Diving in!

Welcome!
It is with a little trepidation that I start this blog.  I know that I am new to the world of nail art.  I am not nearly as talented as most of the girls out there who are doing this.  I am not especially artistic or creative and will never freehand art like the blogs I swoon over.
But I love nail polish!  I have always done my own nails and have loved polish since I was in junior high school.  I've loved bright, funky colors, loved glitter, loved layering and shimmer.  I like the way that polish makes me feel a little girly and a little artsy, even when I am not particularly either!  I'm at home in jeans and a tee shirt, but feel naked without some sparkle on my hands!
More than anything, this is a scrapbook of sorts for me.  I try combinations that I love, and then later forget what they were.  This way, I will have a running list of what works (and maybe doesn't!).  This will also let me support and connect with other polish-addicts out there who do awesome work--I'm excited to have a way to show some love for your art!
So here goes nothing!
I'm working two jobs and sleeping whenever I can, so my nails don't usually get more than one mani a week, but I still want to give this a go.  Here's what's going on today:

(Another reservation I have is my lack of photography skill.  My little camera cannot do what many can, and my unsteady hand cannot get pictures too sharp, so be kind and use a little imagination when looking at the pictures!)
I've been thinking about a peacock colored manicure for a while now.  I recently nabbed some of the gorgeous Zoya Surf line in their Pinterest giveaway, so Zuza is taking center stage here.
 
*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard as Nails (my go-to base)
*2 coats Zuza
*2 coats Icing Lemme See Your Peacock
*1 coat Healthy Hoof Lacquer (awesome top coat--shinny and thick to even out glitter)
*1 coat Seche Vite for a quick dry

I keep my nails down short because something is bound to break them working in retail.  I LOVE this glitter!  Zuza is the perfect base for it and I can't stop staring at it when I'm outside.  I'd love to put it on all 10, but chunky glitter can be such a beast to pry off, so I restrained myself to an accent nail.
Zuza covered so much better than I expected from such a shimmery blue, that I almost could have eked by with one coat. 
Lemme See Your Peacock is a beautiful mix of medium-sized hex glitters in a teal, kelly green and magenta.  It's decent coverage for one coat, but I wanted a little more sparkle so I went with two.  It lays relatively flat for a chunky glitter. 

So there it is: my first nail post!  I hope to get better at this--both the painting and the blogging.  Until then, this is a nice little record of my "me-time!"  If you enjoy it too, or feel like talking polish, well then, that's an added bonus!