We give ourselves our own manicures now as a meditative activity. It happens weekly and it’s a pretty calming process. During this time I tend not to think about dying via anaphylactic shock and what not, so that’s nice.

There’s whole process of prep and what not, which is not entirely interesting to write about unless you’re really into getting your nails done too. The important things to note is that the base coat is by Orly (and it’s a critical step if you want to hang on to your manicure for more than a few days), the color is Big Apple Red by OPI, and the top coat that makes it look like an expensive gel manicure is by Seche Vite*. Get yourself a bottle of Orly base coat and Seche Vite top coat and you too can have pretty nails for about a week.

I think in general the deep red is very holiday appropriate, matches the pull tabs on my favorite Patagonia mens jacket (why is their women’s stuff is so freaking fitted), and best of all compliments the melasma / rosacea around my mouth. Don’t you think?

*I tried the gel top coat and the regular bottle on separate occasions and they’re both equally spectacular. The gel effect one is a bit more viscous, and the non-gel effect top coat is more runny. Both provide an insane amount of shine.