The Manicured Monkey Presents: Nicole Gets Nailed

Your name:  Nicole

● Blog link:  http://nearlynailed.blogspot.ca/

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● Twitter:  @nearlynailed

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Your name:  Nicole

Blog name:  Nicole gets Nailed

Favorite polish brand/color/finish:  Anything that's under $10, I haven’t been doing this very long and would rather have a lot of options, rather than quality polish – this may change as I progress.  Right now, I’m changing my polish daily, so buying expensive nail polish doesn’t seem financially responsible!!  There is one exception to this and that is I will pay for a quality base and top coat.  I was having issues with my mani chipping  the next day, so bought some Orly Bonder, this has worked pretty good so far, it's quite pricey, but it's worth it.  My favorite top coat is Seche Vite, this stuff is like liquid gold, I swear by it and I'm willing to shell out the cash to make sure I always have a supply.

Why did you start your blog?:  I had been posting my daily manicures on facebook for a couple of weeks and my buddy suggested I start a blog.  I thought, hey why not, hopefully I can provide inspiration to other nail polish/art enthusiasts or just get some validation that my hobby isn’t a complete waste of time!

What do you think is your specialty mani?:  I don’t know if I’ve been doing this long enough to have one.  When I look at my labels on my blog it appears that a modified French manicure may be something I do often, but I really love Leopard print (which I’ve been calling Cheetah print in error) and it’s so easy to do – love it!

Where do you look for inspiration?  There are so many creative nail bloggers out there, it’s amazing!  I’m not going to list them, because there’s so many and I don’t want to leave anyone out.  I’m usually trolling the internet or following nail bloggers or nail enthusiasts on the various social media outlets I’m linked into like:  Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumbler, Facebook.  If I’m super stuck, I will search google:  for example if I have a new blue polish, I will search for blue nail art or blue nails.  I find that there is a lot of pressure to come up with new ideas, but I’m really trying my darndest to do what I like and not worry about the number of followers my blog has.  I blog about my nails because I want to share, if someone doesn’t like my ideas, oh well!

What’s one mani you have yet to attempt?  Framed Manicure.  I love this trend, I think it looks so cool.  I don’t know if I have steady enough hands to complete it successfully, but I’m gonna try – oooo maybe even tonight!

One nail trend you are not on board with:  This is a toughy!  I love the idea and look of stamping, but one thing that really bothers me is that everyone has the same stamping set so there’s only so much you can do to differentiate yourself from the pack.  It took me a long time to decide to buy any stamping plates and I still haven’t successfully used them or posted about them.  I want to, but I want to be different – oh I hope I don’t get hate mail for this one!!

Do you have a nail care routine?  Yes, I’m obsessed with keeping my nails looking pretty even when naked (that doesn’t sound right....).  I’m not a professional and most of the stuff I’ve learned, I’ve learned from trolling the internet, but I do have a routine.  I’ve got eczema, luckily not on my hands, but it does cause some dryness around my cuticles so I’m always rubbing some Healthy Hoof on my nails throughout the day.  I change my polish every night, so first I will take off my polish, I’ve given up on regular nail polish remover, I use 100% acetone baby!!  Then every couple of weeks, I’ll slather on some cuticle softener (I have no idea what brand – I need new stuff, any suggestions?) and push back my cuticles with an orange stick.  If I’m not pushing back my cuticles, I’ll use Healthy Hoof and moisturize my nails before I clean them and apply polish.  I’m trying to grow my nails, so filing has been few and far between lately, but I make sure everything is the same shape and length, I use a low grit file and buffer to make sure there are no snagglers left behind.  I probably do some stuff that other nail bloggers would cringe at, let’s just say, I love my clippers (that I think are really toe nail clippers)....

 

What you hope readers take away from your blog:  I would love if I could inspire someone to start doing their nails or get into blogging.  I hope that folks enjoy my sense of humour and my love of nail polish!

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