WHAT COLOR PLEASE

 

Proceed with caution. This is personal fluff. Sometimes we just need a little lightness in the day. Your other choices are listed at the end of the article.

When I was a teenager, I was famous for my nails and polish collection. Back in the day, we didn’t have Lee Press On Nails that would stay on your fingers. Only celebrities like Cher and Barbra had gorgeous long, red nails which I greatly coveted, my goal in life. Fortunately, for me, good nails are inherited. Grandmama had good nails and so does Mama. I’m hoping good nails mean good bones.

In those days, hunting out new nail polish was my hobby. When we moved to Little Rock the grocery store, Skaggs Albertson’s, had an entire wall devoted to nails. This was a new feature and greatly appreciated. Many a baby-sitting dime went to purchase my new favorite color by Revlon or Loreal or Cutex. I can’t remember the color names. Every Saturday afternoon or night, depending on my social life, I would do my nails. I could paint my nails in thirty minutes and let them dry for an hour with only light tasks allowed like turning the pages of a magazine.  

Actually, with longer nails, tasks weren’t easily performed. Washing dishes only in gloves. Making a bed was foreboding. Hooking a necklace. Buttons. Then a nail would break and I would always cut them all back down.

I always got compliments on my nails. As a college student doing mission work in deep South Texas at a Hispanic Baptist Church, the little children would hug me and call me Sister, holding my hands to look at my long, fluorescent purple painted nails. They were fascinated. Purple was a completely daring color. No one even made Blue My Mind or the famous Chanel Vampire, a black red polish. Now there is no lack of greens, greys, yellows and other colors I deem inappropriate for nails, certainly for my nails. My teenage colors of choice were anything frosted pink or peach or hot pink and pure red. In fashion magazines, I always looked at the nails.

I remember seeing my first pink white blush color on the pages of People Magazine in the early 80’s in an article about Marie Osmond and her young family, her new baby and first husband. They divorced, had more spouses, and have remarried in the last few years. I searched for the color for years. It is now my favorite.

The names of polishes must be catchy. It’s Pink PM, You Callin’ Me A Lyre?, Act Your Beige, Let Me Bayou a Drink. My current collection of Pink White Blush colors.

The click clack of my nails made my piano teacher crazy. I kept them shorter and would wear them short for recitals and Piano Guild. But my nails have always grown quickly. The longest my nails have ever been were the days closest to my wedding. I worked very hard not to do any tasks more strenuous than unwrapping wedding presents and applying my Estee Lauder makeup. Only hair salons had manicurists with appointments.

The length of nails today is ridiculous. There are certainly many dishes left in the sink and beds unmade.  When I was a girl, my Camp Fire Girl Troop went to Fort Night at Neiman Marcus in Dallas. The focus for the year was on China. I have never forgotten the two Chinese men on display for their nails. Long, long nails and at a certain length the nails grew and curled around each other. It brought up too many questions in my 10 year old mind.

There were not nail salons on every corner offering hundreds of colors and almost as many applications. I have done the artificial nails but finally gave up when I decided the cost and damage to my own nails were not a fair trade. But that has not prevented me from enjoying getting my nails done for every special occasion. Diana and I have always had fun going to get a mani-pedi together.  

My freshman year of college was the heyday for my nail obsession. It was not uncommon for my polish to change daily, matching fingernails and toenails. I was definitely on target for all of those good grades needed to make parents happy to provide your college education. But in all fairness, I was not the only coed up to her knees in cotton balls and polish remover. However, my first semester of college I got an A+ in Nails and an F in Biology. Always blessed with time management skills.

 

I was trying to think of something to blog but my current choices were fun health and  family issues and toe nail fungus. These are not encouraging or written about in polite company. I think I will just go paint my fingernails. Afterall, laundry and brushing the dog are not tasks for fresh nails.

 

P.S. For strong nails, I recommend OPI Nail Envy. Nail Strengthener. Last purchased on Amazon.