Happy Memorial Day weekend!  It's time for cookouts, celebrations, and the o-fficial start of flip flop season!  Make sure your toes are in on the fun with some nail color!  But, please, I beg you, don't leave your nail color to chance!  Use my two rules to Pick a Polish on Purpose, that's Step 3 of living like your nail color. 

Rule #1 - Always Pick a Different Color 

The biggest reason to always pick a different color is this:  We women are waaaaaaay too uptight about making change and taking risks.  

We too easily get our panties in a wad that something will go wrong, that we'll fail, or that someone will think something awful about us.  And for what?  Most of the time things turn out okay, we do just fine - or at least have fun trying - and the other person isn't thinking about us nearly as much as we assumed.  

By picking a different nail color every time you do your nails, you're practicing getting more comfortable with change.  If you love the new color, fabulous!  If you just can't stand it, take it off!  A cotton ball soaked with nail polish remover is no match for that ugly color.  Love it or hate it, either way you took a risk, you lived through it, and you took some of the fear out of change, one nail color at a time. 

Before you pick a polish color to wear and live by, it’s important to protect your naked nails.  That’s Step Two of living like your nail color -- Protect Yourself, otherwise known as put some base coat on those naked nails, girlfriend, before you put on nail polish! 

Funny thing is putting on base coat is just like life.  If you skip a step, you pay a price.  I learned this all too well. 

A few years ago, buoyed by my Wonder Woman optimism, I overbooked my schedule once again.  By late afternoon I found myself hurriedly getting ready to attend an evening business event when I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten to paint my nails.  My problem was that I had only 40 minutes to get completely ready and out the door!

My engineering mind came up with what I thought was a brilliant idea:  skip base coat and put polish right on my naked nails so they dry faster.  Five minutes before going out the door I tried my express method and it worked.  By the time I arrived at the event I was ready to shake hands!

I gleefully continued my new technique over the next several weeks until the Universe decided it was time to wipe that smirk off my face.  It happened when I treated myself at my favorite nail salon.  Mandy, my nail tech, noticed that my finger nail tips were splitting and flaking.  She asked the question that came out of seemingly nowhere, “Have you been putting on base coat?”

Eleanor Roosevelt said “Life has got to be lived, that’s all there is to it.” So, let’s get to living like our nail color!  In my next four e-mails I’ll explain my few steps for living like your nail color with some basic nail care how-to’s along with a simple, but powerful question.  Remember, you can do this alone or with a group of girlfriends that will make the experience more meaningful and fun.  Either way, you’ll be glad you did!

Step One to living like your nail color is to get n@ked - nails, that is.  If you’re wearing polish, the first thing you need to do is take it off, usually with nail polish remover and cotton balls.  Next it’s time to trim and file.  Today, short, long, squared, rounded, and pointy nails are all acceptable so do what’s most comfortable to you.  Since bumpy aren’t attractive, use a buffing block to smooth out any rough edges on the sides and top.

Lastly, push back your cuticles by soaking your fingers or toes in warm water to soften things up and then push your cuticles back with an orange stick or cuticle pusher.  You can massage some cuticle oil into your entire nail when done to keep them healthy. I also like using a little scrub to exfoliate my hands or feet, followed by a rich moisturizer.  Your hands or feet will love you!

Getting back to n@ked nails is the perfect time to get back in touch with your true, authentic, original self.  As today’s Wonder Woman who puts her attention on taking care of everyone else, it’s easy to forget who you really are.  It’s too easy to be critical of yourself and to forget about all the good stuff that’s already there.  So, while your nails are getting n@ked, ask: