new to me!!!
    I trust in your experience!!!
    Many many thanks!!!

    ReplyDelete

Hi! Thanks very much for taking the time to comment! I welome your feedback and will be sure to comment back, especially if you have a question :)