Once upon a time, I had a standing appointment to get manicures and pedicures. Now, I couldn’t tell you the last time I stepped foot inside a nail salon. It really didn’t happen by choice. First, I got pregnant and had to stop getting gel manicures because I was told the UV part of the manicure wasn’t good for the baby. Um, that made me wonder why it was okay for me from the start!!! Then I moved to the Bronx from Brooklyn and didn’t get out every two weeks anymore so I shifted to visiting my salon once a month instead. Yup, I traveled from the Bronx to Brooklyn to get my nails done. Then my nail technician sold the salon!!!! How dare she???
It all went downhill from there. The quality and care wasn’t the same so I eventually stopped going. This was about four years ago. After that, I couldn’t find a place to call my nail home. I felt like Goldilocks. Each place I tried felt too something so I started doing my nails and toes at home. This actually became a great bonding time for me and JustaBXgirl. You see, she loves a good pedicure.
I rarely let her paint her fingernails. At first, it was because she would put her hands in her mouth and I didn’t want her eating the nail polish (even if it is non-toxic). Now, it is because I don’t like how chipped nails look and I am too lazy to worry about removing the polish once they chip. Toes though? She’s had those regularly painted since she was a baby. I’ve paid a lot more attention to what is in nail polish since I’ve been using it with her.
We do have a deal though that JustaBXgirl can paint her nails for special occasions. Sometimes she tries to pull the every day is special bit but overall she doesn’t complain much. And in turn, I rarely paint my nails and stick with pedicures as a show of solidarity (and have I mentioned I don’t like chipped nails?).
Starting school was a very special occasion and we took time to sit together as I gave us Momy & Mini manicures and pedicures. For JustaBXgirl’s nails, she can never decide on just one color so we used the new Scented Piggy Paint polishes. These things smell AMAZING. If JustaBXgirl wasn’t around I might have sniffed the bottles for longer than I care to admit! A secret about these polishes is that they really aren’t just for kids. They are long lasting and come in a variety of colors. I use them on my own toes pretty often. And now that we have the scented ones I might use them more. I’m stuck between if I love the scent of the banana or chocolate more. JustaBXgirl loved the chocolate scent and the papaya best.
I was really tempted to use her polish for myself but was really excited to try my samples from Surya Brasil’s Exotic Animals Nail Polish. These nail polishes are vegan and certified 7 free which basically means they don’t have any bad stuff in them. They also come in beautiful bottles that make you feel fancy. Just me? Their pampas cat is my favorite. It is a great natural shade. It comes out a light tan that makes people take a second look at your nails. It feels very classy to me. JustaBXgirl, of course, loved their flamingo because it is pink. I will let her try it in the future. These polishes also are pretty long lasting which always makes me happy.
Have you used either brand? Do you let your littles paint their nails? Why or why not?
