My love affair with polish

I'm going to stray from my usual rantings and ravings today. No talk (other than this mention, that is) of fertility issues, cysts, medication, clinic visits...none of it. Instead, I'd like to return to my diva roots, and discuss one of my greatest girlie pleasures - the manicure.

It all began almost six years ago. December 21, 2001 to be exact. JBJ and I decided that we needed to see each other more often AND we needed our nails done. Thus began a six year love affair of friendship and beautifully done nails that's still going strong. Hard to believe we're this close to celebrating yet another maniversary. Sniff...how the time does fly...

I remember the day like it was yesterday. I chose a lovely rich brown by Essie called Martini Cocoa, and thought it would look fab with the outfit I'd chosen to wear to my boss' Christmas party that evening. I was right. It looked smashing, and I got unfortunately smashed on martinis (the polish name foreshadowing what was to come? you bet) and ended up leaving the party a deux as opposed to by myself. Yes, I admit it. I went on a little bit of a trampage that night, thus ending a very very very long drought. And thus the pulling power of the manicure was born.

Let me just say at this point that yes, I had a surprisingly wild few years in my late 20's. I'm not talking sniffing coke in a club bathroom or hooking up with random strangers every weekend wild life, but this diva was no priss and enjoyed her Sex and the City lifestyle for a good period of time. I blame the mani's.

JBJ and I continued our every three to four week ritual with delight. We found a home in Spa Baby, a tiny but swish hole in the wall on Yonge Street, and we loved it there until the owner decided to close. We were sad. Very sad. We'd been cast adrift, and to this day have yet to replace them with a new mani home. Like I said, sad.

So the tides turned a bit. I became more of a spa whore, having one mani stands with a variety of spas throughout the city as I sought the perfect place, and became less of a real whore as I'd met my soon to be husband. 'Nuff said, I suppose.

My taste in polish shifted as well. Once an Essie snob because of my years of indoctrination at Spa Baby (they only used Essie), I soon discovered the world of OPI, and my colour options exploded.

Snaps to whatever brilliant marketing guru devised the entire concept of the OPI collections. How to make me covet not just my usual shades, but ones I'd never think of twice until they were stacked beside their collection counterparts. Genius, I say.

I wore A Rose by Dawn, Broke by Noon (seen at right for your viewing pleasure) for my wedding. Seems weird, I know - but I just couldn't see myself with the traditional french manicure. Just sooo not me, ya know? I'm such a pink girl and that often extends well into my nail polish wardrobe, so why should my wedding day be an exception? Exactly. And of course, JBJ was right there with my for my pre-wedding mani. Just wouldn't have had it any other way.


Now, I'm all about the Russian collection, and am eagerly awaiting my first purchase/gift (I know my familial secret santa is reading - take notes!!) from the new Holiday in Hollywood Collection. Those familiar with these darker colours and the surprising lack of pink contained therein may be shocked to see me publicly declare my love for these lines. But hey - times change, winter's coming, and dark colours are oh so in this season. Who am I to argue?


Take for example the beauty to my left, Siberian Nights from, you guessed it, the Russian Collection. Gorgeous. Love it. Am wearing it right now after re-doing my nails at home this evening. Had a mani a week and a half ago with JBJ (she braved the 'burbs and we recaptured the magic) and I brought this baby with me just in case they didn't have it in. But of course they had it, so it sat safely in my bag for the duration of the day. Unfortunately there are only so many touch ups you can do over time to chipped polish before you start baring a striking resemblance to a crack whore, so tonight it was clear that it was time to strip off the old and reapply the new.


The other colour from the Russian Collection that I love is An Affair in Red Square. Deep, lush reds are so hot right now, and make me feel surprisingly racy for something as seemingly simple as a nail polish. Oh how the fabulous have fallen....

I generally tend to stay away from any polish with a gold shimmer (all polishes I use must have the shimmer factor - flat polish makes my tiny nail beds look ridiculous) but I took a chance with this one and have never looked back.

Having regaled you for an insanely long time on something as truly inconsequential in the grand scheme of things as nail polish, let me leave you with my personal pics/faves from the new Holiday in Hollywood collection. Feel free to pay a visit to one of the happier sites on the web (in my somewhat warped world, that is) www.opi.com. Test out different polishes on their Studio page, and get a glimpse into the collections I've discussed and so much more.

So without further ado, here are my faves from the HiH 2007 collection:

Pretty at the Premiere

My Big Break

Who Are You Wearing

Call My M-agent-a

Gorgeous, no? All of them. I want them all. How sad is that? It's not enough that a I have a huge basket FULL of different nail polishes, now I need to add a minimum of four new ones to my own personal stash.

I wonder if there's a Nail Polish Anonymous meeting going on in a church basement somwhere nearby...

And that's your daily dash. How's your diva doin'?