See how embarrassing they are? That's why I wear glue-ons. So I don't feel like a total freak. Hopefully, by fall, I will be able to paint my natural nails. I like the way the glue-ons look, because I do I good job with them, but they are kind of a pain in the ass, especially when you like to change polish as much as I do.

I just wish I'd had a good experience with my acrylics. Yes, I went to a lower cost salon, but it's very well known, and I know plenty of people who have a good experience there. I think the real problem was with my tech. On my first visit, I was a fit-in, so I happened to get who was available. Seems like this particular salon has 2 techs who are always available for fit-ins. Now, I know why. My sister still goes here and she loves her nail tech, she switched after her first visit to a tech that just so happens to be her son's teacher. No pain, no infections. I should have switched to another tech, but to be honest, I didn't want to hurt his feelings, in the beginning. Stupid, huh? Though, considering I also had an allergic reaction to the acrylic, it may not have mattered who I went to. If you happen to read this, and live in Knoxville, TN and want to know the salon and tech's name, just shoot me an email or leave me a comment and I'll let you know. I don't want to spread gossip or bad mouth someone who earns his living doing nails, but I also know how hard it's been for my nails (and me) to bounce back from this.

What you can't tell from the pictures is that comparatively, they actually look good. The new growth is healthy, though the ridging looks to be more defined. Oh well, until they get back to 100%, I'll just use my glue-ons and deal with the fact I can only change polish when I want to change the nails.

Speaking of polish, I got my Lippmanns today. I was afraid that they weren't going live up to the cost, but let me just say that they are amazing. I tried them on my sad natural nails and Purple
Rain is awesome. Shut up and Drive looks good too, I just have to wait and see it on not-crappy nails because it's going to require more than 2 coats. I'm not sure if I'm going to try any additional Lippmanns in the near future. Not that they don't look great (plus, I need to be on a no-buy), but the cost is high. $15 is crazy for nail polish, even if they look this nice. If I'd been able to find reasonably priced dupes for PR and SUAD, I would have bought them instead, but I couldn't find anything remotely similar, so I just bit the bullet and called it my Mother's Day present. Until I can use them, please check out Scrangie for pics. Her blog is the reason I bought them. Hell, her blog is the reason I bought 3/4s of my polishes. :) Also, the bottles on the Lippmanns are very nice. But for the price difference, I think I actually prefer the Zoya bottles (of the 2 brands in my collections that have attractive bottles).

And lastly, speaking of Zoya (gotta love my crappy segues), I did take a picture of Roxy. I need to quit apologizing for the quality, but maybe, just maybe one day I'll start using my real digital camera. I wore her for 4 days, and I was sad to see her go.

Right now, the nails are nakey and crappy, so hopefully tonight, I'll be able to apply the glue-ons and possibly use one of my new polishes.