It’s been a long couple of months. There was the election. Then there was my struggle to settle into my new job (did I mention I have a new job?), which I love but requires me to work at a faster and more intensive pace than I am used to. Then there was more about the election. But now I am back home in New York, surrounded by family and wonderful homecooked meals, and I thought it would be a good time to treat myself.
I don’t usually wear nail polish, for two reasons:
- I often feel too lazy.
- I try to cook at least two or three times a week and I don’t want to worry about flecks of toxic nail polish getting into my food.
But I’ve recently felt a craving for all things silver, including beauty products. And then I came across this little vial, and I had to have it:
This nail polish is the Greenwich color, from the tenoverten brand. One reason I overcame my inhibition against buying nail polish is that tenoverten nail polishes are eight-free, cruelty-free, and vegan. Eight-free meaning that the nail polish is free of formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, formaldehyde resin, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, xylene, and triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), which are potentially toxic components of many other nail polishes. The polish is also made in the U.S.
I’m not adept at painting my nails, but the polish was a pleasure to work with. It applied smoothly, and I got an opaque coating with only two layers (although one layer creates a great, subtle shimmery effect). I’ve had the polish on for a couple of days now, and I noticed two tiny chips, but I didn’t apply any base coat or topcoat. It’s possible that staying power might be heightened with some extra coating.
Below are a few photos of the polish in action (the first photo was taken with a white light flash, the last two were taken with a warm light flash):
I love this polish. The silver color feels and looks luxurious (when I sent M. a photo of my nails, he actually said “v luxe”), and I appreciate the little luxuries more than ever right now.
To go with this shiny new nail coating, I have a shiny new resolution. I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions, mainly because I tend to forget or break mine, but I’m keeping it simple this year.
My resolution for 2017: Remember my communities.
I belong to communities of strong women: women like my mother, who worked night shifts as a waitress for most of my childhood and adolescence, yet woke up early every morning to prepare breakfast for her children and ensure that they went off to school properly fed and on time. I belong to communities of people of color: people like members of the tribes who stood at Standing Rock through harsh weather and abusive treatment to protect the water that nourishes them and those they love. I belong to communities of human beings: human beings who all feel anger, sadness, fear, happiness, and love, no matter their ethnicity, race, or gender.
If I feel too afraid and downtrodden to take action against strife that I have witnessed or heard about, I will remember my communities. I will regroup and gather my strength and go back into the world to take a stand for that which is good for my fellow human beings. I will be fueled by compassion.
I’ve already started on this resolution, which gives me hope that I will not break it in 2017. I have started eating less meat (specifically, in the past month, I have reduced my meat consumption by 75%), because that is one of the easiest and most powerful ways to reduce climate change. I have changed my consumer habits to focus on buying local, fair trade, recycled, American-made, and organic, because the people who are behind the products matter. I have, for the first time in my life, contacted my alderman about an issue in my neighborhood, and I plan to contact my senators to ask them not to vote for Jeff Sessions or Scott Pruitt in their confirmation hearings, because my voice matters.
I am still afraid for what the coming years will bring. But I am also determined to keep moving forward. I am determined to keep striving for a more just world.
And an armor of silvery nails can’t hurt.
Wishing you all a safe and happy New Year,
❤ S. (a.k.a. AMisplacedPen)
Misplaced Pen 