Monday, October 16, 2006

D-DIY: DON'T Do It Yourself

So yesterday, I went to get a manicure.

This is a pretty big deal for me, since I'm one of those people who is all, "I can do it myself! I don't need some professional to paint my nails! Screw that!" I save my manicure time for functions like weddings and hearings that might actually be on regular C-SPAN (as opposed to C-SPAN 3).

Then I end up with nail polish all over my fingers, my boyfriend is opening a window and mock gasping for air from the fumes.

But, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm also kind of a trend-whore.

Not that there is anything wrong with that!!

So when I picked up a bottle of Sephora No. 11 nail polish, a dark brownish red color which is all the rage, I decided that a mistake would be more visible and hightailed it to a salon.

For all the Capitol City residents in the house, I go to Jessica B. in Georgetown.

While I waited, I noticed that the foreground of the nail polish selections were dominated by the dark colors. I spied several half used bottles of OPI Lincoln Park After Dark and Essie Wicked.

But, in my independent spirit, I was BYOBNP today.

As I said, Sephora's No. 11 is a deep brownish red color, closer to Wicked than to the Lincoln Park color. I imagine that it would be called "oxblood" in a J. Crew catalog.

As someone who always chooses pale colors, the sight of the dark fingers was quite startling. I was actually on the verge of disliking it, waving the trend-whore flag and retreating to Essie Ador-a-ball. But as I walked home, it began to grow on me. I felt very chic. I began to notice my hands a lot more. Actually, at dinner, my boyfriend asked why I kept staring at my fork-holding hand so much.

So...it was definitely worth going to a professional for this one...but I still plan on tackling the Ballet Slippers myself.

So THERE!

8 comments:

Alison Santighian said...

Thanks for sharing the color - I've liked what I've seen in pics, but haven't tracked it down. And as a pale-polish gal myself, I identify w/ your remarks. Of course, it'll last all of 2 days. If that. Had a free (Red Door Preferred "club" birthday present!) mani this weekend, and already nails are chipped and torn. I have no idea what I do to them!

caphillbarbie said...

Samantha, I think the chocolate brown could look really nice. If you don't want to be committed, try just getting a manicure with it. A woman at my office wears "Fedora" which is a realy nice dark brown and it looks awesome.

DC Celine, I am terrified of chipping my nails right now! I'm determined to use a clear topcoat every other day and I've been trying to wear gloves for washing dishes, etc. I also keep my nails super-short which seems to help the chipping.

How does one become a part of this preferred club??? This sounds like something I would like to be a part of!

Anonymous said...

I'm a do-it-yourself gal. Salons, of any kind, make me nervous. It took me a while to get used to the Morticia Adams trend, but I like it now, and it does look better with shorter nails.
The next trend is probably violet and purple. I wonder if it'd become such a craze.

Alison Santighian said...

Caphillbarbie, the Red Door Preferred club is super easy. Go in, sign up. It's like a frequent buyer club. The problem is that you have to spend $500 before you get any "rebates." But the birthday gift was a pleasant, nearly $100 surprise.

Anonymous said...

(Friend of Footnotes, been reading for a while now, totally agree with you in most respects) I've been wearing the dark polish for a couple of months now, and when I take it off to give my nails some oxygen, I miss it. And boys comment on it all the time.

Anonymous said...

Just went to program conducted by prestigious academic--OK, Vassar--prof and her science and technolgy team discussing breast cancer and environment. Much nail polish on the bad list; check safecosmetics.com for details. Am an avid pedicure gal, not on the "this week coffee will kill you next;week it's healthy" bandwagon but this is worth considering.

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