As of one minute after midnight this past Saturday we’re under a hosepipe ban here. Meaning: no using a hose to water the garden at all. A bowl in the shower to catch water. It’s so so ironic that at the turn of this year we had rain for at least 40 full days. Now, however, we’re in drought conditions.
I had planned to write about two things I was going to sample on my last trip into town to see the orthodontist (all goes ok with teeth) but both of them were so unpleasant I couldn’t put them on skin and tossed the blotters after an hour.
It happens.
So, a different direction.
I love the idea of nicely kept, painted nails.
In fact, when I lived in NYC in the ‘80s and ‘90s from the mid-1980s my nails got done every week. I didn’t wear a full face of makeup (just did eyes) but nails were always immaculate. Once I got to London I did a full face of slap but nails were mostly bare. The change was sort of sad.
It’s nice to think back to that period when I dressed extremely well and my nails sang a positive song.
When I worked in midtown, I went to a place on 57th Street called J Sisters which is still around. Even back then they were pricey ($25 – who knows current prices, not listed on the website) but just so worth it. The woman I saw spent a lot of time on maintenance and then it was chaos when she painted – ie, she’d paint three layers and then clean up around the nail afterwards. So, what you got was a heavy glossy nail that lasted really well.
When my company moved downtown, I found another salon, but they didn’t have the same vibe as J Sisters.
Anyway, as noted, I didn’t wear a lot of makeup but boy, did I go to town on nail colours. I think my faves were the dupes for Chanel Rouge Noir (it was the late ‘80s into ‘90s, after all), a pale milky blue, and dark green or fire engine red to change things up. But, the first two were the staples. One of the great things about Rouge Noir was it looks better on short vs long nails.
Interestingly, when my nails were well dressed it mattered less to me what the rest of me looked like. Ie, jeans and a t shirt were elevated by a great looking nail.
And the whole thing gave me confidence. You wanna try attitude with me because I was young and had a plain bob haircut? Well, no, I’ve got perfect blood red nails and you can just take a walk.
Now, my nails aren’t as happy as they were years ago (family trait that as time goes on nails become more striated and brittle – my mother’s were sort of frightening).
But, I’m trying – and starting to feel like I want to start painting them again in outrageous colours.
No gels though. I don’t need talons – or that kind of maintenance.
Are your nails a thing? Fave colours to wear? Have things got more toned down as you’ve aged? Are your toenails outrageous but your fingernails more muted?
Pics: pexels, mine
My nails are always YNBB because they are brittle and I am almost always ‘in’ something. But even then I’m with you / a good looking nail elevates everything!
It does, doesn’t it. I am trying to be better about nail oil and handcare in general.
I had a friend who was obsessed with fingernail because hers were paper-thin, quite literally. She took classes to become a manicurist…..and asked if she could practice on me…..because even though I had very hard nails, she’d never known any one who was rougher on them, so if she could find out what worked well on me, she’d know what worked well on everyone. lol. We had a great time and I always had incredible nails. (Later, I would pay her.) She was artistic and loved to decorate nails. Mine were always amazing and gorgeous but never tacky.
Mine also have ridges now. They’re still strong but where the ridges go down are weak points that break. I finally found something that to use whenever I want to have my natural nails long, which is often. It’s OPI Ridge Filler – 1 coat for medium length/2 coats for long. I use only Zoya nail polish and remover. It’s gentler and the polish rarely chips. I have shades of every color – I help keep an eBay seller in business. 🙂
I think I have a ridge filler floating around. There’s a brand here, Manicurist, I like.
I like the idea of having a friend with skills who needs someone to practice on.
This is a fun post, Cinnamon.
I’m a huge fan of pedicures and wear my favorite coral red every summer whether in style or not. I can do my own manicures but go out for my pedicures–I love to see my bright toenails whether out and about in sandals or just practicing yoga at home.
I keep my fingernails neat and shortish (I can’t stand the long pointed trend on me) like the photo above, but usually they are unpolished or have a shiny clear polish.
Glad you enjoyed it.
I am always after that squared off oval shape but find it hard to achieve when doing the nails myself. Maybe just need to practice more …
I’m lucky- my nails grow like my hair (fast) and look pretty camera-ready even though I do nothing to them. As a matter of fact an acquaintance once asked a friend if I did drag since my nails hadn’t been cut in a week or so and were quite long..
BTW- did you know that Tippi Hedren is partially responsible for the Vietnamese nail industry in the US?
https://vietnamesemuseum.org/details/ms-tippi-hedren/
TY. That’s marvelous! It’s great to hear of people who have kindness in them.
You are lucky. My hair is reasonably happy doing its own thing but my nails need help/attention to look even half way decent.
In the mid-70s there was a woman at work whose style I wanted to emulate. (read: copy). She had regular manicures on Madison Ave. I went to the same manicurist every Friday after work. Manicures took longer then and felt more leisurely. The salon was brand new and featured the first Chanel nail polishes. I got hooked on high-end polishes and have used and collected them ever since. Did I hear someone say Hermés?
I remember needing a whole lunch hour for my NYC manicures. I’ve yet, bar a couple of times in London, to find someone I want to visit again. The Hermes packaging is gorgeous. Are the products wonderful as well?
They go on like a Japanese lacquer! The colors are smashing and wear well. One coat looks great though I always use two along with my own base and top coat. Closest I can get to a Birkin, though I think I’d wear the polish more often than the bag!
Japanese lacquer!!! Oh boy, another lemming! 😉
Ooooh, fun! I had an obscene collection of nail polish for years, pared down now to merely too much. I paint them myself; I do a good job, not salon-quality but they’ll last through a week of workouts and gardening. I’ve had a soft spot for grungy colors for a long time (Essie’s Expressie has some fabulous quick-dry weird shades.) For the past couple of years it’s been mostly sheer nudes. I’ve never had dip nails or gel or acrylics but they are almost always “done” because if left bare they will split vertically along the ridges, which is painful and unsightly. I do feel a grunge period coming on, though, this fall!
I have a sheer red and a pewter at this point and that’s it. Plus top and base coats and bits to help cuticles. My nails are already too weak to even consider gels, etc. Maybe you could do a post about your grunge colours …
I still remember that green-grey! Looked amazing on you!!!
:: looked like Nosferatu on me::
Dear Cinnamon,
As a kid growing up I was a nail biter, but once I graduated from college that stopped. I like having short-ish nails that are manicured without polish. When I do use polish on my nails, I like subtle light colors. I’ve tried gel and powder dip on the nails and didn’t like how they damaged the natural nail, so I went back to regular nail polish. Love a bright colored pedicure (red, fuchsia, cobalt) in the spring and summer.
Never actually done a pedicure. At this point I rarely wear sandals, though I own a couple of pairs. I too nibbled. That stopped totally during covid.
Hey Cinnamon,
I bite my fingernails. For fun, not for stress. They are never bitten deep and bloody BUT I do love to have a gnaw. So no polish on them.
For decades though I’ve had painted toenails. All the colours, gel polish so I get 6 weeks. The last job I got the boy took so much top nail off that I was having smashed nails from everyday events. SO I’m letting them grow completely out and then will start again in summer.
I freaking love that hour in the pedicure chair. It’s heaven.
Portia xx
Ah, not good on last pedicure.
Biting for fun? What does that entail?
I used to really enjoy the manicures, especially the J Sisters ones. The woman I saw was a hoot and totally without boundaries.
Just having a chew.