Stacy Hutto
Managing editor
All anyone has to do is look at my fingernails to see I love nail polish. It’s a very rare thing for my nails to be the same two weeks in a row. Sometimes, I change polish in the middle of the week if I’m procrastinating on an assignment for a class- I mean, feeling creative, enough and want something different.
But few people know the extent of my nail polish collection. Some might say it’s too much, or over the top, or even obnoxious. I say there’s room to grow. If you want the hard numbers, I can’t help with that. I know it’s probably over 300 right now.
Yes, you read that right: more than 300 bottles of nail polish. While that number is getting absorbed, here’s a little background. For as long as I can remember I would bite my nails. A couple of them I had bitten down, sometimes until there was nothing left. I tried a few times but couldn’t stop.
My 2012 New Year’s resolution was to stop biting my nails. I realized in a little over a year I would be graduating college and having to shake hands in interviews. I didn’t want a job offer to come down to me and another person who got it because they seemed neater and more qualified due to not having gnawed off fingernails.
I can say this is the first New Year’s resolution I have kept. I started with something called Stop the Bite, which is a bitter tasting clear polish from Wal-Mart. If you’re curious what death tastes like, go give it a try.
The important thing is it worked for me. Two weeks after using it my nails were long enough to paint for the first time since my last failed attempt many years ago. The main thing that has helped me not bite my nails is keeping them painted. I feel like I started collecting polish to make up for lost time and to keep from getting bored. I like having a lot of choices and being able to match my nails to my mood.
I’ve heard all the arguments about the size of my collection. Some friends, usually guys, don’t get it. Others, like my girlfriends love it. I realize I will never use it all in my lifetime, but that’s not the point. The point is if you have a nail polish collection that size you have to have a good system for organization to stop from buying polish you already have. At different stages of my collection I’ve had different methods of keeping track. I really like the system I have now.
I get nail polish display tips off eBay and label them with a label maker. A package of 50 is under $5, with shipping. When I get a new polish I label the tip and paint it. I have the tips arranged by color, so when I decide on a color family it is easy to pick exactly which one I want. It also helps me know what I have so I won’t buy the same one twice. If I want to do nail art or an accent nail, I can see what colors go well together.
Another way I stay organized is the nail polish app for my iPhone. It is a free app called Nail Polish Book. The app allows a picture to be uploaded along with the name, brand, shade and collection of a polish. There is an area for comments also.
Usually I find a picture of a polish online to use until I wear the polish. Once I wear it, I take a picture and upload it. For me, it is a good way to keep track of which ones I haven’t worn yet. Of course, there is a lot I wore before I started doing this so I’ll have to wear them again to be able to add them.
I’m sure having my nail polish collection organized will greatly benefit my future granddaughters and daughter-in-laws. Since nail polish doesn’t go bad, what I have will be around long after I’m gone.
The main thing about collecting anything, whether it be nail polish or stamps, is organization. If a collection is organized, it is easier to enjoy. As for me, I’m headed to the Southeastern bookstore. Last time I was in there I saw two different nail polish brands. The best thing is I don’t have anything like them yet. I wonder if I can talk the bookstore manager into getting more.