Why The Manicure Changed My Life

Earlier this year I made a decision, and it was a life changing one. You see, as the Founder of a fashion brand, I knew it would be a tough road…and still is to this day. That wasn’t the problem. I knew I’d have years of sweat equity to put into the brand, I knew I’d pour my heart out into designs that simply wouldn’t sell, I knew there would be long days and sleepless nights, relationships would suffer, and I knew that the tough road I mentioned before, would also be a long one. None of this deterred me or frightened me in the least, in fact, I figured if anyone is going to “do it”, it’s going to be me. So that being said, when it came time to cut payroll checks, it seemed like a worthwhile sacrifice to cut checks for others and not for myself, and I “made it work”. I was living off of virtually no income, check to check, and sale to sale, but I hadn’t prepared myself for the emotional sacrifice I would endure, not being able to provide anything special for myself; that’s when the manicure changed my life. Now, I know what you might be thinking…”really Emily?” Yes, it’s true, the manicure changed my life and I’ll share with you how.

Early on in my journey to launch the globally desired and respected brand that is WRITTEN Apparel, I remember a mentor giving me some advice. Of course we were both under the assumption that as a new business owner I wouldn’t be able to pay myself, but his advice to me was, “You need to find some way to compensate yourself, even if it is just going to a movie once a week. You have to give back to yourself in some way otherwise you’ll begin to resent the very thing you are trying to build.” He was right. So a year in, I decided that I was going to start paying myself in manicures and I haven’t looked back since.

The thing I love about the manicure is this…it can change! It can change with the season, with your mood, with your outfit, or just because. For me, I decided that every two weeks I would go and get my nails done. A little “me time”, time to reflect, time to stare mindlessly at the TV on the wall with no sound, time for rejuvenation. Off with one color, on with the next, and sometimes those color changes have been just the proverbial change I need to move on with the next chapter in my business. Bottom line, the manicure has changed my life.

Now I totally get that this might be getting a little “deep” for some, so in light of that, I won’t leave you hanging. I’ve compiled some great resources for all the latest and greatest manicure trends coming up for Spring this year and you can check them out below.

Elle.com shares some great nail trends here.

My Favorite Spring Manicure Trends Include:

Cheeky Tints – This trend began in Taiwan and it’s so oddly different than anything else I’ve seen that I love it. The idea is that the nails look like they are blushing.

Free Form – This one I love because precision isn’t necessary. I don’t know how many times I’ve tried doing my nails and my left hand looks amazing and my right hand looks like a disaster. With the free form nail trend, there is no right or wrong.

For more Spring manicure trends, check out HarpersBazaar’s review here.

If you’re more of a DIY person when it comes to your manicures, first let me say, I admire your patience. Second, here’s a list of my favorite social media nail gurus that you should be following for inspo if you aren’t already.

My Favorite Manicure Artists Include:

@britneytokyo – I love the intricacy of her work mimicking oil paintings and fine artwork.

@theillustratednail (Sophie Harris-Greenslade) – I love the representation of texture reminiscent of textiles in the work from this OPI collaborator.

Of course a manicure blog wouldn’t be complete without a review of my favorite polish brands and colors. I tend to vie for more classic hues and trust me, you get what you pay for with nail polish. If you buy cheap stuff, don’t expect it to last more than the time it takes to binge watch a few of your favorite shows on Netflix.

My Nail Polish Brands Include:

Smith & Cult Nail Lacquer – I was first turned on to this brand through my amazing stylists at my favorite salon. The color selections are amazing and with polish names like “Gay Ponies Dancing In The Snow” and “Bitter Buddhist”, I can’t help but giggle every time I pick up a bottle. To top it all off, S&C has created a high quality polish with an 8-Free formula, meaning the formula is free of some of the most commonly found toxic chemicals used in other nail polish brands: Dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor, Xylene, Ethyl Tosylamide and Triphenyl Phosphate.

Yves Saint Laurent ‘La Laque Couture’ Nail Lacquer in Fuchsia Cubiste – This nail polish was the first piece of YSL I ever owned. I’ve always had an affinity for the brand…yes designers can love other designers. I love a bold red nail, but sometimes I like to opt for a softer side of bold and this fuchsia shade is perfect for that.

What are some of your favorite manicure do’s and don’ts? Share with me below.