Painting my nails is a form of mindfulness and self-expression. They also look sexy when I type my short stories
- Dec 27, 2024
- 3 min read
Painting my nails became a routine for me about a year and a half ago. Someone I knew had gone to a self-care workshop and the group had relaxed by doing nail care and talking to each other. It sounded like a fun idea, but I didn't think it was for me. Manicures seemed like a confusing routine, because typically a person would go every 1-3 weeks, only for them to chip so soon afterwards. The more durable options didn't appeal to me either because I just couldn't imagine long, thick nails getting in the way of all my daily activities.
I thought, let me just get black gel polish, and a whole gel set up with the UV lamp and everything. I'll just paint my nails black and redo it whenever I had to. But something made it hard to check out my amazon cart with those items in it. I didn't like the idea of another beauty device cluttering up my space. I also felt discouraged by photos of people removing gel polish and the rough texture left behind.
So, nobody knows this, but my first job ever was actually doing manicures at kids' birthday parties. It was super awkward, because strangers' birthday parties is just a situation. But I got some great training with an aesthetician and lots of practice, on the tiniest, most challenging fingernails! We only did lacquer, and there was a big collection of OPI that we'd set out on a display and then put away each time. I always felt excited by the different colours, but it was over all a weird experience.
I haven't regretted going with lacquer, though. Collecting and displaying my nail polishes has become part of my bedroom decor, and you can actually see it on my wall in some of my boudoir photography shots. In many ways the colour palette reflects my evolving style and intentionally works with my wardrobe. For example, I started exploring reds when I began my journey of writing sexy short stories. The different shades, ranging from a dark oxblood red, to a bright candy apple, seem to echo my exploration of different shades of sex and romance in writing. When my wardrobe began to lean more black, I added brighter shades for contrast- like neon purple, gemstone green, and electric blue.
Generally, I'll choose a colour that represents my feelings or what I want to focus on that week. For example, if I feel intuitive and want to do a ritual or tarot reading, I might opt for a thoughtful purple. Right now, I'm working on getting my first few subscribers to my Fansly and Patreon. I've been wearing a lot of greens to channel that feeling of growth and success.
Something I've learned, especially from watching more experienced MUA's and nail artists, is that it's not all about the painting. Nail care is super important for strong, healthy nails, and creates a good canvas for you to work on. Literally, because by trimming away excess cuticle and filing your nails into a balanced shape, they become easier to paint and yield a better looking end result.
When I paint my nails, I do feel relaxed. I would compare it to adult colouring books. You become so focused on small details and colouring within the lines, that it calms down intrusive thoughts. The time in my life when I began painting my nails was a time when a lot of things were pending and uncertain. Being able to create something that felt beautiful and perfect gave me a much needed sense of control amidst the craziness.
I hope this inspires you to pick up a tiny little brush in the near future, or try out any other self-care hobby you've been thinking about!