nail history

I'm sure I have more than a few annoying habits, but the one that seems to make people cringe the most is my ability to create little stubs from my nails. I bite them down past the point where they're raw.

I wasn't always a nail-biter. I picked it up in an attempt at popularity when I was a wee one in elementary school, trying to imitate a girl who was more popular than me. That's right, I started nail-biting to fit in.

Since then, nail-biting has become more than just a habit. I do it when I'm bored, when I don't know what to do with my hands, when I'm anxious, or after I've taken a shower. I get fixated on them and can't stop until they are perfect stubs. I know, it's weird.

Which is why the new trend of DIY nail art is so appealing to me.

I'm sure you've seen it. On Pinterest, on other craft blogs (like this tutorial by Shrimp Salad Circus), maybe even on the nails of the girl sitting next to you in your Environmental Econ class who lived on your floor freshman year. It's appealing because it's self-expression on such a small scale it never feels offensive or risky. It's wonderful because it uses all the random  knicknacks lying around at home: kebab skewers, unusable bobby pins, those stickers used to prevent holes in your binder paper from ripping. For me, it's the perfect method to keeping my nail-biting at bay. I'll still bite my nails when they have nail polish on because I'm a trooper, but when I've spent 20 minutes trying to make them look really nice? I'm too busy admiring my work!

For inspiration, some of my favorites are Pinterest of course, but also DailySomething, The Beauty Department, and Refinery29. All have great reviews of nail polishes, pictures of some fabulous nail designs, and quick and cute DIYs.

My boyfriend also bought me MASH's nail plates (seen in this older blog post) which have made it a blast to try out different complex patterns which I could never hand draw.

From L to R, top to bottom: 

1. Chevron (stamp) 2. Ombre 3. Geometric cut outs (take the advice of the comments section, use nail polish peeled off tape not the tape itself!) 4. Colored french tips 5. Polka dots 6. Pink flower vines (stamp) 7. Bedazzling glitter 8. Houndstooth (stamp) 9. Glitter tips 10. A repeat 11. One stripe 12. Blue flowers (stamp)

My favorites so far are the blue french tips and some of the nail stamps, as well as the easy geometric shapes. I've tried water marbling and even hand drawing moustaches, but those came out less than stellar since I'm no artist and I like my nails to be done quick. Since I'm also very impatient and not only hate waiting for my nails to dry but also think it is a bother to touch them up by removing the polish on the skin, my nails often end up looking a little messy. Because of this, I usually stick to stamps or other quick-drying patterns. 

My current sloppy nails, painted hurriedly while packing for Tahoe! The color is very bright since it was shot in bright daylight, but generally it shows up a little more green than that. Wet n' Wild's Megalast in I Need a Refresh-Mint (only $1.99!!!) with a glitter polish over the ring finger.

What are your thoughts on DIY nail art? Do you love it or hate it? What are your favorites?