Jen started her blog, The PolishAholic in April 2010 and quickly became one of the most well known nail bloggers not only in her home country USA, but worldwide. No wonder! Her flawless swatches, informative reviews and serial posting (she posts on average 6 times p/week) make Jen stand out from the crowd.
Today Jen is sharing her nail story and a few great nail art tips with us.
Why nails?
I was a nail biter for almost my entire life. I finally decided I needed to kick the habit and started buying polish as a way to reward myself for not biting. Eventually that led to trying out nail art and reading blogs. I’ve been pretty passionate about nails ever since. It makes me happy that I can share something I love though blogging with so many people that also love nails.
Favourite nail blogger?
Kirsten from Glitta Gloves. Kirsten has become one of my best friends though blogging. I really value the friendship that we’ve made through blogging. Not only do I love her as a person but her blog is great, I always get excited when I see a post from her pop up in my reader.
How often do you paint your nails?
Not counting swatching I usually do my nails every 3 or 4 days. I feel like I swatch so much that I like to wear my favourites for a few days as a nice break.
Nail care product you can’t live without?
Lemony Fluttery from Lush. It’s hands down the best cuticle lotion I’ve ever used. It completely transformed my nails, I always had a huge problem with dry skin and hangnails but once I started using Lemony Flutter all of those issues went away.
The best nail care tip?
Moisturize like your life depends on it. I have lotion everywhere, in my car…in my purse…on my desk at work and at home…in my bedside table etc..
NAIL POLISH FAVOURITES:
{Nicole by OPI Modern Family Collection Comparisons post by ThePolishAholic}
How many polishes in your collection?
I afraid to tally up my spread sheet but somewhere in the low 2,000’s, clearly I have a hoarding problem haha!
Favourite nail polish brand?
Zoya, they consistently come out with unique polishes. I love their range of colours and the formulas are typically great.
Favourite indie polish brand?
This is a hard question, I have so many different brands that I really love. Overall my favourite is probably Dollish Polish, it was one of the first indies I tried and I’m always loving what Dolly comes up with and the way she is able to translate her ideas so well into polish form.
Best luxury brand?
Butter London. Before 2012 I didn’t own too many polishes from them but I’ve been buying like crazy from them lately. They have been coming out with beautiful and unique polishes the last few months, it’s great!
Which brand has the best formula?
I don’t think there is one brand that I can say is flawless, everyone has their fair share of misses. The 2 brand I find to be most consistent for me are Zoya and OPI.
Which brand has the best brush?
I love OPI’s ProWide Brush. I know a lot of people hate it but the size and shape is perfect for my nails.
NAIL ART:
Favourite colour combinations?
Blue and Gold, whenever I’m in the mood for nail art and can’t think of anything to do that’s always what I gravitate towards. Multichrome Water Marble (1)
Favorite pattern/nail art?
Lately I’ve been enjoying striping nail art. I’ve discovered striping tape and now I’m all about it. Nail art is definitely not my forte and striping tape is so easy to use that it makes me feel like I’m doing something more difficult than I am. Christmas Plaid Nail Art (2)
What’s your best tip for painting your other hand?
Take it slow, patience is your friend. The slower I go with my non dominant hand the cleaner I paint my nails. Also I’m not afraid to get messy, it happens. Anything that goes wrong is easy enough to fix with an eyeliner brush and acetone.
The funniest/the most adventurous nail art you have ever created?
My mismatched Black & White nails (3) for a No Doubt concert I went to in November. I’ve never done anything where all of my nails were a different design. I was really happy with how they turned out!
Favourite nail art trend?
Texture, anything with texture. I’m always at the craft store seeing if there is any kind of weird thing I can somehow apply to my nails to create something I haven’t seen before. It seems like a lot of nail polish companies are grabbing onto this trend and that excites me! Fuzzy Nail Sweater NOTD (4)
How do you get inspired for your nail art?
Usually inspiration for me is brought on just by having colours sitting out on my desk. I’ll see a couple of polishes next to each other and it makes me want to put them together. I also love reading blogs and looking through Instagram for inspiration, it’s amazing to see what people come up with!
Jen was interviewed by Maria Vlezko in January 2013. All images – provided by Jen.
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