Exposition and Hard Candy XXXmas

This is the first post of what will hopefully be many on this blog. I’ve been reading a lot of wonderful nail polish blogs, and between the gorgeous swatches and the introduction of Seche Vite into my life, I’ve gone crazy for polishes again.

Back in middle school, I was a polish fiend. There was rarely a day when my nails weren’t painted, and they were usually painted a bright, colorful, then considered off-the-wall shade like metallic green, creamy yellow, shimmery purple, or brilliant blue. I did skittles manis because I loved my nail polishes so much that there were times I couldn’t decide what shade I wanted to wear more, so I’d wear five at a time. Unfortunately, I foolishly got rid of all my old colors quite a few years ago. They were thick and goopy, and I thought they were finished. I’d never heard of nail polish thinner, so I threw them out. I might even have shed a tear or two as I said goodbye – I loved those colors, and I’d even received a few of them from friends, in trade or as gifts.

I’ve always been enamored with pretty colors and shiny objects. My parents started referring to me as a packrat before I’d started kindergarten. Packrats (also known as wood rats or trade rats) are best known for their love of shiny objects. They live in nests, called middens, which they contstruct themselves and decorate with the objects they bring back. One never can tell what will strike a packrat’s fancy – frequently, it’s a shiny object, but sometimes it’s an interestingly shaped rock, or a brightly colored piece of plastic or cloth. They take it back to their midden and incorporate it. The name “trade rat” comes from a tendency to “trade” something that they have (a juicy piece of cactus, perhaps, or an object they were bringing back to their midden) for something else they want. A packrat could be bringing home an object it liked, see an object it likes better, and it will trade, leaving something it wanted for something it wants more. I can’t help but see the similarity – I love shiny objects, pretty colors, and unusual shapes. I love jewelry, nail polish, and rocks and crystals. And like a packrat, I will trade something I like for something I like more – like swapping a polish I had meant to keep for a polish I want more.

The polish in this post is the most beloved of my polishes. My fiance is everything I ever asked for and more. He’s my best friend and my voice of encouragement. He prompted me to begin writing this blog many months ago, and he’s never doubted that I could do well at it. A week or two after he suggested it, I found a polish I wanted badly, but couldn’t justify the price. I was staring at it online, and said something about wishing I could start my blog with something like that, and bought it for me. “It’s a gift. And you’ll be able to put it on your blog.” I’ve reserved that polish for now, for this first post.

This has, however, been a lot of exposition and mushiness. On to the shiny pictures!

For this picture, I used a coat of Seche Clear, three coats of Hard Candy XXXmas, and one thick coat of Seche Vite. It still feels rough and bumpy to the touch, so I would probably add on a layer of clear polish to smooth it out.

XXXmas is a red-toned purple jelly polish (slightly redder-toned than the picture shows) with two sizes of holographic glitter – hexagonal and smaller round pieces. The glitter sparkles colorfully even under poor light. The first coat was very sheer, the second built to near opacity, and the third coat reached complete opacity. Even with three coats, it didn’t take long for Seche Vite to completely dry the polish – within fifteen minutes my nails were completely dry and undentable.

And a very blurry picture to show off some of the sparkle!